• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.186-190
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• 2014

Background: Physical exercise during leisure time is known to increase physical capacity; however, the long-term effects on work ability and work strain are inconclusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a 6-month physical exercise program on work ability and work strain after 6 months and 30 months, among women with menopausal symptoms at baseline. Methods: A questionnaire including questions on work ability and work strain was mailed in the beginning, at 6 months and after 30 months after the intervention to occupationally active women participating in a randomized controlled study on physical exercise and quality of life. The intervention included aerobic exercise training 4 times per week, 50 minutes per session. Work ability was measured with the Work Ability Index (WAI) and with questions about physical and mental work strain. Results: Women aged 47-62 years (N=89) who were occupationally active at baseline were included in the analyses. The increase in WAI from baseline to the end of the exercise intervention (6 months) was statistically significantly greater among the intervention group than among the control group (regression coefficient 2.08; 95% confidence interval 0.71-3.46). The difference between the groups persisted for 30 months. No significant short- or long-term effects on physical and mental work strain were found. Conclusion: A 6-month physical exercise intervention among symptomatic menopausal women had positive short-term as well as long-term effects on work ability.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.150-155
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• 2014

The success of construction projects is heavily dependent on the work ability of the field managers who manage the execution of projects. The work ability of field managers is influenced by various elements such as job stress and individual characteristics. The purpose of this study is to reveal the factors influencing the work ability of construction field managers in Korea. Work ability is evaluated bases on the Work Ability Index(WAI) developed by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, while job stress is measured using the Korean Occupational Stress Questionnaire Short Form developed by the Korean Occupational Safety & Health Agency. The results showed that field managers under higher job stress have lower work abilities. In addition, it is revealed that exercise or religious practice have a positive influence on work ability. This study will help to increase the work ability and enable the efficient management of organization at building construction sites.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.101-107
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• 2012

The statistics of industrial accident reported by ministry of Employment and Labor denoted a significant increase of musculoskeletal disorders(MSDs) after 1993, and showed the higher incident rate by 71.3% over the overall worker's disorders. Also, it was expected that Korean society will become the post-aged society in 2026 with 20.8% of elderly who is over 65 years old. The reports suggest possible problems caused by the older worker known to have reduced working ability than the young counterparts. On this basis, the goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between MSDs symptoms and work ability in the shipbuilding industry. To achieve this goal, this study distributed a questionnaire for total 1,244 shipbuilding employers, and used 910 employers' reports which revealed validity for this study. The questionnaire included the MSDs symptoms report developed by the Korean Occupational Safety and Health Association(KOSHA) and the work ability index(WAI) developed by Finnish Institute of Occupational Health(FIOH). Results showed no relationship between MSDs symptoms and age, years of work and exercise. Also, the work ability was increased until 44 years old, but it was decreased after that time because of the reduced physical capacity. Meanwhile, the years of work and exercise have positive correlation with work ability. However, the results revealed significant relationships between WAI and age, years of work, task characteristics and exercise. All together, the MSDs symptoms have a close relationship with the work ability in that the work ability of workers with the MSDs symptoms was reduced. This study may suggest the needs of more efforts and attention on the MSDs prevention to increase the work ability.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.356-363
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• 2017

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate which physical and psychosocial work demands were associated with excellent work ability in individuals with neck pain, and to investigate age and sex differences in these associations. Methods: The study sample was obtained from the Statistics Sweden cross-sectional Work Environment survey and consisted of workers who reported neck pain after work (N = 3,212). Results: The findings showed an association between excellent work ability and self-reported low exposure to lifting, twisted work posture, working with hands in shoulder level or higher, and leaning forward without support and combination of exposures containing these work demands. Low exposure to seated work and high demands showed a reversed association. The associations were present mainly among older workers and were generally stronger for men than for women. Conclusion: This study indicates that a lower level of physically demanding work is an important element to maintain excellent work ability, especially for the older worker with neck pain.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.305-311
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• 2015

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship nursing personal and workplace system factors (work disability) and work ability index scores in Ontario, Canada. Methods: A total of 111 registered nurses were randomly selected from the total number of registered nurses on staff in the labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum areas of four northeastern Ontario hospitals. Using a stratified random design approach, 51 participants were randomly selected in four northeastern Ontario cities. Results: A total of 51 (45.9% response rate) online questionnaires were returned and another 60 (54.1% response rate) were completed using the paper format. The obstetric workforce in northeastern Ontario was predominately female (94.6%) with a mean age of 41.9 (standard deviation = 10.2). In the personal systems model, three variables: marital status (p = 0.025), respondent ethnicity (p = 0.026), and mean number of patients per shift (p = 0.049) were significantly contributed to the variance in work ability scores. In the workplace system model, job and career satisfaction (p = 0.026) had a positive influence on work ability scores, while work absenteeism (p = 0.023) demonstrated an inverse relationship with work ability scores. In the combined model, all the predictors were significantly related to work ability scores. Conclusion: Work ability is closely related to job and career satisfaction, and perceived control at work among obstetric nursing. In order to improve work ability, nurses need to work in environments that support them and allow them to be engaged in the decision-making processes.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.20 no.2 s.70
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• pp.133-139
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• 2005

TWe investigated whether work ability index(WAI) was highly correlated with work environment(physical work environment, working condition and work form) correlated high. The study population consisted of technicians from one manufacturing company in South Korea(n=104). WAI and work environment were analyzed by correlation and multiple regression. Therefore, we conclude that the correlation of WAI and work environment in this population was high. So if there are the older employees having a poor score on the items related to work environment, we can elevate the work ability by dealing with work environment. Moreover, we can make the best program to maintain and raise WAI in short term.

