Stress prevention for assembly-line workers |
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| Stress in assembly-line work Practical ways of eliminating stress for assembly-line workers |
The manual Stress prevention for blue-collar workers in assembly-line production (CONDI/TWP.1/1997), by Dr S. Kvarnström (former Medical Director, Asea Brown Boveri), can be obtained upon request from the Conditions of Work Branch. The following section is taken from the manual.
Assembly-line work is often performed in a workplace environment with physical problems, such as noise, vibrations and dangerous machines, which can all be important factors in stress.
The feeling that supervisors do not care about creating a good work environment is another important factor of stress. Furthermore, technical development in assembly-line work, especially in large companies, has often resulted in more complicated tasks for the workers, who may have difficulty in maintaining an overview of all the steps in production, which may in turn result in more stress.
What an individual considers to constitute a risk can cause as much stress as a real risk. If danger has been eliminated, it is very important to convince the worker that this has been done. Even a slight suspicion that all is not faultless can develop into a stressful situation.
The magnitude of stress in manual work, and especially assembly-line work, can involve extremely high costs. It has, for example, been estimated in Sweden that work-related muscular and back disorders cost more than the national military defence, and around half of these types of disorders are generally considered to be due to stress.
In a workshop where 17 workers had more than 30 per cent absence due to sickness and around 50 per cent personnel turnover, the occupational medical department was of the opinion that the work organization was at fault. The files of all the workers who had been working there in the last five years were analysed to found out what had happened to the workers with regard to their health. It was found that all but two complained of pains in the muscles and neck. Based on these results, as well as on figures for absence due to sickness, staff turnover, etc., a major change in work organization was undertaken. The result was very good: staff turnover went down to zero. Sick leave was reduced by half in a short time and for years no more cases were reported for compensation. |
Based on a large number of practical examples, the manual reviews many practical ways of eliminating stress for assembly-line workers. These range from methods of strengthening the individual’s response to stress, to improving the physical work environment and changing the organization of work. It contains sections on preparing for the change process, introducing change and the issues to be covered by change.
Finally, the manual outlines a number of important features of the new organization of work that is developed with a view to preventing stress and which in very many cases turns out to be much more efficient and productive than the former organization of work. These features include:
The manual concludes that the path from a stressful to a stress free environment in assembly-line work can be long and difficult, but that the rewards in terms of personal fulfilment, both for managers and workers, as well as in terms of cost reductions and increased efficiency for the enterprise, largely compensate the major effort which may be required.
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