| 1. |
- Andre, Alann, et al.
(författare)
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An experimental and numerical study of the effect of some manufacturing defects
- 2013
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Ingår i: ICCM International Conferences on Composite Materials. - : International Committee on Composite Materials. ; , s. 4105-4112
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- During the manufacturing process of composite structural parts, layer of fabrics or unidirectional prepreg may have to be cut in order to fulfil production requirements. From a general mechanical point of view, cutting fibres in a composite part has a large negative impact on the mechanical properties. However, such interventions are necessary in particular cases, for example due to draping of complex geometries. A rather extensive test program was launched to investigate the effects of defects that typically could arise during manufacturing. The overall purpose of the test program was to determine knock-down factors on strength for typical manufacturing defects that occasionally arise and sometimes are hard to avoid in production: cuts/gaps and fibre angle deviations. Four types of specimens were tested, reference, intersection of cuts in adjacent layers combined with a bolt hole, cut in a zero degree ply combined with a bolt hole and specimens with misaligned fibres. The specimens with misaligned fibres were tested with three different fibre angles. In addition to the experimental procedure, FE-analyses utilising cohesive elements were conducted, and after mechanical tests, Non Destructive Investigation (NDI) and fractographic investigations were performed. An excellent correlation between analyses and experiments were obtained.
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| 2. |
- Aili, Katarina, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
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Sleep disturbances predict future sickness absence among individuals with lower back or neck-shoulder pain : A 5-year prospective study
- 2015
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. - London : SAGE Publications. - 1403-4948 .- 1651-1905. ; 43:3, s. 315-323
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Musculoskeletal pain is one of the most common causes of sickness absence. Sleep disturbances are often co-occurring with pain, but the relationship between sleep and pain is complex. Little is known about the importance of self-reported sleep, when predicting sickness absence among persons with musculoskeletal pain. This study aims to study the association between self-reported sleep quality and sickness absence 5 years later, among individuals stratified by presence of lower back pain (LBP) and neck and shoulder pain (NSP). Methods: The cohort (n = 2286) in this 5-year prospective study (using data from the MUSIC-Norrtalje study) was stratified by self-reported pain into three groups: no LBP or NSP, solely LBP or NSP, and oncurrent LBP and NSP. Odds ratios (ORs) for the effect of self-reported sleep disturbances at baseline on sickness absence (> 14 consecutive days), 5 years later, were calculated. Results: Within all three pain strata, individuals reporting the most sleep problems showed a significantly higher OR for all-cause sickness absence, 5 years later. The group with the most pronounced sleep problems within the concurrent LBP and NSP stratum had a significantly higher OR (OR 2.00; CI 1.09-3.67) also for long-term sickness absence (> 90days) 5 years later, compared to the group with the best sleep. Conclusions: Sleep disturbances predict sickness absence among individuals regardless of co-existing features of LBP and/or NSP. The clinical evaluation of patients should take possible sleep disturbances into account in the planning of treatments.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Bramberg, Elisabeth Bjork, et al.
(författare)
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Development of evidence-based practice in occupational health services in Sweden : a 3-year follow-up of attitudes, barriers and facilitators
- 2017
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Ingår i: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health. - : Springer. - 0340-0131 .- 1432-1246. ; 90:4, s. 335-348
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Swedish government initiated an investigation of how to secure and develop the competence of the occupational health services. The primary aim of the present study was to investigate whether the development of evidence-based practice (EBP) in the Swedish occupational health services in relation to attitudes, knowledge and use improved during the first 3 years of the government's initiative. The study has a mixed methods design combining questionnaires and interviews with data collection at baseline and at 3-year follow-up. The response rate was 66% at baseline and 63% at follow-up. The results show that practitioners' knowledge of EBP was moderate at baseline and improved at follow-up (p = 0.002; 95% CI 0.01; 0.21). Practitioners experienced lower levels of organizational and managerial support for EBP at follow-up (p < 0.001; 95% CI 0.18; 0.38). The results revealed that managers viewed responsibility for implementing EBP as a matter for individual practitioners rather than as an organizational issue. Occupational health service managers and practitioners are generally positive to EBP. However, the findings emphasize the need to educate managers in how to support EBP at the organizational level by creating an infrastructure for EBP in the OHS.
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| 5. |
- Eliasson, Kristina, et al.
(författare)
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A user-centred development process for an equipment vest for the Swedish police force
- 2024
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Ingår i: International Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics. - : InderScience Publishers. - 2045-7804 .- 2045-7812. ; 11:1, s. 56-77
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this paper is to describe a user-centred development process for an equipment vest for police officers on active duty. Development and evaluation of the vest were conducted through a multidisciplinary collaboration between the police organisation and external researchers with expertise in ergonomics and biomechanics. The development process was initiated with a user needs analysis, followed by pilot testing of the initial vest prototype. In the extensive usability test, 95 police officers participated. Interviews, focus group discussions, and pressure measurements were conducted to assess the vest’s functionality, impact on physical load, safety aspects, and signal value. Throughout the process, several important aspects were identified. Researchers delivered results iteratively to the designers and project manager. The results from the user evaluation guided further development, resulting in an equipment vest tailored to the needs and requirements of Swedish police officers on active duty.
