| 1. |
- Arcuri, R., et al.
(författare)
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On the brink of disruption : Applying Resilience Engineering to anticipate system performance under crisis
- 2022
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Ingår i: Applied Ergonomics. - : Elsevier. - 0003-6870 .- 1872-9126. ; 99
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- As COVID-19 spread across Brazil, it quickly reached remote regions including Amazon's ultra-peripheral locations where patient transportation through rivers is added to the list of obstacles to overcome. This article analyses the pandemic's effects in the access of riverine communities to the prehospital emergency healthcare system in the Brazilian Upper Amazon River region. To do so, we present two studies that by using a Resilience Engineering approach aimed to predict the functioning of the Brazilian Mobile Emergency Medical Service (SAMU) for riverside and coastal areas during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on the normal system functioning. Study I, carried out before the pandemic, applied ethnographic methods for data collection and the Functional Resonance Analysis Method - FRAM for data analysis in order to develop a model of the mobile emergency care in the region during typical conditions of operation. Study II then estimated how changes in variability dynamics would alter system functioning during the pandemic, arriving at three trends that could lead the service to collapse. Finally, the accuracy of predictions is discussed after the pandemic first peaked in the region. Findings reveal that relatively small changes in variability dynamics can deliver strong implications to operating care and safety of expeditions aboard water ambulances. Also, important elements that add to the resilient capabilities of the system are extra-organizational, and thus during the pandemic safety became jeopardized as informal support networks grew fragile. Using FRAM for modelling regular operation enabled prospective scenario analysis that accurately predicted disruptions in providing emergency care to riverine population.
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| 2. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983, et al.
(författare)
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Workspace preferences and non-preferences in Activity-based Flexible Offices: Two case studies
- 2020
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Ingår i: Applied Ergonomics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0003-6870 .- 1872-9126. ; 83
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Activity-based Flexible Offices (AFOs) are innovations in workspace design that are being increasingly implemented in organisations. While most studies investigate satisfaction and perceived work support in AFOs, employees' workspace preferences are not addressed in the literature. The aims of this study were to (i) identify workspace preferences and non-preferences in AFOs, and (ii) investigate whether employees’ workstation choices support their activities and align with their preferences. Two Swedish municipalities participated in the study. Data collection involved 27 semi-structured interviews and annotations on architectural drawings. The results showed that the interviewees preferred workstations that were both desirable and functional, and avoided workstations that were undesirable. This was due to functional, social, emotional and symbolic aspects of the workspaces as well as their physical structure and stimuli. The approach used in this paper can be adopted for improving the design of AFOs, thereby mitigating the stress of finding a suitable workstation.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Bergsten, Eva L., 1969-, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of relocation to activity-based workplaces on perceived productivity : importance of change-oriented leadership
- 2021
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Ingår i: Applied Ergonomics. - : Elsevier. - 0003-6870 .- 1872-9126. ; 93, s. 10-16
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Activity-based workplaces (ABWs) are becoming popular in Western countries and were implemented at four office sites of a large Swedish government agency. A fifth office was used as a control group. The study aim was to examine the effects of relocation to ABW on perceived productivity among employees and to determine if perceived change-oriented leadership behavior prior to relocation moderates potential effects. Data were collected three months prior to relocation, and three and 12 months after. 407 respondents were included in linear mixed regression models. Perceived productivity decreased significantly after relocation compared to the control group and these effects persisted 12 months after the relocation. However, the decrease in perceived productivity was significantly smaller among employees perceiving high change-oriented leadership before relocation. Our results point out the importance of a change-oriented leadership behavior during the implementation to avoid productivity loss among employees when implementing ABWs.
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| 5. |
- Chai, Chunlei, et al.
(författare)
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The effects of various auditory takeover requests : A simulated driving study considering the modality of non-driving-related tasks
- 2024
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Ingår i: Applied Ergonomics. - 0003-6870 .- 1872-9126. ; 118
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- With the era of automated driving approaching, designing an effective auditory takeover request (TOR) is critical to ensure automated driving safety. The present study investigated the effects of speech-based (speech and spearcon) and non-speech-based (earcon and auditory icon) TORs on takeover performance and subjective preferences. The potential impact of the non-driving-related task (NDRT) modality on auditory TORs was considered. Thirty-two participants were recruited in the present study and assigned to two groups, with one group performing the visual N-back task and another performing the auditory N-back task during automated driving. They were required to complete four simulated driving blocks corresponding to four auditory TOR types. The earcon TOR was found to be the most suitable for alerting drivers to return to the control loop because of its advantageous takeover time, lane change time, and minimum time to collision. Although participants preferred the speech TOR, it led to relatively poor takeover performance. In addition, the auditory NDRT was found to have a detrimental impact on auditory TORs. When drivers were engaged in the auditory NDRT, the takeover time and lane change time advantages of earcon TORs no longer existed. These findings highlight the importance of considering the influence of auditory NDRTs when designing an auditory takeover interface. The present study also has some practical implications for researchers and designers when designing an auditory takeover system in automated vehicles.
