Assessment of psychosocial risk factors

Aspects of work may not only contribute to physical stress but psychological stress as well. As long as we believe we have adequate control over all aspects of our job, we may experience normal stress. However, if we believe we have little control over job demands, we may suffer from distress with accompanying ill health and possible irrational behaviours. Under distress, the probability of an accident increases greatly. Research is examining work factors such as performance monitoring, incentive pay systems, and unreasonable management production demands to determine whether these factors have a negative effect on the musculoskeletal system. Another related area of research is to determine which personal, work, or societal factors contribute to acute musculoskeletal disorders developing into chronic or disabling problems.

This symposium will discuss methods of identification of psychosocial risk factors among the workers engaged in video display terminal use which is practised at our tertiary level rehabilitation centre.