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Abstract:

We examined the effects of psychosocial stressors at work on subsequent injuries, taking into account organizational and mechanical working conditions.

METHODS:

Randomly drawn from the general population, the cohort comprised respondents with an active employee relationship in 2006 and 2009 (n = 6,745). Outcome measure: “Have you, over the past 12 months, afflicted injuries that were caused by an accident at work, and resulting in time off work after the day of the accident?”.

RESULTS:

High job strain (Odds ratio [OR] 2.31; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.16-4.57), high role conflict (OR 3.01; 95% CI 1.70-5.31), and high emotional demands (OR 1.96; 95% CI 1.15-3.35) predicted injury at follow up (P < 0.01). The population risk attributable to each of these factors ranged from 11% to 14%.

CONCLUSIONS:

Excess risk of occupational injuries was attributable to job strain, role conflict, and emotional demands. These factors are potentially amenable to preventive measures.

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From the full-text paper:

• Perceived high job strain, high role conflict, and high emotional demands increased the risk of subsequent occupational injuries by more than twofold (pg. 4).
• Strain induced by adverse psychosocial factors may deplete risk recognition and affect the ability to escape from risks (pg. 5).
• Moreover, prolonged exposure to psychosocial work stressors may lead to emotional exhaustion component of burnout. Emotional exhaustion may, in turn, deteriorate the employee’s mental or physical energy to perform certain self-protecting behaviors (pg 5).
• Risk of injuries was higher among shift workers than regular daytime workers and higher for people who perceived their work as physically heavy
• No statistically significant differences for risk of injury was found with sex, temporary employment, inadequate training or working >45 hours per week.

The finding that role conflict was attributed with future injury supports prior research where role conflict was a robust predictor for several health outcomes, including burnout, psychological distress and musculoskeletal pain.

Authors: Johannessen, H.A., Gravseth, H.M., Sterud, T. (2015). Am J Ind Med.

Study link: https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.22431

Link to the LinkedIn article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/psychosocial-factors-work-occupational-injuries-study-ben-hutchinson