How stress leads to injuries on the job Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

How stress leads to injuries on the job - Essay Example 516) For example, conflict may arise between the individual and the world of work because a transition is called for. To illustrate: for the beginning worker we have the self-centredness of adolescence to the disciplined subordination of personal needs to the demands of the workplace. (p. 516) This is the reason why many workers need to learn and adapt to the reality those personal feelings and values are often of little importance or relevance to the workplace. The dilemma is underscored by the fact that the work environment is becoming more complex, ever changing and technologically sophisticated. The impact of stress in the field of occupational safety engineering is tied to the fact that exposure to stressful working conditions can have a direct influence on a worker’s safety or the risk of illness and injury. The study of occupational stress was given impetus in the early 1970s by the establishment in the US of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), whose goal is to conduct research to reduce work-related illnesses and injuries. From then on, research and studies conducted by the agency would help shape the course of job-stress research in the United States. One of the most important findings of NIOSH is that job stress is viewed as a situation in which job stressors – alone or in combination with other stressors – interact with individual worker characteristics and result in acute disruption of psychological or physiological homeostasis. Levy, Baron and Sokas (2006) elaborated on this study further, citing that: This disruption (often called job strain) can be psychological (disruption in effect or cognition); physiological; or behavioral. Job strain, if prolonged, is thought to lead to a variety disorders, including cardiovascular disease, psychological disorders and musculoskeletal disorders. (p. 383) Cary Cooper conducted an early