Suchergebnisse

Twenty-nine audiometric tests undergone by an employee over a 26-year employment period in a structural maintenance shop at a large petrochemical company are analyzed. At retirement, the employee was diagnosed as having irreversible sensorineural hearing loss. Since company studies yielded average noise level measurements of 90 dBA within 1.83 m of operating equipment, the relationship between continuous noise and sensorineural hearing loss in the conversational frequencies is examined. Results suggest that the relationship is linear, and that auditory capability consistently deteriorates over long periods of exposure.

The purpose of this paper is to make practical suggestions regarding the appropriate use and interpretation of the null hypothesis (He) in human engineering research. The coverage of this topic, as presented herein, is neither meant to be restrictive nor exhaustive, but it does represent a simple and concise treatment of a very real methodological problem. The paper itself is offered as a single collective source of several research arguments underlying using and interpreting Ho as an experimental hypothesis.

Two studies are reported. In the first study, reading seven segment numerics (SN) was shown to be more difficult than reading of conventional numerics (CN) under short viewing times. Errors in reading SN were idiosyncratic to certain numbers; however, the numbers erroneously reported are predictable. In the second study, training was shown to be effective in overcoming difficulties in reading SN, but without opportunity for continued exposure to SN, acquired skills may be reduced significantly after one month. It was concluded that where time is not critical, SN readability is comparable to CN, but in situations where time is critical, periodic SN training should be employed to preclude readability problems.

A major problem currently confronting law enforcement agencies is the assessment of the effectiveness of various driver improvement activities. The objectives of this research were to evalute the effect of the Texas Department of Public Safety driver improvement training program on driving record and to develop a technique for predicting reduction in accident and violation frequencies for the 12-month period following training. The results of this study indicated that the training program has a significant effect on accident and violation frequencies for selected groups. It was also found that it is possible to construct an equation that will predict with some accuracy, reduction in the number of accidents and violations for a 12-month period following training.

ABSTRACT Purpose: Our main purpose was to explore how collective job crafting relates to the meaning of work and the meaning-making processes. Originality/value: We explored the job crafting model to study the meaning of work at the collective level. But, while most job crafting studies focus on the relation between workers and tasks, we focused on the collective meaning-making that emerges from workers actively adapting tasks, significance, and relationships in their jobs. As for the practitioners, we alert for a possible trapdoor through which job crafting can fall back into plain hierarchical job design if it is not actively and autonomously engaged by workers. Design/methodology/approach: We used basic qualitative research to combine interpretative analysis (aligned with our topic and theoretical model) and the possibility to look into an interaction scenario (aligned with our objectives). Data was collected though informants' responses to a semi-structured interview and analyzed using content analysis. Findings: We found out that workers shared an understanding of the problems of work meanings and engage in a quest to make sense of their work lives both 1. At the organizational level - arranging work in unorthodox ways -; and 2. At the interpersonal level - adhering to specific roles to attach meaning to work. Our findings shed light on new aspects of the job crafting model, particularly, on the meaning of work centrality to the model in collective job crafting experiences.

Background Little is known about the state of mental health systems in Kenya. In 2010, Kenya promulgated a new constitution, which devolved national government and the national health system to 47 counties including Kilifi County. There is need to provide evidence from mental health systems research to identify priority areas in Kilifi's mental health system for informing county health sector decision making. We conducted an initial assessment of state of mental health systems in Kilifi County and documented resources, policy and legislation and spectrum of mental, neurological and substance use disorders. Methods This was a pilot study that used the brief version of the World Health Organization's Assessment Instrument for Mental Health Systems Version 2.2 to collect data. Data collection was based on the year 2014. Results Kilifi county has two public psychiatric outpatient units that are part of general hospitals. There is no standalone mental hospital in Kilifi. There are no inpatients or community based facilities for people with mental health problems. Although the psychiatric facilities in Kilifi have an essential drugs list, supply of drugs is erratic with frequent shortages. There is no psychiatrist or psychologist in Kilifi with only two psychiatric nurses for a population of approximately 1.2 million people. Schizophrenia was the commonest reason for visiting outpatient facilities (47.1%) while suicidal ideation was the least common (0.4%). Kenya's mental health policy, which is being used by Kilifi County, is outdated and does not cater for the current mental health needs of Kilifi. There is no specific legislation to protect the rights of people with mental health problems. No budget exists specifically for mental health care. There have been no efforts to integrate mental health care into primary care in Kilifi, and there is no empirical research work to evaluate its feasibility. Conclusion There is an urgent need to increase resources allocated for mental health in particular infrastructure and ...

The study presented here was a series of three experiments that examined the ability of blind individuals and individuals simulating the visual acuity of 20/400 to monitor the behaviors of a cane traveler in various environments and at distances between 10 feet and 25 feet.