Stressful conditions of work: the participative ergonomics approach

The nature of working stress requires a multi-disciplinary approach for its study. Ergonomics, by its nature multidisciplinary, takes a perspective in which the individual is central and the work and working environment represent the influences to be adjusted. This perspective considers human capacities to have a permissible range of values, within which work demands must be matched. Work demands are more than the physical or mental loads directly related to task performance, since the organisational structure imposes loads. These arise, inter alia, from the relative match between the organisation within the workplace and the structure of the society outside. What people expect from work, and what they get, are also important dimensions of matching the job to the person. The observed stresses, therefore, are not always directly linked to consequences, since there are interactions in what is a multi factor situation. Various aspects of stress are discussed in the paper. Physical stresses and their long and short term impacts are, in many cases, well studied and their effects are known. Work organisation factors such as shift work and repetitive tasks are other stressors, the repetitive work situation is discussed. The whole problem of mental stress is examined more fully than the earlier, perhaps more self evident, stress aspects. Mental stress syndromes are becoming more evident, and it is clear that the interventions are not always satisfactory. In investigations of these situations the involvement of the subjects is vital, the stress effects are often only demonstrated by the subjects' reports.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)