Sustaining person-environment fit with a changing workforce.

Data on health and lifestyle from the Naval service cohort study of occupational stress form the background to a discussion of employee health and the sustainability of a healthy workforce in relation to secular changes - in particular, the increasing prevalence of obesity. One thousand two hundred and forty-one Naval personnel returned questionnaires in 2007 and 2011 and reported their body mass index (BMI), alcohol consumption and smoking, general health and health conditions such as back pain and high blood pressure on both occasions. Health risk due to high BMI and waist circumference in 2011 was predicted by low participation in exercise in 2007. Those performing physically demanding work in 2007 were more likely to be in the 'no risk' category in 2011. High BMI in 2007 was associated with the development of back pain, musculoskeletal conditions and high blood pressure in 2011. The findings are discussed in relation to two aspects of sustainability: the sustainability of current ergonomics practice in relation to health and safety; and the role of ergonomics in sustaining a healthy and productive workforce. PRACTITIONER SUMMARY: Evidence is presented for the benefits of exercise in sustaining employee health and for an association between a high BMI and a number of common health complaints that have traditionally been tackled through workplace ergonomics. This evidence can be used to support the development of workplace design concepts that promote physical activity.

Two year follow-up study of stressors and occupational stress in submariners.

BACKGROUND: Submariners are an occupational group within the Royal Navy (RN) who work in isolated and extreme conditions. This preliminary study forms part of a longitudinal study of occupational stress in the RN. AIMS: To compare stress prevalence in submariners with matched controls and to identify predictors of occupational stress in submariners over a 2 year follow-up period. METHODS: Participants completed a Work and Well-Being Questionnaire to measure occupational stressors and the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) to measure stress at time point 1, and a follow-up GHQ-12 2 years later. Demographically matched controls from the surface fleet of the RN were identified for each submariner. Regression models were developed for submariners and their controls to predict future stress at time point 2 using psychosocial predictors from time point 1. RESULTS: Participants comprised 144 submariners and 144 general service controls. There were no differences between submariners and their surface fleet counterparts in the prevalence of occupational stress. Nevertheless, different predictors for the development of stress were found between the two groups. For submariners, over-commitment and rank were the main predictors; whereas for controls, the predictors were length of service, body mass index and physical work. CONCLUSIONS: Submariners were not more likely to suffer from occupational stress than surface fleet controls in the RN. However, the psychosocial predictors of stress were significantly different for this RN specialist group, demonstrating the importance of developing individual models of stress for different occupational groups.

Job stressors in naval personnel serving on ships and in personnel serving ashore over a twelve month period.

Sixty one percent of respondents to a questionnaire survey of occupational stress (Phase I) returned follow-up questionnaires twelve months later (Phase II). The Phase I questionnaire measured psychological strain resulting from exposure to occupational stressors, and measured the presence of stress buffers and demographic, psychological and lifestyle-related confounding factors, including age, rank and gender, mood state and the occurrence of stressful life events outside of work. The prevalence of strain was 31% at Phase I and 33% at Phase II. Fifty percent of personnel had no strain on either occasion, 15% had strain on both occasions and the remainder had strain on one occasion. The main stressor associated with strain at Phase I was an inability to disengage from work and this stressor accounted for a greater proportion of the variance in strain in personnel serving on ships than those serving ashore. The twelve-month follow-up questionnaire (Phase II) re-assessed psychological strain. A multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to identify factors measured at Phase I that predicted strain at Phase II in previously strain-free individuals. A lack of autonomy and control and dissatisfaction with living conditions predicted strain twelve months later in those serving on ships. Of the living conditions assessed, lack of privacy was the most strongly associated with strain twelve months later in those serving on ships. These stressors were not associated with strain twelve months later in those serving ashore. The findings suggest that improvements to the design of the environment on ships may have benefits for the psychological health of personnel.

Work demands and need for recovery from work in ageing seafarers.