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| 6. |
- Chiarotto, Alessandro, et al.
(författare)
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Physical and psychosocial work-related exposures and the occurrence of disorders of the elbow: A systematic review
- 2023
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Ingår i: Applied Ergonomics. - : Elsevier. - 0003-6870 .- 1872-9126. ; 108
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- This systematic review updates a previous systematic review on work-related physical and psychosocial risk factors for elbow disorders. Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Central and PsycINFO were searched for studies on associations between work-related physical or psychosocial risk factors and the occurrence of elbow disorders. Two independent reviewers selected eligible studies and assessed risk of bias (RoB). Results of studies were synthesized narratively. We identified 17 new studies and lateral epicondylitis was the most studied disorder (13 studies). Five studies had a prospective cohort design, eight were cross-sectional and four were case-control. Only one study had no items rated as high RoB. Combined physical exposure indicators (e.g. physical exertion combined with elbow movement) were associated with the occurrence of lateral epicondylitis. No other consistent associations were observed for other physical and psychosocial exposures. These results prevent strong conclusions regarding associations between work-related exposures, and the occurrence of elbow disorders.
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| 7. |
- Cid, Marina Machado, et al.
(författare)
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Does sEMG normalization change results on sex differences in the activation of the shoulder girdle muscles during a simulated work task?
- 2020
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Ingår i: Applied Ergonomics. - : Elsevier. - 0003-6870 .- 1872-9126. ; 85
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim was to investigate if the method of normalizing surface electromyography (sEMG) can change results on sex differences in the muscular activation of the shoulder girdle muscles during a simulated work task. sEMG was recorded in 36 asymptomatic participants (17 females, 19 males) from four parts of trapezius and from serratus anterior muscles during a simulated work task. Four normalization methods, one involving maximal voluntary contractions (MVCs) and three involving submaximal voluntary contractions were applied. Sex differences in absolute and normalized amplitude of sEMG were analyzed. The normalization method had a significant influence on the observed sex differences. Females only showed higher sEMG amplitude than males when the sEMGs were normalized to MVC and to a submaximal contraction based on 20% of MVC for the upper trapezius (acromial fibers). Researchers and practitioners should be aware of the impact of the sEMG normalization method in sex differences investigation.
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| 8. |
- Clays, Els, et al.
(författare)
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Objectively measured occupational physical activity in blue-collar workers : What is the role of job type, gender and psychosocial resources?
- 2020
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Ingår i: Applied Ergonomics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0003-6870 .- 1872-9126. ; 82
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim was to describe occupational physical activity (OPA) and examine the role of psychosocial job resources among blue-collar workers. In a sample of 198 workers (57% male; mean age 44.9 (SD 9.9) year) from 7 companies in Denmark, two accelerometers (Actigraph) were placed on the thigh and trunk during 1-5 consecutive days, to determine working time spent standing, walking, on feet and in activity of moderate to vigorous intensity level (MVPA). The level of influence and social support at work were assessed by questionnaire. The exposure to OPA significantly varied by particular job type, especially in male predominant occupations. Overall, psychosocial job resources did not affect the exposure to OPA. These findings suggest that workplace interventions aiming to prevent adverse outcomes of OPA among blue-collars workers ought to focus on task redesign and target work organizational factors related to specific job type.
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| 9. |
- Degerman, Helene, et al.
(författare)
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Conceptualising learning from resilient performance : A scoping literature review
- 2024
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Ingår i: Applied Ergonomics. - : Elsevier Ltd. - 0003-6870 .- 1872-9126. ; 115
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Forskningsöversikt (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Resilient performance is a crucial characteristic of complex socio-technical systems, enabling them to sustain essential functionality during changing or stressful conditions. Resilience Engineering (RE), a sub-field of safety research, focuses on this perspective of resilience. RE emphasises its “cornerstone model”, presenting the RE system goals of “anticipating, monitoring, responding and learning”. The cornerstone of learning remains fragmented and undertheorized in the existing literature. This paper aims to enrich RE research and its practical implications by developing a nuanced and comprehensive understanding of the role of learning from resilient performance. To achieve this aim, a scoping literature review was conducted to assess how learning is conceptualised in the RE literature and the theoretical foundations on which previous work rest. The main findings show that RE researchers view learning as the process of understanding the system, sharing knowledge, and re-designing system properties. The application of established learning theories is limited. This paper contributes to research by proposing an organisational process for the RE cornerstone of learning, paving the way for deeper discussions in future studies about learning from resilient performance within complex socio-technical systems.
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