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- Musculoskeletal disorders in the use of backpacks - A reviewPublication . Pereira, Gonçalo A.; Batista, Mariana R.; Rodrigues, Matilde; Loureiro, Isabel F.Spine pathologies are not a recent problem. There is evidence that problems related to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in children and adolescents are increasingly (Ebbehojet al ., 2002), and the school environment and related tasks can have influence on it. The school environment is a factor of great influence in the development of postural changes and MSDs, for being the period of development of bone structure. At this period, improper habits in children and adolescents, such as incorrect posture, improper transport of backpacks or excess weight carried in backpacks can also be identified. Therefore, this is the best time to stimulate healthy habits to reduce the probability of occurrence of MSDs, irreversible in adult hood as in this period aspects related to overload and inappropriate postures become determinant to the development of the musculoskeletal system. The incorrect carrying of heavy backpacks can contribute greatly to this problem, which is the focus of this investigation study.
- Evaluation of the effectiveness of different safety education interventions: a study with secondary school studentsPublication . Vale, Cláudia; Rodrigues, MatildeYounger workers are more vulnerable to be injured at work, due to a lower experience and knowledge to deal with risks. These workers need to be prepared before their integration in the labor market in order to avoid unsafe behaviors, reducing the occupational accidents. However, for the success of a safety educational intervention (SEI), effective techniques need to be used.
- Effect of a safety education program on risk perception of vocational students: A comparative study of different intervention methodologiesPublication . Rodrigues, Matilde; Vales, C.; Vieira Da Silva, ManuelaThis study intends to analyze and compare the effect of a Safety Education Program (SEP) on vocational students’ risk perception when different training methodologies are used. A SEP was designed and applied to 157 students of Vocational Education and Training (VET) programs. The sample was divided in three groups. In each group a different training methodology was applied: theory based; demonstration-based and testimonies-based. To assess their effect on students’ risk perception, the same survey questionnaire was applied two weeks before and after the SEP. Results showed a significant and important positive impact of the SEP. Comparisons among intervention methodologies showed dif ferences in their effect on risk perception, where a greater effect was found for testimonies-based meth odology. The results of this study emphasize the importance of a SEP in VET programs. However, the importance of a proper training methodology was demonstrated.
- Risk criteria in occupational environments: critical overview and discussionPublication . Rodrigues, Matilde; Arezes, Pedro; Leão, Celina PintoThe current work can be seen as a starting point for the discussion of the problematic on risk acceptance criteria in occupational environments. Some obstacles to the quantitative acceptance criteria formulation and use were analyzed. A look to the long tradition of major hazards accidents was also performed. This work shows that organizations can have several difficulties in acceptance criteria formulation and that the use of pre-defined acceptance criteria in risk assessment methodologies can be inadequate in some cases. It is urgent to define guidelines that can help organizations in the formulation of risk acceptance criteria for occupational environments.
- Modelo pedagógico Problem Based Learning aplicado na licenciatura em Saúde AmbientalPublication . Rodrigues, Matilde A.; Nunes, Mafalda; Freitas, Marisa; Santos, Joana; Silva, Manuela V.No ano letivo 2017/18 iniciou-se o processo de transição do plano de estudos do curso de Licenciatura em Saúde Ambiental, na Escola Superior de Saúde do Instituto Politécnico do Porto. A nova estrutura curricular do curso assenta no modelo pedagógico Problem Based Learning (PBL). Este modelo é muitas vezes definido em oposição às abordagens ditas como “tradicionais”. Um dos pontos mais diferenciadores é a sua interdisciplinaridade, a qual se encontra refletida na estrutura curricular do curso. A substituição do conhecimento fragmentado, apresentado nos modelos tradicionais em diferentes Unidades Curriculares (UC), pelo estudo de problemas reais em Saúde Ambiental que permitem envolver e relacionar várias áreas de conhecimento, promove não só uma melhor integração dos conteúdos curriculares, mas também potencia a aprendizagem, de uma forma contextual. Neste modelo pedagógico o docente deixa de ser visto como um meio para expor a matéria, passando a ser considerado pelo estudante como um especialista com quem poderá esclarecer as suas questões ao longo das sessões de recurso (equivalente às aulas teóricas). Adicionalmente, existe a necessidade da figura de um tutor, o qual acompanhará o grupo ao longo do estudo do problema nas sessões de orientação tutorial. Este trabalho em grupo promove o desenvolvimento de competências transversais. Foi realizada uma análise comparativa do desempenho dos estudantes entre os dois planos de estudos. Numa primeira fase, foram determinadas as notas equivalentes às novas UC dos 1º e 2º anos considerando a classificação obtida pelos estudantes em 16/17 e de acordo com o plano de acreditação do ciclo de estudos. Posteriormente, estes resultados foram comparados com as notas obtidas pelos estudantes nas novas UC em 2017/18. Os dados denotaram uma melhoria nos resultados de aprendizagem, enfatizando a pertinência do PBL na Licenciatura em Saúde Ambiental.
