Healthy and safe workplaces within the construction industry
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN16548039 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN16548039 |
- Submission date
- 02/01/2020
- Registration date
- 12/02/2020
- Last edited
- 11/10/2022
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Plain English Summary
Background and study aims
Poor mental health is the dominant cause of sick leave in Sweden today and we have strong reasons to believe that certain work environment conditions is one contributing factor. We know which these conditions are, however, we don't know how to change them. This means that we lack knowledge on what methods are effective in improving organisational and social work conditions and stress in the workplace.
Interventions to address work-related stress are increasing but are mainly secondary or tertiary. Secondary interventions are directed at individuals at risk of developing stress responses. Tertiary interventions focus on treating existing diagnosed conditions. Primary interventions, on the other hand, are preventive and aim to deal with organisational factors as causal stress agents. The aim of the study is to evaluate an organisational primary intervention with the aim to improve organisational and social work conditions and reduce stress within the construction industry.
Who can participate?
Managers and employees within the two studied regions in the construction company.
What does the study involve?
The study involves one intervention and one matched control group. For the intervention group, the project contains three phases. In the first phase we conducted a needs assessment using a formative evaluation. Interviews were carried out and a survey in order to answer the questions: What works well and what needs to be improved regarding the organizational and social work environment?
In the second phase researchers and representatives from different levels and districts worked together to prioritize outcomes and define essential intervention elements. We also discussed and formulated suggestions for how the intervention could be implemented in a good way. In the third phase implementation and evaluation take place.
The control group participates through answering the baseline and follow-up survey.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Benefits: Reduced stress and improved work conditions.
Risks: Lack of improvements may cause disappointment among participants which in turn may lead to a more negative perception of work.
Where is the study run from?
Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
May 2019 to December 2021
Who is funding the study?
AFA Insurance, Sweden
Who is the main contact?
Dr Gun Johansson
gun.johansson@ki.se
Contact information
Scientific
Solnavägen 4
Stockholm
11365
Sweden
 ORCID ID |
0000-0003-1877-8569 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +46 (0)733 628362 |
| gun.johansson@ki.se |
Study information
| Study design | This is a controlled trial with one intervention and one control group with a 12 month follow-up |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Non randomised study |
| Study setting(s) | Other |
| Study type | Prevention |
| Participant information sheet | Not available in web format, please use the contact details to request a participant information sheet. |
| Scientific title | Evaluation of a primary organisational co-created intervention with the aim to improve organisational and social work conditions and decrease stress within the construction industry |
| Study hypothesis | Given that the managers adhere to the intervention we expect to see a greater improvement in work conditions (role clarity, influence, work pace, quantitative job demands), team effectiveness and stress in the intervention group compared to the control group. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Approved 21/05/2019, Swedish Ethical Review Authority (Etikprövningsmyndigheten, Box 2110, 750 02, Uppsala, Sweden; +46 10-475 08 00; registrator@etikprovning.se), ref: 2019-02662 |
| Condition | Work related stress |
| Intervention | Current interventions as of 14/02/2020: The core intervention components are: 1. Assessment for first line managers Assessment = making structured and collective (involving blue-collar workers) planning for all elements of the production (planning for blue-collar workers) 2. Duties clarification for project managers Duties clarification and staffing plan = making clear role descriptions for all members of the production teams (white-collar workers), visualizing the plan and revising it continuously throughout the project. The staffing plan is closely related to the duties clarification and should also be scrutinized and revised. 3. For the support function team ("operational support") the highest manager will give feedback on the results of the survey and together with the team conduct a tailored action plan. Hence, the intervention activities will not be assessment and duties clarification for this group. The study involves one intervention and one matched control group. For the intervention group, the project contains three phases. In the first phase we conducted a needs assessment using a formative evaluation. Interviews were carried out and a survey in order to answer the questions: What works well and what needs to be improved regarding the organizational and social work environment? In the second phase researchers and representatives from different levels and districts worked together to prioritize outcomes and define essential intervention elements. We also discussed and formulated suggestions for how the intervention could be implemented in a good way. In the third phase implementation and evaluation take place. The control group participates through answering the baseline and follow-up survey. Previous interventions: The core intervention components are: 1. Assessment for first line managers Assessment = making structured and collective (involving blue-collar workers) planning for all elements of the production (planning for blue-collar workers) 2. Duties clarification for project managers Duties clarification and staffing plan = making clear role descriptions for all members of the production teams (white-collar workers), visualizing the plan and revising it continuously throughout the project. The staffing plan is closely related to the duties clarification and should also be scrutinized and revised. 