Arbetsförhållanden och hälsa vid callcenter i Sverige

There are a range of problems associated with job on call centres. A range of problems associated with the job have become apparent, with time pressure, performance monitoring via computer, monitoring of phone calls, ergonomic deficiencies and musculoskeletal problems amongst the problems reported. An earlier study of a call centre in Sweden found inadequate working conditions and signs of ill health amongst a high percentage of the population in their 20s who had only been working for 2-3 years. The situation was worse there than amongst older employees in other industries with computer-intensive jobs. Inadequate working conditions and the high incidence of medical complaints amongst young employees may mean that call centres are failing to provide the sustainable work opportunities that many are counting on, e.g. in rural areas. Scientific studies of call centres are few and the state of knowledge of working conditions and health there is deficient. A cross-sectional study into working and health conditions at call centres in Sweden was conducted with the aim of contributing to a sustainable development of call centre work. The project was conducted in partnership with the Ergonomics Programme at the National Institute for Working Life, Occupational Medicine North, Sundsvall Hospital, and the Institute for Psychosocial Factors and Health at the Karolinska Institute. Data were collated at social, corporate and individual level from 15-20 larger call centres with different operating spheres, ownership structures and geographical location. Data were collected on work organisation, content and times, physical and psychosocial working conditions, and health and well-being with the aid of questionnaires, observations, measurements, medical examinations and company registers (including the computerised monitoring system). A total of approximately 1,500 people were included in the study. Models were tried out in order to evaluate the effects of ill health and inadequacies in working conditions at the company's expense.Det är ett antal problem associerade med arbete vid callcenter. Bland de rapporterade problemen finns, tidspress, datoriserad prestationsövervakning , monitorering av telefonsamtal, ergonomiska brister och muskuloskeletala problem. En tidigare studie av ett callcenter i Sverige visade på bristande arbetsförhållanden och tecken på dålig hälsa bland en stor andel av populationen anställda i 20 års åldern som endast arbetat i 2-3 år. Situationen var värre än bland äldre anställda i andra brancher med datorintensiva arbeten. Inadekvata arbetsförhållanden och den höga förekomsten av medicinska klagomål bland unga anställda kan betyda att callcenters misslyckas med att ge de hållbara arbetsmöjligheter som många räknar med. Vetenskapliga studier av callcenters är få och den nuvarande kunskapen och arbetsförhållanden och hälsa där är bristande. Arbetslivsinstitutet har tillsammans med Yrkes- och miljömedicinska kliniken vid Sundsvalls sjukhus samt Institutet för Psykosocial Medicin vid Karolinska institutet en genomfört en landsomfattande undersökning av arbets- och hälsoförhållanden vid ett urval av callcenterföretag i Sverige under början av 2000-talet. Syftet har varit att få fram kunskaper som kan bidra till ett långsiktigt hållbart arbete på sådana företag. Data insamlades på på social, företags och individuell nivå från 15- 20 stora callcenters med olika ägandestrukturer och geografisk lokalisering. Data insamlades på arbetsorganisation, innehåll och tid, fysiska aoch psykosociala arbetsförhållanden, samt hälsa och välmående med hjälp av enkäter, observationer, mätningar, medicinska undersökningar och företagsregister (inklusive datoriserade monitoreringssystem). Totalt inkluderades ca 1500 personer i studien

Musculoskeletal disorders and working conditions among male and female computer users

Upprättat; 2000; 20100721 (andbra

Musculoskeletal disorders and working conditions among male and female computer users

Upprättat; 2000; 20100721 (andbra

Perceived exertion, comfort and working technique in professional computer users and associations with the incidence of neck and upper extremity symptoms.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate whether perceived exertion, perceived comfort and working technique is associated with the incidence of neck and upper extremity symptoms among professional computer users. METHODS: At baseline a self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 853 participants from 46 different work sites (382 men and 471 women) who, at baseline, had been free from neck and upper extremity symptoms during the preceding month. Work-related exposures, individual factors, and symptoms from the neck and upper extremities were assessed. Observations of working technique were performed by ergonomists using an ergonomic checklist. Incidence data were collected by means of 10 monthly questionnaires, asking for information on the occurrence of neck, shoulder and arm/hand symptoms. Perceived exertion was rated on a modified Borg RPE scale ranging from 0 (very, very light) to 14 (very, very strenuous). Perceived comfort was rated on a 9-point scale ranging from -4 (very, very poor) to +4 (very, very good) in relation to the chair, computer screen, keyboard, and computer mouse. RESULTS: The median follow up time was 10.3 months. The incidence of symptoms from the neck, shoulders and arm/hands were 50, 24 and 34 cases per 100 person years, respectively.Higher perceived exertion in the neck, shoulder or arm/hands was associated with an increased risk of developing symptoms in the corresponding body region. Moreover, a dose-response relationship between the level of exertion and the risk of developing symptoms was recorded for all three regions. There was an association between low comfort and an increased risk for neck symptoms, but not for shoulder and arm/hand symptoms, although a trend towards such an association (not statistically significant) could be seen. Working technique was, in this study, not associated with the risk of developing symptoms in any of the investigated body regions. CONCLUSION: There was a strong association between high perceived exertion and the development of neck, shoulder, and arm/hand symptoms. Moreover, there was an association between poor perceived comfort and neck pain. Surveillance of computer users may include perceived exertion and comfort to target individuals at risk for neck and upper extremity symptoms