Fitness to work: a comparison of European guidelines in the offshore wind industry

Preisser, Alexandra M.; McDonough, Rosalie; Harth, Volker

doi:10.5603/mh.2016.0041

Cited by 11 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Offshore wind work requires its employees to be mentally and physically fit [ 16 ]. Findings regarding the health of German offshore wind workers are currently restricted to studies analyzing acute incidents of offshore injury and illness from medical evacuation records.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Healthy offshore workforce? A qualitative study on offshore wind employees’ occupational strain, health, and coping

et al. 2018

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BackgroundOffshore work has been described as demanding and stressful. Despite this, evidence regarding the occupational strain, health, and coping behaviors of workers in the growing offshore wind industry in Germany is still limited. The purpose of our study was to explore offshore wind employees’ perceptions of occupational strain and health, and to investigate their strategies for dealing with the demands of offshore work.MethodsWe conducted 21 semi-structured telephone interviews with employees in the German offshore wind industry. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed in a deductive-inductive approach following Mayring’s qualitative content analysis.ResultsWorkers generally reported good mental and physical health. However, they also stated perceptions of stress at work, fatigue, difficulties detaching from work, and sleeping problems, all to varying extents. In addition, physical health impairment in relation to offshore work, e.g. musculoskeletal and gastrointestinal complaints, was documented. Employees described different strategies for coping with their job demands. The strategies comprised of both problem and emotion-focused approaches, and were classified as either work-related, health-related, or related to seeking social support.ConclusionsOur study is the first to investigate the occupational strain, health, and coping of workers in the expanding German offshore wind industry. The results offer new insights that can be utilized for future research in this field. In terms of practical implications, the findings suggest that measures should be carried out aimed at reducing occupational strain and health impairment among offshore wind workers. In addition, interventions should be initiated that foster offshore wind workers’ health and empower them to further expand on effective coping strategies at their workplace.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-018-5079-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Healthy offshore workforce? A qualitative study on offshore wind employees’ occupational strain, health, and coping

et al. 2018

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“…The prevalence of “good” to “very good” self-rated health in our sample is comparable to that of academic professionals (92%) and substantially higher than that among manual labourers (76–82%) in the male German population (Burr et al 2013 ). This finding probably reflects the selection of healthy workers according to the fitness requirements to work in offshore installations, which have been demonstrated to be more restrictive in Germany than in other European countries regarding some aspects such as cardiovascular fitness and respiratory health (Preisser et al 2016 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Musculoskeletal pain among offshore wind industry workers: a cross-sectional study

Garrido

Mette

Mache

et al. 2020

Int Arch Occup Environ Health

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Objective To assess whether there are differences in musculoskeletal pain among different types of occupations offshore and their relationship to ergonomic demands. Methods We conducted a web-based cross-sectional survey among workers from offshore wind energy companies operating within the German exclusive economic zone. We selected workers with regular offshore commitments and at least 28 days spent offshore in the past year (n = 268). Musculoskeletal pain was assessed using the Subjective Health Complaints inventory (SHC), which considers the past month. Results Of the 268 male participants eligible for analysis, 54% reported back pain 50.4% neck pain, 40.3% lower back pain, 35.5% shoulder, 23.3% arm and 22.1% leg pain, all of them during the past month. Compared to other offshore occupations, technicians reported more frequently arm (OR 3.13; 95% CI 1.58-6.19), back (OR 1.97; 95% CI 1.15-3.39), shoulder (OR 1.94; 95% CI 1.11-3.40) and neck pain (OR 1.89; 95% CI 1.11-3.22). After adjusting for age and nationality, lifting and carrying heavy loads were associated with all types of pain except leg pain. Overhead work, work in awkward postures, and the use of personal protection equipment and heavy tools was associated with shoulder, back and arm pain. Conclusions Our findings suggest that occupational health counselling, health promotion and preventive interventions of offshore wind energy workers needs to consider the specific tasks of the employee and be particularly tailored to the ergonomic needs of technicians.

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“…Physical capacity assessments and minimal physical requirements required for offshore access have been proposed to and adopted by companies in the offshore wind industry [18][19][20]. However, there are currently no globally agreed standards and limited empirical evidence to guide these processes [21]. The only physical capacity parameter assessed by offshore operators and contractors as of today is aerobic capacity [21,22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intelligent Physical Exercise Training (IPET) in the Offshore Wind Industry: a Feasibility Study With an Adjusted Conceptual Model

Oestergaard

Sandal

Smidt

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Background: Good physical health and capacity is a requirement for offshore wind service technicians (WTs) who have substantial physical work demands and are exposed to numerous health hazards. Workplace physical exercise has shown promising results as a strategy for maintaining and improving physical health and work ability among various types of workers. Therefore, we aimed to assess the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of the Intelligent Physical Exercise Training (IPET) concept among WTs in the offshore wind industry.Methods: The present study used a within-subject design to assess the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of IPET (one hour/week individualized exercise during working hours). The intervention period was 12 weeks, with the first eight weeks performed on site as supervised or partly supervised exercise during work hours and the last four weeks planned as home-administered exercise after termination of the seasonal offshore service period. Three assessments, T1 (six months prior to intervention start), T2 (start of intervention) and T3 (end of intervention), of physical health and capacity (self-reported and objective measurements) were conducted and the period between T1 and T2 served as a within-subject control period. Primary outcome was feasibility measured as compliance, adherence, adverse events, and participant acceptability. Descriptive statistics were used to present feasibility outcomes and pairwise comparisons were performed to assess for differences in outcomes between T1, T2 and T3. Results: All WTs at the included wind farm (n=24, age: 40 years (SD±8)) participated in the study. No serious adverse events were reported. Compliance and adherence of 95 and 80% respectively, were reached in the eight-week supervised part, but lower when exercise was home-administered (<20%). Acceptability was high for the supervised part, with 83% indicating that the exercise program worked well and 100% that exercise should be implemented as an integrated part of the working structure. Physical capacity and health parameters collected at T1, T2 and T3 increased before and during the intervention period, indicating seasonal fluctuations in addition to possible improvements caused by the intervention.Conclusion: Implementation of Intelligent Physical Exercise Training on site and during working hours seems to be feasible and well received among WTs in the offshore wind industry.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT04995718). Retrospectively registered on August 6, 2021, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04995718?term=NCT04995718&draw=2&rank=1

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Fitness to work: a comparison of European guidelines in the offshore wind industry

Abstract: (Int Marit Health 2016; 67, 4: 227-234)

Cited by 11 publications

References 10 publications

Healthy offshore workforce? A qualitative study on offshore wind employees’ occupational strain, health, and coping

Healthy offshore workforce? A qualitative study on offshore wind employees’ occupational strain, health, and coping

Musculoskeletal pain among offshore wind industry workers: a cross-sectional study

Intelligent Physical Exercise Training (IPET) in the Offshore Wind Industry: a Feasibility Study With an Adjusted Conceptual Model

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