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Workplace Issues

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Handbook of Work Disability

Abstract

A seminal issue in workplace disability prevention is the need to carefully consider unique characteristics of work demands and the work environment. The selection of workplace variables included in research protocols has been influenced by a number of historical and theoretical perspectives, but most variables address aspects of physical and psychosocial job demands, organizational support, and individual-level workplace beliefs and attitudes. We conducted a literature search of the relevant systematic and topical reviews published from 1990 to 2010, and this yielded 18 articles describing the summary evidence for 59 discrete, individual-level workplace variables. Though workplace issues have undergone substantial study in musculoskeletal disability, the evidence of workplace issues for other disorders (e.g., stroke, cancer, mental disorders) is still developing. Overall, the most consistent evidence is for variables describing self-reported physical demands, job stress and control, social support, ability to modify work, workplace accessibility, and the safety and wellness culture of employer organizations.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Disability Research, Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, 71 Frankland Road, Hopkinton, MA, 01748, USA

    William S. Shaw Ph.D.

  2. Department of Health Sciences, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada, P7B 5E1

    Vicki L. Kristman Ph.D.

  3. Institute for Work & Health, 481 University Avenue, Suite 800, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5G 2E9

    Vicki L. Kristman Ph.D.

  4. Department of Kinesiology, CINBIOSE, Université du Québec à Montréal, C.P. 8888, Succursale Centre-Ville, Montréal, QC, Canada, H3C 3P8

    Nicole Vézina Ph.D.

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  1. William S. Shaw Ph.D.
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  2. Vicki L. Kristman Ph.D.
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  3. Nicole Vézina Ph.D.
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Correspondence to William S. Shaw Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Toronto, College Street 155, Toronto, M5T 3M7, Ontario, Canada

    Patrick Loisel

  2. EMGO Institute for Health and Care Resea, Department of Public and Occupational He, VU University Medical Center, AMC-UMCG-UWV-VUmc, Amsterdam, NL-1081 BT, Netherlands

    Johannes R. Anema

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Shaw, W.S., Kristman, V.L., Vézina, N. (2013). Workplace Issues. In: Loisel, P., Anema, J. (eds) Handbook of Work Disability. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6214-9_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6214-9_11

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