Evaluation of workload among industrial workers with the Need for Recovery Scale

Work conditions can overload a worker's capabilities and result in health complaints. The early identification of hazardous work conditions allows the definition of priorities for more efficient ergonomic interventions.

To assess the need for recovery among industrial workers under different work conditions using the Need for Recovery Scale (NFR), and to verify the association between the scores and personal factors, occupational factors and daily activities.

191 workers (mean age of 34.5±8.3 years) from a manufactory industry participated in this study. Workers answered both a questionnaire regarding demographic and occupational factors, and daily activities as well as the NFR. Ergonomic assessment of workplace sectors was carried out based on the Ergonomic Workplace Analysis. The Pearson chi-square test (significance level 5%) was used to verify the association between NFR scores and the variables of interest.

The only association was between work sector and NFR score. According to the ergonomic assessment, the work sector with the highest need for recovery also presented the worst environmental and organizational conditions.

The Need for Recovery Scale proved to be a helpful tool for differentiating work sectors presenting different workload demands and contributed to the definition of intervention priorities for preserving worker health.