Janine Chapman

Objectives: Passenger rail drivers’ physical behaviors contribute to individual, organizational, and community risks. As work tasks are theorized to determine physical behaviors performed during work hours, there is a need to clarify how work tasks determine passenger rail drivers’ physical behaviors to inform improved work design. The aim of this study was to describe the physical behaviors of passenger train drivers across their work tasks and breaks, and explore what potential influences create variations in physical behaviors within tasks. Methods: An exploratory observational field study was conducted with passenger train drivers in South Australia. Across a shift drivers were observed directly, and a hierarchical task analysis was conducted to identify their main work tasks and sub-tasks, with simultaneous accelerometry to quantify the physical behaviors. Results: Ten male passenger train drivers, median age of 53 years, were observed. The hierarchical task analysis identified seven main tasks: Pre-Service, Set-Up, Driving, Switching Ends, Pack-Up, Waiting Time, and Breaks. Driving was almost all sitting (99%), whereas Set-Up and Switching Ends involved considerable moderate/vigorous physical activity (24% and 21%, respectively). Physical behaviors varied within tasks due to worker characteristics (eg, individual motivation), uncontrolled work elements (eg, weather), and structural work elements (eg, timetables). Conclusions: Passenger train drivers’ physical behaviors at work were largely determined by their work tasks, but varied with worker characteristics, as well as uncontrolled and structural work elements. These findings may be used to inform future job redesigns to promote passenger train drivers’ health through their physical behaviors at work.

Internet gaming is a popular pastime, which has surged in popularity in light of COVID‐19. While positive outcomes are common, some gamers experience problems associated with their gaming. For this reason, understanding how factors can influence healthy versus unhealthy internet gaming outcomes is crucial. This study developed gamer typologies based on boredom proneness, escapism, and coping style. Typologies were compared on problematic gaming outcomes, gaming behaviours, engagement, and health and wellbeing–related variables. Cluster analysis of a diverse international sample ( N = 913) identified three distinct profiles: immersed, balanced, and detached gamers. Detached gamers reported the highest boredom proneness, escapism, and disengaged coping. They also had worse health and wellbeing–related outcomes than other clusters, despite engaging in similar gaming behaviours to immersed gamers. These novel findings emphasise the importance of an engaged coping style and highlight the risk of using solely addiction‐based measures to identify problematic internet gaming, which may overlook potentially adaptive behaviours.

Background: Poor health in passenger rail drivers, resulting from perceived highly sedentary work and leisure time, has implications for public safety. To date, no studies have described the physical behaviors of passenger rail drivers. This study aimed to characterize the physical behaviors of passenger rail drivers by investigating the volume, pattern, variation, and composition of behaviors at and outside of work. Methods: A convenience sample of 31 rail drivers (77% male, median age 51.0 [12.5] y) in South Australia wore an activity monitor on their right thigh for 8 days and completed a work logbook. Physical behaviors (sitting, standing, light-intensity physical activity, moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity [MVPA], and steps) were recorded for workdays and nonworkdays, and work and nonwork time on workdays. The volume, bouts, between-participants variation, and 3-way composition were compared across the 4 time periods. Results: Drivers sat for 10.6 (1.5) hours, did 76.3 (38.8) minutes of MVPA, and took 9727.3 (4088.4) steps daily. At work, drivers were sitting 369.3 (41.8) minutes (187.1 [54.2] min in prolonged bouts) and doing MVPA 31.7 (10.0) minutes. Between-participants variation in sitting time during work (11%) was lower than both nonwork on a workday (19%) and on a nonworkday (24%; P < .001). Compositions at work differed from nonwork on workdays (F = 27.7, P < .001), as did compositions on workdays compared with nonworkdays (F = 6.8, P = .002). Conclusions: Passenger rail drivers were highly sedentary, but also surprisingly active. At work, drivers were more sedentary and had lower variation in behaviors, suggesting work constraints play an important role. Therefore, work may be the most appropriate domain to intervene for promoting healthy physical behavior profiles among these passenger rail drivers.

