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. 2018 May 29:10.1002/ajim.22864.
doi: 10.1002/ajim.22864. Online ahead of print.

The relationship between organizational policies and practices and work limitations among hospital patient care workers

Emily H Sparer  1   2   3 , Leslie I Boden  4 , Glorian Sorensen  1   2 , Jack T Dennerlein  5 , Anne Stoddard  1 , Gregory R Wagner  3 , Eve M Nagler  1   2 , Dean M Hashimoto  6   7 , Karen Hopcia  6 , Erika L Sabbath  8
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The relationship between organizational policies and practices and work limitations among hospital patient care workers

Emily H Sparer et al. Am J Ind Med. .

Abstract

Objective: We examined relationships between organizational policies and practices (OPPs) (safety practices, ergonomic practices, and people-oriented culture) and work limitations in a sample of hospital workers.

Methods: We used the 6-item Work Limitations Questionnaire (WLQ) to assess workers' perceptions of health-related work limitations. Self-reported OPPs and the WLQ were collected from workers in Boston, Massachusetts (n = 1277). We conducted random-intercept multi-level logistic regression models for each OPP using stepwise selection of covariates.

Results: As the unit-average ergonomic practice score increased by one, the odds of a worker reporting work limitations decreased by approximately 39% (P-value = 0.018), adjusted for job title, age, and body mass index. A similar relationship existed for people-oriented culture (P-value = 0.038). The association between safety practices and work limitations was similar, but not statistically significant.

Conclusions: This study demonstrated the importance of workplace OPPs. OPPs that promote positive and supportive environments and that foster improvements in ergonomics may help reduce work limitations.

Keywords: ergonomics; healthcare; organizational policies and practices; work limitations.

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Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:
Conceptual framework for this study, based on Sorensen, et al (2016). According to Figure 1, organizational policies and practices (OPPs) influence the conditions of work, which in turn influence worker proximal outcomes, worker outcomes, and enterprise outcomes. This paper analyzes the relationship between measures of OPPs, and work limitations. Work limitations are not directly included in the model, however, they reflect a combination of worker health outcomes (injury and illness) and enterprise outcomes (productivity).
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