Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
the contemporary worker. The pride that workers can draw from having
been able to deal collectively with an unforeseen and delicate situation
is just as important as the specific know-how that they were able to con-
struct at that time. Here, the subjective value of the activity is not uncon-
nected from its operative value. The effectiveness of action does not just
produce an effect - it also produces meaning.
Thus, the development of the psychosocial dimension strengthens
the individual in the search for a
balance
when faced with the constraints
of work - including one's own requirements (values, expectations, health
etc.), the requirements of the activity (to contribute to the quality of produc-
tion or of a service, etc.) and the requirements of the collective (to cooper-
ate, to coordinate with each other, to support one another, etc.), including
in situations where constraints are strong or particularly taxing, and rely
very highly on engagement at work. In itself, maintaining this balance is a
protection against hazards, whether psychosocial or otherwise.
Ergonomic activity analysis must strive to understand this
positive
aspect
of the operators' mobilization in their own work - which orga-
nizes and gives structure to the relationship between
individuals
, their
activity
and
other people
on an everyday basis - and how it can develop. It
must also understand what can hinder its development.
Obstacles to development viewed as professional hazards
Hazards occur when this balance is disrupted or broken. This happens
when, in specific situations of overwork related to the variability pres-
ent in work, the professional know-how of workers does not allow them
to 'hold the various requirements of their work together'. The ability to
achieve work goals may suffer as a result, as well as the meaning that
workers gave to them - both as individuals and as a collective.
It is then that the first disorders appear - stress, tension with coworkers,
exhaustion, etc. These may quickly develop, turning to disorders of more
serious forms (interpersonal conflicts, psychopathological disorders,
somatic diseases, etc.), with possible effects in the individual's personal life
(addiction, marital problems, etc.) if these tensions persist or become more
serious over time, with no possibility for elaboration, expression or reso-
lution. Here, it is the obstacles to possibilities of acting, speaking out and
thinking that are at the root of a situation of disrupted activity.
In these situations, the process of development of the psychosocial
dimension is hindered, or stopped altogether. It no longer contributes to
the construction of the resources necessary for dealing with future events.
A vicious circle then forms, locking workers in situations of repeated
failures in spite of increased efforts. In some cases, the failure to reach
work goals is associated with the ungratifying task of having to include