- Effectiveness of an ergonomic intervention to reduce musculoskeletal discomfortPublication . Cardoso, Bárbara; Mateus, Catarina; Rodrigues, MatildeMusculoskeletal discomfort is common among office workers, being related to individual, workplace and behaviors risk factors. Ergonomic interventions are of particular importance to reduce musculoskeletal discomfort. However, only few have studied the impact of an ergonomic intervention on these symptoms reduction. This study aims to design and implement an intervention program to reduce musculoskeletal symptoms in office workers. A total of 84 employees from a charity and social assistance institution were involved in the study. The intervention included training actions to all employees, delivery of informative pamphlet and modifications in workplaces. To assess the intervention effectiveness, a questionnaire with a scale to assess musculoskeletal discomfort was applied in three moments: Pre-intervention; Post intervention Moment 1 and Post-intervention Moment 2. The areas described with greater musculoskeletal discomfort in the three moments were the neck, lower back, upper back and right shoulder. Between Pre-intervention and Post intervention Moment 1, there was a tendency to reduce musculoskeletal discomfort at the end of the day in all regions analyzed. It was also found a stagnation of discomfort in some regions of the body, comparing the Moment 1 and Moment 2 Post-intervention. Significant improvements in upper back and neck at the end of the workday were observed. This study suggests that an ergonomic intervention program has advantages for the employees' health, promoting the reduction of musculoskeletal symptoms
- Effects of an occupational safety programme: A comparative study between different training methods involving secondary and vocational school studentsPublication . Rodrigues, Matilde; Vale, Claudia; Vieira Da Silva, ManuelaStrategies for incorporating proper training in occupational safety at secondary schools are important, since young workers are more likely to be injured at work. However, for a successful educational intervention, an effective Occupational Safety Programme (OSP) with appropriate training methods should be designed and implemented. This study intends to analyze and compare the effects of an OSP in students from diverse school settings, when different training methods are applied. An OSP was designed focusing on the risks related to handling machinery and maintenance tasks and delivered to 301 students from two secondary schools and two vocational schools from the North of Portugal. The sample was divided into three groups, and for each group, a different training method was applied: theory-based; demonstration-based or testimonies-based. To assess its effectiveness, a questionnaire was developed for evaluating the following dimensions: risk acceptance, safety commitment, intended safety behaviors and safety knowledge. The questionnaire was applied two weeks before and after the OSP. A significantly positive effect of the OSP was identified in all dimensions. Comparisons between the three methods showed a greater effect of the testimonies-based intervention in risk acceptance and intended safety behaviors; however, for safety knowledge and safety commitment this was the least effective method. The influence of school type was observed for the safety behaviors and safety commitment dimensions. In conclusion, this study’s results suggested that more engaging methods had larger effects on student risk acceptance and intended safety behaviors, while expositive and demonstrative methods were more suitable to improve safety knowledge and commitment.
- An integration of intelligent approaches and economic criteria for predictive analytics of occupational accidentsPublication . Gholamizadeh, Kamran; Zarei, Esmaeil; Yazdi, Mohammad; Rodrigues, Matilde A.; Shirmohammadi-Khorram, Nasrin; Mohammadfam, IrajOccupational accidents are a significant concern, resulting in human suffering, economic crises, and social issues. Despite ongoing efforts to comprehend their causes and predict their occurrences, the use of machine learning models in this domain remains limited. This study aims to address this gap by investigating intelligent approaches that incorporate economic criteria to predict occupational accidents. Four machine learning algorithms, Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Multivariate Adaptive Regression Spline (MARS), and M5 Tree Model (M5), were employed to predict occupational accidents, considering three economic criteria: basic income (BI), inflation index (II), and price index (PI). The study focuses on identifying the most suitable model for predicting the frequency of occupational accidents (FOA) and determining the economic criteria with the greatest influence. The results reveal that the RF model accurately predicts accidents across all income levels. Additionally, among the economic criteria, II had the most significant impact on accidents. The findings suggest that a reduction in FOA is unlikely in the coming years due to the increasing growth of II and PI, coupled with a slight annual increase in BI. Implementing appropriate countermeasures to enhance workers’ economic welfare, particularly for low-income employees, is crucial for reducing occupational accidents. This research underscores the potential of machine learning models in predicting and preventing occupational accidents while highlighting the critical role of economic factors. It contributes valuable insights for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to develop effective strategies and interventions to improve workplace safety and workers’ economic well-being
- Benefits, concerns, and perceptions of knowledge workers regarding a video stress detection softwarePublication . Rodrigues, Matilde; Ferreira, Simão; Figueiredo, Henrique; Rodrigues, Fátima; Moreira, Fernando; Costa, Luís; Rocha, NunoStress is not only highly destructive, causing various mental health disorders (anxiety, insomnia, depression), cardiovascular diseases, poor immune function, and presenteeism, as it is costly. While concerns about occupational stress have increased, new solutions for its management have emerged. Systems based on the use of facial recognition, posture, eye movements, video monitoring, and behavioral stress detection have shown good results. Their drawback has mainly been the recording of the said video feed and privacy threats proceeding. This Focus Groups aimed to raise the opinions, perceptions, and concerns of end users regarding the system under development. With a new solution in mind, we gathered two groups of knowledge workers, one group of team leaders, and a group of consulting psychologists to gather their perceptions. A Focus Groups was conducted online via Microsoft Teams, as COVID-19 restrictions were applied during that period. Against previous reports, knowledge workers showed that privacy threats were not their major concern. Both groups showed that Mental Health was their main focus as the follow-up structure regarding stress detection was the most prevalent topic being close to information sharing and software adaptation. The results highly contribute to the development of future stress detection applications/software and the importance of a detailed and thorough explanation regarding the software framework.
- Sound exposure of music students during the classesPublication . Rodrigues, Matilde; Amorim, Marta; Vieira da Silva, Manuela; Rodrigues, Cristina; Aguiar, Lívia; Neves, Paula; Sousa, Aida; Inácio, OctávioIt is broadly recognized that professional musicians are at risk of developing ear pathologies due to the exposition to loud music in the course of rehearsals and performances (MacDonald et al ., 2008; O’Brien et al ., 2008; Jansen et al ., 2009). However, while much has been published regarding the sound exposure of professional musicians, particularly of orchestral musicians, little is known of the sound exposure of the music students. In fact, it is important to recognize that the musicians’ noise exposure may start very early, in the course of their training as students, in the school classrooms and at homes.