• The Journal of Korean society of community based occupational therapy
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.35-42
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• 2017

Objective : The purposes of this study are to examine the correlations among work ability and sleep quality in bus driver and to find the factors affecting work ability. Methods : The participants were 120 inpatients with bus driver. The Work Ability Index(WAI) was used for measuring work ability and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was utilized to measure sleep quality. The relationships among the variables were examined with Pearson correlation coefficients. And the stepwise multiple regression analysis were performed to identify the predictive variables that explain changes of work ability. Results : As a result of analyzing correlation of variables affecting work ability, there was negative correlation in contact sleep quality(p<.001) and working hours(p<.001). Finally, Work ability was identified as a factor that explains 48.2% of change in sleep quality(p<.001) and working hours(p<.01). Conclusion : It was found that intimacy of bus driver was a major variable to affect work ability. The sleep quality and working hours should be considered as a way to improve the bus driver work ability.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.58-62
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• 2022

Metro subway construction is a field that requires a great deal of professional manpower. The aging of professionals has a negative impact on both productivity and health, owing to poor working environments, heavy lifting, underground work, and other factors. To address this issue, the government is progressively revising and enforcing health management law and regulation in the construction industry. Thus, the job stress and work ability of many professional subway construction workers, who are rapidly aging, are being analyzed to ensure their safety and improve their health. In this study, the Macpa stress index of Busan Metro Subway construction workers from Sasang to Hadan line was measured by using a Macpa measurement machine, and a work ability survey was conducted by using the questionnaire that was developed by the FIOH. The independent variables were age, years of service, job position, employment type, and occupation. While, the dependent variables were the Macpa stress index and work ability. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used because it was difficult to assume that the statistics of this study represented a normal distribution. The results showed that age, job position, and employment type affected Macpa stress index and revealed that as the age of the workers increased, their stress levels increased as well. Additionally, job position and employment type affected the work ability of the metro subway construction workers. In terms of job position, the technical engineers were under a lot of stress, and whereas the managers had the best work ability. The technical engineers were more stressed than the other workers because of a poor working environment. In terms of employment type, daily workers were under more stress and lower work ability than others.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.43-48
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• 2016

Background: Work Ability Index (WAI) is a well-known and valid self-report tool that has been widely used in various studies to identify and avoid early retirement and work-related disability. Nevertheless, very few studies have been carried out to evaluate work ability in Iran. We aimed to investigate the WAI and the effect of work-related stress on it among Iranian workers. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive and analytic study was carried out among 449 workers from five working sectors in three big cities of Iran. Work ability and work-related stress were measured using the Persian version of WAI and the Persian version of Health and Safety Executive Stress Indicator Tool. Results: More than a third of the workers surveyed (34.70%) did not have an appropriate level of work ability (WAI < 37). There was a significant correlation between subscales of work-related stress and the mean score of WAI. Furthermore, the variables of body mass index, sleep quality, exercise activity, job tenure, and three subscales of work-related stress including demands, supervisor support, and role were significant predictors of WAI. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the interventional programs must be focused on improving supervisors support, eliminating ambiguity and conflicts in the role of workers in their job and organization, reducing job demands, improving sleep quality, and increasing exercise activity.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.125-130
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• 2012

According to the Korea National Statistical Office data in 2010, the population over ages of 65 years would possess to 11.3% whole population of Korea in 2011 denoting Korea is already in the aging society. Old age is associated with inevitable time-dependent losses in physical capabilities. However the maintenance of physical capabilities is essential for continuing independence in old age. The work ability index(WAI) was constructed to reveal how well a worker is able to perform his work. This study focused on the discovery of an industrial and age-related influences on the work ability and job stress of workers in the shipbuilding, house managing, apartment construction industry. For this, the study conducted a job stress test using the Korean Occupational Stress Questionnaire Short Form, and employee performance evaluations using the Work Ability Index (WAI) of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) on 3,228 workers in the shipbuilding, house managing and apartment construction industry. SPSS 12.0 K statistics program was used for statistics analysis and significance was verified with the Kruskal-Wallis test, a corporate body of nonparametric statistical analysis. As a result, employee performance had significant differences, depending on age, an industrial and years of service. The mean WAI score of the shipbuilding industry was lower than that of the other industry. Additionally, it was found that employee work ability decreased more as job stress increased.