Participatory ergonomics: co-developing interventions to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal symptoms in business drivers

The participatory process within four case study organisations with a target population of high mileage business drivers is described. The aim was to work with drivers and their managers to co-develop intervention activities to raise awareness of musculoskeletal health in drivers, including use of the car as a mobile office and manual handling from the car. Train-the-trainer sessions were delivered in each organisation, along with the co-production of training materials. The effectiveness of these activities were evaluated using three sources of data: post-intervention questionnaires, interviews with organisation ‘champions’ and observations from the research team's diaries. The approach raised management awareness of the risks to drivers and was successful in affecting change, and as such, participatory research should consider the early stages of a project as part of any intervention activities. The research team also reflect on conducting applied longitudinal research in the field. Practitioner Summary: Raising awareness of the risks of musculoskeletal disorders in drivers who work from their vehicle is important. This paper reflects on research in the field and provides guidance on the participatory process and evaluating intervention activities. The participatory process was successful in affecting change at management level.

[1]  C. Haslam,et al.  Musculoskeletal symptoms in pharmaceutical sales representatives. , 2010, Occupational medicine.

[2]  Steven Hecker,et al.  A participatory ergonomics intervention to reduce risk factors for low-back disorders in concrete laborers. , 2004, Applied ergonomics.

[3]  E. B. Zechmeister,et al.  Research Methods in Psychology. , 1990 .

[4]  C. Haslam,et al.  Stakeholder perspectives on managing the occupational health of UK business drivers: a qualitative approach. , 2011, Applied ergonomics.

[5]  Roger Haslam,et al.  Developing the Stage of Change Approach for the Reduction of Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders , 2007, Journal of health psychology.

[6]  D C Cole,et al.  Effectiveness of a participatory ergonomics intervention in improving communication and psychosocial exposures , 2007, Ergonomics.

[7]  Nigel King,et al.  Using templates in the thematic analysis of text , 2004 .

[8]  S. Haslam,et al.  The ASPIRe model: Actualizing Social and Personal Identity Resources to enhance organizational outcomes. , 2003 .

[9]  D E Gyi,et al.  The prevalence of musculoskeletal troubles among car drivers. , 2002, Occupational medicine.

[10]  Robin Burgess-Limerick,et al.  Implementation of the participative ergonomics for manual tasks (PErforM) programme at four Australian underground coal mines , 2007 .

[11]  Emma Irvin,et al.  Process and implementation of participatory ergonomic interventions: a systematic review , 2010, Ergonomics.

[12]  P. Carayon,et al.  Theory and practice for the implementation of 'in-house', continuous improvement participatory ergonomic programs. , 1998, Applied ergonomics.

[13]  Y. Carlisle,et al.  Re-Applying Beliefs: An Analysis of Change in the Oil Industry , 2004 .

[14]  E. Viikari-Juntura,et al.  Effects of ergonomic intervention in work with video display units. , 2002, Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health.

[15]  B. Jonsson,et al.  Standardised Nordic questionnaires for the analysis of musculoskeletal symptoms. , 1987, Applied ergonomics.

[16]  Edel Conway,et al.  Perceived Organizational Support , 2015 .

[17]  Ilkka Kuorinka,et al.  Tools and means of implementing participatory ergonomics , 1997 .

[18]  D. Cole,et al.  Effectiveness of participatory ergonomic interventions on health outcomes: a systematic review. , 2008, Applied ergonomics.

[19]  R. Menninger.  Administration and policy in mental health , 1993, Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research.

[20]  H. Murphy.  The Detection of Psychiatric Illness by Questionnaire; A Technique for the Identification and Assessment of Non-Psychotic Psychiatric Illness. , 1973 .

[21]  Margaret D. Galer Flyte.  The vehicle as an IT office environment: ergonomics design requirements for mobile computing , 2000 .

[22]  Bazil Basri,et al.  Equivalent comfort contours for vertical seat vibration: effect of vibration magnitude and backrest inclination , 2012, Ergonomics.

[23]  D. Goldberg.  The detection of psychiatric illness by questionnaire : a technique for the identification and assessment of non-psychotic psychiatric illness , 1972 .

[24]  R. Buckland.  Private and Public Sector Models for Strategies in Universities , 2009 .

[25]  Theodore F. Schoenborn,et al.  Participatory ergonomic interventions in meatpacking plants , 1994 .

[26]  Henry L. Roediger,et al.  Research Methods in Psychology , 1985 .

[27]  Roger Haslam,et al.  Manual handling training: investigation of current practices and development of guidelines , 2007 .

[28]  A. Uchida,et al.  Effects of driving on low back pain. , 2006, Occupational medicine.

[29]  A. Burton,et al.  The implementation of occupational health guidelines principles for reducing sickness absence due to musculoskeletal disorders. , 2006, Occupational medicine.

[30]  Michael F Polanyi,et al.  Paddling upstream: a contextual analysis of implementation of a workplace ergonomic policy at a large newspaper. , 2005, Applied ergonomics.

[31]  S. Hignett.  Intervention strategies to reduce musculoskeletal injuries associated with handling patients: a systematic review , 2003, Occupational and environmental medicine.

[32]  C. Cassell,et al.  Essential guide to qualitative methods in organizational research , 2004 .

[33]  James O. Prochaska,et al.  A Transtheoretical Approach to Changing Organizations , 2001, Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research.

[34]  G Harris,et al.  Occupational health issues affecting the pharmaceutical sales force. , 2003, Occupational medicine.

[35]  A. Macaulay,et al.  Participatory research maximises community and lay involvement , 1999 .

[36]  Lisa Steiner,et al.  Implementation of an ergonomics process at a US surface coal mine , 2007 .

[37]  D. Kee,et al.  Musculoskeletal disorders among nursing personnel in Korea , 2007 .

[38]  Roger Haslam,et al.  A staged approach to reducing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the workplace , 2005 .

[39]  Ogden Brown.  Macroergonomic Methods: Participation , 2002 .

[40]  J. Ivancevich,et al.  Longitudinal organizational research in field settings , 1978 .

[41]  John R. Wilson,et al.  Solution ownership in participative work redesign: The case of a crane control room , 1995 .

[42]  C. Haslam,et al.  Implementing Health and Safety Interventions in the Workplace: An Exploratory Study , 2006 .

[43]  Z Whysall,et al.  A stage of change approach to reducing occupational ill health. , 2006, Preventive medicine.

[44]  Cortlandt Cammann,et al.  Assessing the attitudes and perceptions of organizational members , 1983 .

[45]  M. Hugentobler,et al.  Conducting Action Research: Relationships between Organization Members and Researchers , 1992 .

[46]  Philip H. Mirvis,et al.  Assessing organizational change : a guide to methods, measures, and practices , 1984 .

[47]  J C Rosecrance,et al.  The use of participatory action research and ergonomics in the prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in the newspaper industry. , 2000, Applied occupational and environmental hygiene.

[48]  Mitsuo Nagamachi,et al.  Requisites and practices of participatory ergonomics , 1995 .