This study aimed to assess occupational health professionals’ application of the Goldilocks Work Paradigm in redesigning jobs for healthier physical behaviours while maintaining productivity. During a group simulation exercise, participants (n = 16) created job descriptions for four different occupation cases (factory worker, office worker, teacher, train driver) and then redesigned the jobs using the Paradigm. Substantial changes in the time spent in sitting (9–30%), standing (8–42%), walking (6–14%), and high-intensity (0–24%) physical behaviours were achieved, which if implemented would likely result in enhanced health for workers. Overall, occupational health professionals were able to successfully redesign fictitious jobs aligned with the Goldilocks Work Paradigm. The simulation task used in this study may be useful to train professionals and assist workplaces to understand and implement the Goldilocks Work Paradigm into practice. Practitioner summary: This study assessed whether occupational health professionals could be trained in the Goldilocks Work Paradigm through a job redesign simulation task. Participants were able to redesign jobs to achieve a healthier ‘just right’ balance of physical behaviours. Simulations may help workplaces understand and implement a Goldilocks Work approach into practice.

Older workers are increasingly prevalent in health and human services, including the alcohol and other drug (AOD) sector. Their turnover intentions have important implications for service system stability and retention. Descriptive and regression analyses of survey data examined age-related differences (<50, ≥50 years old) in non-government workers' demographic, health and professional profiles and predictors of turnover intention. Older workers (≥50 years, n = 86) comprised one-third of this workforce. Compared to younger workers (n = 164), they experienced greater discrimination but higher work-life balance and work engagement. Turnover intention was predicted by job satisfaction, discrimination and work engagement. Older workers' well-being and workforce retention are essential for effective leadership, succession planning and service continuity. Their needs and retention motivations are identified. Age-specific support mechanisms, proactive retention and anti-discrimination strategies are identified priorities.

Issues addressed: Recent reductions in young people's risky alcohol use have been widely documented but have not been examined among employed youth. Young workers’ risky drinking may have corresponded with increased illicit drug use. This study investigated these issues.Methods: Secondary analyses were conducted for 15‐24 year old Australian workers using nationally representative data from 2007 to 2016. Frequency analyses examined alcohol and illicit drug use, Z scores assessed differences over time, and logistic regression examined predictors of illicit drug use.Results: Risky drinking decreased significantly over time whilst low‐risk drinking increased. This pattern was observed for both young workers and young employed illicit drug users. Whilst “any” illicit drug use did not change over time, methamphetamine use decreased, and cannabis and hallucinogen use increased. Drinking alcohol at risky levels (monthly) was associated with illicit drug use in 2016, as were being single and having high/very high levels of psychological distress.Conclusions: Risky drinking reductions over time have not corresponded with increased illicit drug use. Nonetheless, as risky drinking remains high among young workers, and is strongly associated with illicit drug use, it warrants concerted health promotion efforts that may also help minimise illicit drug use.So what?: Despite a reduction in young workers’ risky alcohol consumption, risky drinking is still high and may impact the health and safety of workers and the wider community. As risky drinking is strongly associated with illicit drug use, workplaces could potentially play a vital role in combating alcohol and illicit drug misuse.

Employee drug use poses a serious risk to health and safety in male-dominated industries yet patterns and determinants of drug use in construction are not well understood. This study assessed prevalence rates and predictors of Australian construction workers’ use of cannabis, cocaine and meth/amphetamine. Workers (N = 511) completed a survey that assessed use of the three drug types; alcohol use; general health and mental health; job stress and the workplace cultural norms for each drug. Hierarchical binary logistic regressions examined predictors. Use of each drug over the past 12 months was two–five times higher than the national averages. Higher alcohol consumption was a consistent predictor across drug types and younger age and poorer general health were predictive of cannabis and cocaine use. Higher psychological distress was associated only with cannabis use. Workplace availability, descriptive and injunctive norms were significant predictors of cocaine use. The findings highlight concerning patterns of drug use in construction, particularly high levels of cocaine, with serious implications. The influence of cocaine workplace availability and norms highlight the importance of the workplace culture. Multi-component approaches involving culture change and individual-level responses that target vulnerable workers are required to minimize risk from drug-related harm.