This study was conducted on a population of seafarers serving in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), the organisation providing support at sea to the Royal Navy. An investigation into work-related fatigue in RFA personnel onboard ships was carried out following changes to the regulations concerning maximum retirement age, to determine whether age was associated with recovery from work demands. A total of 322 personnel aged from 19 to 61 years were interviewed onboard seven RFA ships. The Need for Recovery scale was used to measure fatigue and work demands exposure was measured using the Baecke questionnaire and the NASA Task Load Index. It was found that older personnel did not have higher work-related fatigue than younger personnel. A measure of frustration at work was found to be most strongly related to work-related fatigue, even in seafarers who carried out physically demanding jobs. Work-related fatigue was found to accumulate over time in personnel who continued to be exposed to work demands onboard a ship. Finally, a relatively high level of work-related fatigue was found in the RFA sample as a whole, which may hold implications for management interventions. It was concluded that older personnel in the RFA can cope with the day-to-day demands of working life as well as younger personnel, possibly due to a 'survivor effect', whereby those personnel who do not cope as well with work demands leave and find a different job, leaving only those who successfully deal with the demands of working life at sea. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: In order to manage work demands in seafarers, it is important to identify the most fatiguing demands. Age is of interest because of the demographic ageing of the workforce. Age was not associated with a higher need for recovery. Psychological work demands had a greater effect on need for recovery than physical work demands.

Chronic and acute psychological strain in naval personnel.

BACKGROUND: Previous surveys have shown that there is a greater prevalence of psychological strain in Naval personnel than in the general population and have described the main psychosocial stressors associated with strain. AIMS: To determine the prevalence of acute strain and of repeated episodes of strain over 6- and 12-month periods. METHODS: Six and twelve months after completing a Phase I Work and Well-Being questionnaire, 2596 personnel were reassessed using a follow-up General Health Questionnaire-12. RESULTS: The response rates at 6 and 12 months ranged from 51 to 60%. There was no evidence of response bias at follow-up. The prevalence of acute strain was 31% at Phase I. After 6 months, approximately half of strain cases had recovered. Only 10% had strain over the entire period. Change in strain was linked to change in work role. CONCLUSIONS: Accumulation of strain and recovery occur within 6 months depending on change in work role. Management of strain might best be achieved by management of work demands and deployment length. Further studies will investigate the rate of accumulation of strain over the course of demanding deployments. Exposure to psychosocial stressors such as effort reward imbalance accounted for much of the difference between chronic strain sufferers and those with no strain.

Occupational stress and strain in the Royal Navy 2007.

BACKGROUND: Previous surveys of psychological strain in the Naval Service (NS) have shown higher than expected levels of strain when compared to the general population. AIM: To repeat the survey last carried out in 2004 and to obtain further information on the nature of the occupational stressors associated with strain. METHODS: General Health Questionnaire-12 strain rates and job/life stressors were measured using a Work and Well-Being Questionnaire. Models of strain were developed for male and female personnel in the Royal Navy (RN) and males in the Royal Marines (RM). RESULTS: The response rate was 57%. The psychological strain rate was 31.5% overall. Personnel suffering from strain tended to be 'overcommitted' to work, had low levels of commitment to the NS and had suffered stressful life events (SLEs) in the previous 12 months. Strain rates declined with age and rank in males, but not in females. Strain was significantly positively correlated with levels of overcommitment, effort-reward imbalance (ERI), role conflict, work-family conflict, organizational commitment and exposure to SLEs. Models of strain in the males and females in the RN and in the RM accounted for between 37 and 44% of the variance in strain. CONCLUSIONS: The survey provides evidence for both the demand control and ERI models-components of these models contribute independently to strain. High levels of commitment to the organization were associated with lower strain and exposure to SLEs to higher strain.

The IL-6 signal transducer, gp130: an oncostatin M receptor and affinity converter for the LIF receptor.

Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) are multifunctional cytokines with many similar activities. LIF is structurally and functionally related to another cytokine, Oncostatin M (OSM), that binds to the high-affinity LIF receptor but not to the low-affinity LIF receptor. A complementary DNA was isolated that encodes the high-affinity converting subunit of the LIF receptor. The converter conferred high-affinity binding of both LIF and OSM when expressed with the low-affinity LIF receptor and is identical to the signal transducing subunit of the IL-6 receptor, gp130. The gp130 subunit alone confers low-affinity binding of OSM when expressed in COS-7 cells. This receptor system resembles the high-affinity receptors for granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, IL-3, and IL-5, which share a common subunit.