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See also: New Dynamics of Ageing: Working Late Project
News
Loughborough University responds to the ageing workforce
Researchers at Loughborough University have been awarded £1.3 million from the New Dynamics of Ageing Programme. The research, which is led by Professor Cheryl Haslam, Director of the University's Work and Health Research Centre in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, is entitled 'Working Late - strategies to enhance productive and healthy environments for the older workforce.' It centres on how there is a pressing need for employment policies, workplace design and occupational health provision that takes account of the ageing workforce.
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Loughborough Professor launches European 'Safety and Health at Work' week
A Loughborough University Professor was invited to launch the 2007 European Week for Safety and Health at Work on Tuesday (19 June).
Organised by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), this year's Euroweek will focus on musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Called 'Lighten the Load', the aim of the campaign is to support employers, workers, safety representatives and other stakeholders in improving MSD prevention in the workplace.
Loughborough's Professor Cheryl Haslam, who is based in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, is a world expert in the field of MSDs and Director of the University's Work and Health Research Centre. The centre has recently completed major research projects on reducing musculoskeletal disorders in the workplace on behalf of the HSE.
Professor Haslam gave a presentation at the launch of the UK Euroweek campaign in London. Lord McKenzie of Luton, the Minister for Health and Safety also gave a keynote speech at the event.
Professor Haslam said: "The projects we have recently completed on behalf of the HSE will play an important role in tackling MSDs in the workplace over the next few years. I am delighted to offer my support to this very worthwhile campaign."
Driving out pain for Motorists
Researchers at Loughborough University are hoping to put an end to the back pain endured by thousands of motorists who drive as part of their job.
Musculoskeletal disorders are the most common form of work-related ill health in the UK, with an annual cost of more than £200 million - and employees who drive more than 20 hours a week are at particular risk.
Academics in the Department of Human Sciences have been awarded almost £200,000 by the BUPA Foundation to enable them to examine the effects of driving on people's health. The research will involve the development of a driving ergonomics tool, which it is hoped will help businesses manage the risks posed by driving to employees.
Loughborough's Dr Diane Gyi, who is leading the project, said: "We are delighted to have been given funding by the BUPA Foundation to carry out this important research. Briton's work the longest hours in Europe and many spend vast amounts of time driving as part of their job.
"Driving itself enforces a constrained posture, but in addition the car is increasingly being used as a mobile workplace with associated health risks. Research at Loughborough University has shown that prevention strategies that are tailored to the drivers' needs are much more effective in terms of changing behaviour and improving health. The tool we will develop has the potential to encourage employers to invest in health, leading to improvements in the short, medium and long term health outcomes of employees and enhancing organisational performance."
For the project the University will work closely with drivers and other key players, such as occupational health nurses, physicians, safety managers and advisors, from three large organisations. They will use questionnaires, interviews and hands on evaluations to draw up tailored advice on how motorists can try and avoid developing musculoskeletal disorders in the future.
This advice will then be developed into a special tool, freely available on a website, which will guide company policy and decision making for the occupational health management of driving workforces in the UK.
The Loughborough project is one of five to be funded by the BUPA Foundation. The Foundation hands out grants annually to research based on specialist themes, and the theme for this year's funding programme is 'health in the workplace, promoting good health in the work setting'.
Dr Andrew Vallance-Owen, Deputy Chairman of the BUPA Foundation, said: "The Foundation is dedicated to funding medical research to prevent, relieve and cure sickness and ill health, and these projects aim to take major steps in the understanding of a wide range of work-related health issues. By making people aware of what is healthy behaviour, we believe they will be more motivated to practice it. We're delighted to be funding these extremely valuable initiatives."
Top honour for Human Sciences research team
Research aimed at reducing musculoskeletal disorders in the workplace has won academics in the Department of Human Sciences a prestigious award.
The research team, comprising of Professor Cheryl Haslam, Zara Whysall and Professor Roger Haslam, were invited to submit their research for the American Psychological Association (APA)/National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Intervention Evaluation Awards.
Entitled 'A staged approach to reducing musculoskeletal disorders in the workplace', their study was judged as the best intervention research in the workplace in this prestigious competition. The review process involved 16 US senior scientists from APA and NIOSH and the Loughborough project achieved the highest rating. It will appear in a special issue of the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.
The picture shows Professor Cheryl Haslam (left) being presented with the award by Anita Schill, Director of Science at NIOSH, at the Work, Stress and Health Conference, held in Miami in March.
The team's research has developed a new approach to improving health in the workplace. The innovative work applied a model from health psychology (Stage of Change) to develop interventions that are specifically tailored to managers' and employees' readiness to change.
The project involved developing tools to measure organisational and individual stage of change with respect to reducing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Tailored interventions were shown to be more effective in changing behaviour compared to standard interventions.
The Health and Safety Executive have awarded further funding for a second project to follow-up the interventions over a longer period. Professor Cheryl Haslam is currently commencing research applying the approach to stress management in the workplace.
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See also: New Dynamics of Ageing: Working Late Project