Page 11 - Petelin, Ana, Nejc Šarabon, Boštjan Žvanut, eds. 2017. Zdravje delovno aktivne populacije ▪︎ Health of the Working-Age Population. Proceedings. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem/University of Primorska Press
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Psychophysical workload of workers
in Slovenia

Eva Boštjančič, Zala Slana

University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts, Department of Psychology,
Aškerčeva 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

eva.bostjancic@ff.uni-lj.si; zala.slana@gmail.com

Abstract
Introduction: The psychophysical workloads with which an individual
has to cope on a basis at their workplace are important for the employee
as well as the employer. It is important to be aware of them, draw
attention to them and strive to reduce their sources. The setting-up
of programmes and procedures is an important factor in reducing
negative effects on employees, as well as maintaining and increasing
employees’ mental and physical health. Methods: This article will present
a short self-assessment scale of psychophysical health that enables us
to evaluate the appearance of five of the most frequent psychosomatic
problems experienced by employees (N = 490). Results: In the research,
we will analyse the presence of exhaustion, social behavioural disorders,
physical disorders, depressive reactions, and fear and anxiety in different
demographic groups and, at the end, we will connect the symptoms with
the field of activity. Discussion and conclusions: Research has shown a
link between demographic variables and exposure to psychophysical
risks. There is a more straightforward connection with education (higher
levels of education are connected to lower risk), while the connection
with age and gender is not so clear. Psychophysical workloads are more
frequent in construction, manufacturing, the information industry and
the civil service.
Key words: psychophysical workload, health, workers, Slovenia

Conditions in working environments today are dependent on wider envi-
ronmental as well as social and economic factors. Working conditions
comprise physical (e.g. working hours, work equipment) and social fac-
tors (e.g., management style, nature of interpersonal relations). All factors
(Hupke, 2013, mentions content of work, workload, level of supervision, work-
ing hours, the working environment, work equipment, the worker’s role, or-

doi: https://doi.org/10.26493/978-961-7023-32-9.9-22
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