3. For the two support function teams (employees not dedicated to a project) the highest manager will give feedback on the results of the survey and together with the team conduct a tailored action plan. Hence, the intervention activities will not be assessment and duties clarification. The study involves one intervention and one matched control group. For the intervention group, the project contains three phases. In the first phase we conducted a needs assessment using a formative evaluation. Interviews were carried out and a survey in order to answer the questions: What works well and what needs to be improved regarding the organizational and social work environment? In the second phase researchers and representatives from different levels and districts worked together to prioritize outcomes and define essential intervention elements. We also discussed and formulated suggestions for how the intervention could be implemented in a good way. In the third phase implementation and evaluation take place. The control group participates through answering the baseline and follow-up survey. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure | Current primary outcome measure as of 26/04/2021: Stress, measured with the COPSOQ III questionnaire at baseline, 12, and 24 months Previous primary outcome measure: Stress, measured with the COPSOQ III questionnaire at baseline and 12 months |
| Secondary outcome measures | Current secondary outcome measures as of 26/04/2021: 1. Quantitative demands, measured with the COPSOQ III questionnaire at baseline, 12, and 24 months 2. Role clarity, measured with the COPSOQ III questionnaire at baseline, 12, and 24 months 3. Psychosocial safety climate, measured with questionnaire at baseline, 12, and 24 months 4. Team effectiveness, measured with questionnaire at baseline, 12, and 24 months 5. Staffing, measured with questionnaire at baseline, 12, and 24 months 6. Planning, measured with questionnaire at baseline, 12, and 24 months Previous secondary outcome measures as of 14/02/2020: 1. Quantitative demands, measured with the COPSOQ III questionnaire at baseline and 12 months 2. Role clarity, measured with the COPSOQ III questionnaire at baseline and 12 months 3. Psychosocial safety climate, measured with questionnaire at baseline and 12 months 4. Team effectiveness, measured with questionnaire at baseline and 12 months 5. Staffing, measured with questionnaire at baseline and 12 months 6. Planning, measured with questionnaire at baseline and 12 months Previous secondary outcome measures: 1. Quantitative demands, measured with the COPSOQ III questionnaire at baseline and 12 months 2. Work pace, measured with the COPSOQ III questionnaire at baseline and 12 months 3. Role clarity, measured with the COPSOQ III questionnaire at baseline and 12 months 4. Influence, measured with the COPSOQ III questionnaire at baseline and 12 months 5. Psychosocial safety climate, questionnaire at baseline and 12 months 6. Team effectiveness, questionnaire at baseline and 12 months |
| Overall study start date | 01/01/2018 |
| Overall study end date | 31/12/2021 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Mixed |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Lower age limit | 18 Years |
| Upper age limit | 65 Years |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | Intervention group = 366 Control group =472 |
| Total final enrolment | 634 |
| Participant inclusion criteria | 1. Working in the recruited organisation at the time of recruitment and the follow-up endpoint 2. Age 18-65 |
| Participant exclusion criteria | 1. Regional manager 2. District managers |
| Recruitment start date | 31/05/2019 |
| Recruitment end date | 31/12/2021 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Sweden
Study participating centre
41250
Sweden
Sponsor information
University/education
Nobels väg 13
Solna
171 65
Sweden
| Phone | +46 (0) 733 628362 |
|---|---|
| gun.johansson@ki.se | |
| Website | https://ki.se/imm |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/056d84691 |
Funders
Funder type
Industry
Private sector organisation / For-profit companies (industry)
- Alternative name(s)
- AFA Insurance
- Location
- Sweden
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 30/06/2022 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Available on request |
| Publication and dissemination plan | Publication and dissemination plan 1.Scientific publications (protocol and papers) 2. Conference presentations 3. Dissemination within the construction company is ongoing and will develop further when we know more about the results. |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protocol article | protocol | 30/03/2020 | 02/04/2020 | Yes | No |
| Results article | 23/09/2022 | 11/10/2022 | Yes | No |
Editorial Notes
11/10/2022: The following changes have been made:
1. Publication reference added.
2. The final enrolment number has been added from the reference.
26/04/2021: The following changes have been made:
1. The recruitment end date has been changed from 30/06/2021 to 31/12/2021.
2. The overall trial end date has been changed from 30/06/2021 to 31/12/2021 and the plain English summary has been updated to reflect this change.
3. The intention to publish date has been changed from 30/12/2021 to 30/06/2022.
4. The primary outcome measure has been updated.
5. The secondary outcome measures have been updated.
03/09/2020: The intention to publish date was changed from 01/03/2020 to 30/12/2021.
02/04/2020: Publication reference added.
14/02/2020: The following changes were made to the trial record:
1. The interventions and secondary outcome measures were updated.
2. The recruitment end date was changed from 31/05/2019 to 30/06/2021.
07/01/2020: Trial’s existence confirmed by Swedish Ethical Review Authority (Etikprövningsmyndigheten)
