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.
© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.