Construction of a survey to assess workload and fatigue among AMT operators in Mexico

Abstract

Operators of machinery classified as Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AMT) are exposed to high levels of workload and fatigue. However, only few studies have been conducted on this topic in Hispanic-American countries workers. Several instruments be used to assess workload and fatigue; however, only few of them have been adapted to Spanish language. This paper reports on the development and validity testing of a survey instrument in Spanish, aiming to subjectively assess workload and fatigue among AMT operators in Mexico. Method: After an exhaustive literature review in search of already available measurement instruments, they were adapted for content and later translated into Spanish; a pilot test was conducted to evaluate validity and reliability; afterwards appropriate modifications were made to the testing instruments. Final version of the instrument was applied to a group of 121 operators of CNC lathes. Reliability was analyzed using KMO and Cronbach alpha indices. Results: For the assessment of workload, both NASA-TLX and ISTAS 21 methods were incorporated to the survey instrument. As for fatigue assessment tools, these were SOFI-S, FAS and OFER questionnaires. Results show KMO value and Cronbach alpha above 0.6.Conclusions. The survey instrument as designed, allows the collection of reliable and valid data regarding workload and fatigue among AMT operators in Mexico.

The paradoxical mechanisms of high‐performance work systems (HPWSs) on perceived workload: A dual‐path mediation model

“…Integrating the quantity and pace of work (Karasek, 1985), workload is considered "the cost incurred by an individual given their skills while performing a particular level of performance on a task with specific demands" (Arellano, Mejía, Pérez, Alcaraz, & Brunette, 2012, p.1790. PW represents an individual's subjective evaluation of the amount of work.…”

Increasing Compulsory Citizenship Behavior and Workload: Does Impression Management Matter?

“…Workload typically denotes the combination of work quantity and work pace (Karasek, 1985). Given his/her ability, workload means an individual’s cost to work at a specific performance level with specific requirements (Arellano et al, 2012, p.1790). Shirom et al (2010) described workload as “the perception of having too many things to do or not having enough time to do the things one has to do”.…”

Work overload, role conflict and emotional distress as predictors of burnout among police cadets in Nigeria

“…Although this path is not posited by Frone et al, several empirical investigations (Cushman and West, 2006; de Beer et al, 2015; Huang et al, 2022; Reinke and Chamorro-Premuzic, 2014; Sandmeier et al, 2022; Yang, 2004) have shown that work overload leads to burnout. Workload is the cost incurred by an individual, given their abilities, while performing at a specific level in a job that has particular demands (Arellano et al, 2012). Thus, when there is an overload, burnout could be expected.…”