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| 6. |
- Eliasson, Kristina, et al.
(författare)
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A user-centred development process for an equipment vest for the Swedish police force
- 2024
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Ingår i: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN FACTORS AND ERGONOMICS. - : InderScience Publishers. - 2045-7804 .- 2045-7812. ; 11:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this paper is to describe a user-centred development process for an equipment vest for police officers on active duty. Development and evaluation of the vest were conducted through a multidisciplinary collaboration between the police organisation and external researchers with expertise in ergonomics and biomechanics. The development process was initiated with a user needs analysis, followed by pilot testing of the initial vest prototype. In the extensive usability test, 95 police officers participated. Interviews, focus group discussions, and pressure measurements were conducted to assess the vest's functionality, impact on physical load, safety aspects, and signal value. Throughout the process, several important aspects were identified. Researchers delivered results iteratively to the designers and project manager. The results from the user evaluation guided further development, resulting in an equipment vest tailored to the needs and requirements of Swedish police officers on active duty.
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| 7. |
- Eliasson, Kristina, et al.
(författare)
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Company representatives’ experiences of occupational health surveillance for workers exposed to hand-intensive work : A qualitative study
- 2021
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 18:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Exposure assessment seldom precedes the medical health checks in occupational health surveillance. In order to emphasize the interconnection between exposure assessment and medical health checks, a process model was developed. The process model aimed to guide employers and Occupational Health Service providers through the execution of occupational health surveillance. The objective of this qualitative study is to explore company representatives’ experiences of the process model, in terms of feasibility and values, and to identify factors that facilitate or impede the process. Thirty-three company representatives from ten companies were interviewed. Interviews were analyzed using content analysis. The company representatives experienced that the model contributed to increased risk awareness and understanding of the exposure effects on workers’ health. They valued the exposure assessments performed by an ergonomics expert, which led to the discovery of previously unidentified risks. The feasibility was facilitated by: a joint start-up meeting in which the process was planned, clear communication between the involved parties, and clarity regarding the process ownership. The findings reveal that a guiding process model is valuable for the execution of occupational health surveillance. However, the model should not only define the components included; a practical guide concerning how the process can be executed is also needed.
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| 8. |
- Eliasson, Kristina, et al.
(författare)
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Does occupational health surveillance lead to risk reduction for workers exposed to hand-intensive work?
- 2023
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Ingår i: Applied Ergonomics. - : Elsevier. - 0003-6870 .- 1872-9126. ; 112
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This mixed method study aimed to describe what risk-reducing actions were proposed by ergonomists after the execution of a guided process for occupational health surveillance for workers exposed to hand-intensive work in ten companies. Another aim was to describe the exposed workers' proposals for risk-reducing actions, including their perceptions of potential changes in the self-assessed exposure levels and work-related pain. Several actions, targeting organizational, technical, and/or individual measures were proposed. Proposals from the ergonomists more often targeted the personal measures, whereas the workers' proposals targeted technology or organizational changes. Six companies implemented at least one of the action proposals. These action proposals were not related to evaluation metrics, nor were they evaluated. This study indicates that both ergonomists and companies need guidance on how to improve to work in a participatory process for the implementation and evaluation of risk-reducing actions, e.g., by how to better include workers’ experiences.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Eliasson, Kristina, et al.
(författare)
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Ergonomists’ experiences of executing occupational health surveillance for workers exposed to hand-intensive work : a qualitative exploration
- 2022
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Ingår i: BMC Health Services Research. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 1472-6963. ; 22:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: In order to reduce work-related upper limb disorders, the Swedish Work Environment Authority introduced an occupational health surveillance targeting hand-intensive work. A process model, aimed at supporting the employers as well as the occupational health service provider (i.e., ergonomist) in the work process with the occupational health surveillance, was developed. The objective of this qualitative study was to explore ergonomists’ experiences of the execution of occupational health surveillance for hand-intensive work when following the novel process model as well as factors influencing the execution.Methods: Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with ten ergonomists on one occasion regarding their experience of following the work process. Qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach was used for analyzing the data.Results: The ergonomists’ experiences were summarized in one theme “A joint roadmap supporting a participatory process” and two categories “Clear structure provided by the components” and “The process influenced by collaboration and context”. The ergonomists valued being guided by the systematics of the model, which provided structure and clarity in their work. Factors affecting the execution were related to communication deficiencies and uncertainties regarding expectations between different roles and functions (e.g., ergonomists and contact person, lack of information to workers). Additional factors, for instance, companies’ routines and the ergonomist’s intra-organizational support, such as access to IT-resources, could also affect the process.Conclusions: The findings reveal that this process model facilitates the ergonomists’ work and cooperation with a client company. However, the process model needs to be developed and accompanied by a guideline with information related to the process, including e.g., description of a start-up meeting and of the roles/functions of the involved parties.
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