le travail à l'écran de visualisation work with display units

NEW TECHNOLOGY AND WORKERS' HEALTH: STRATEGIES FOR PROMOTING WORKERINVOLVEMENT IN TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE.Laura Stock, MPH, Associate Director, Labor Occupational Health Program,University of California, Berkeley, California, U.S.A.Over the last 20 years new technology has been transforming the natureof our society. The most dramatic changes are occurring in ourworkplaces where new technology has spread from the factory into themodern office. Technological innovation tends to take place at alightening quick pace. No sooner are technologies developed than theyare introduced into the workplace. At this pace, little time orattention is paid to the potential impact on working people whose jobsare being drastically changed. When technology is introduced in thisway, workers can face such problems as stress from increased work loadand lack of control over decision-making, as well as ergonomie problemsdue to a lack of attention paid to job design and the interactionbetween humans and their equipment.To address this problem we often focus on the need for new researchinto hazards and new skills professionals must develop to evaluatetechnological innovation. What is missing in this focus is theimportant role unions have in the design of new technology, in uncoveringand evaluating its risks and in designing control strategies.The introduction of new technology is a catalyst for monumentalchanges in workplace and job design, and thus, is a point .atwhich workers must become involved to insure that jobs are designedin ways that serve rather than harm working people. Unfortunately,workers are often unprepared to meet the challenge presented bytechnological change either through lack of advance notice or lackof information about the impact the proposed changes will make.Unions are often put in the position of reacting defensively, seekingways to protect workers rights after automation is introduced suchas insuring protections against layoffs or changes in job classificationand assisting in the filing of workers' compensations claims.Over the last ten years, unions have begun to fight for the right tobe involved in the process of automation and are developing strategiesfor increasing workers' ability to participate effectively. In thissession, I will review the experience of a group called the VDT Coalition,a network of unions and unorganized workers concerned about the impact ofVDT use on job satisfaction and health and present educational andaction-oriented strategies used for protecting workers' health andinsuring workers' involvement in technological change on the job.EMPLOYEES' REACTIONS TOWARD IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW INFORMATIONTECHNOLOGY AS A FUNCTION OF LENGTH OF VDT USAGE AT WORKPLACEPekka Huuhtanen, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, Institute ofOccupational Health, Helsinki, FinlandJuhani Vitikkala, M.Sos.Sc., Department of Physiology, Insitute ofOccupational Health, Helsinki, FinlandThe implementation of data systems must be seen as a technical, socialand psychological change in an organization, during which evaluation ofnew systems will change. Too little attention has been paid tolongitudinal study designs in actual work situations. During 1985-87, aresearch program was carried out in Finland, using questionnaire andinterview surveys, case analyses and training interventions. Theprogram focused on the implementation and effects of new informationtechnology, both in industry and the service sector.Two insurance companies and four banks represented the white collarsector in the program. In one part of the study, the implementation andtraining processes of new data systems were analyzed in relation to thelength of experience with decentralized data systems in organizations.This part of the analysis was carried out in 11 regional offices of oneinsurance company. The offices differed as regards their length ofusage of decentralized data systems: Group 1 (three offices, n=137) hadused data systems since 1982; Group 2 (two offices, n=90) since1984-85; and Group 3 (six offices, n=35) for about one year by the endof 1987 (prior to the study period late in 1987).The employees working in Group 1 offices were most satisfied with theway new applications, e.g. the life insurance system, were planned andimplemented during 1986-87. They also felt that company tutors hadenough time for individual guidance and support during the transitionperiod. Group 1 offices evaluated also most positively, the training ingeneral information technology and the training in data terminal workprovided by the company also in new and difficult situations. Theemployees in Group 3 were most dissatisfied with these aspects ofchange. They also felt that information technology had a greater impacton their work than other changes in the organization.Despite these differences, no difference between the three groups wasfound in the evaluations of how well the employees mastered the newapplications. The evaluation of the new applications varied alsoaccording to the age and occupation of the employees.The study revealed that the evaluation of the new systems was dependenton earlier usage of data systems in the same company. This phase ofusing information technology should be taken more carefully intoconsideration when change processes and training are planned andimplemented on the office floor level.KEYWORDS: implementation process; training; financial firmsKEYWORDS: education, policy, unionsTEV 12 1989 — DEUXIÈME CONFÉRENCE SCIENTIFIQUE.INTERNATIONALE • MONTRÉAL • SECOND INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE — WWDU 1989TEV 13 1989 — DEUXIÈME CONFÉRENCE SCIENTIFIQUE INTERNATIONALE • MONTRÉAL • SECOND INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE — "WWDU 1989