Browsing by Subject "Interviewing"

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    Evaluation of Workforce Perceptions as a Means to Identify and Mitigate the Causes of Musculoskeletal Disorders
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation Research Services Section, 2010-01) Loushine, Todd William
    An analysis of workers’ compensation data showed that five job classifications accounted for over 93% of all cases. This analysis also showed that 48% of the cases resulted in sprains and strains, and 70% of those cases were caused by over-exertion and/or awkward work postures. Based on these findings, a research proposal was created to investigate worker perceptions of potential musculoskeletal injury factors and possible corrective actions. Fifty randomly-selected Mn/DOT transportation generalists and mechanics from District 1 were interviewed via telephone. Interviews were voice recorded, transcribed, and analyzed by shortening and separating responses. Each of the six questions produced between fifteen to twenty-one response categories and total response counts between 63-to-123. The most frequently cited safety concern was exposure to public traffic on road projects; followed by heavy or awkward lifting, “rushing” to get a job done and exposure to typical construction site hazards. Overall, workers felt management and co-workers were committed to safety on the job. Possible safety improvements revolved around: general awareness, watching out for each other, planning ahead, taking time to do the job right, and proper use of personal protective equipment. Most of the workers interviewed indicated interest in participating and promoting a workplace wellness program to improve their health and fitness. Efforts to reduce musculoskeletal injuries need to incorporate the concerns and ideas of workers, building off of what was learned in this study.
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    The Health and Transportation Nexus: A Conceptual Framework for Collaborative and Equitable Planning
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2022-05) Fan, Yingling; Phua, Peiyu
    Transportation is a crucial contributor to health. It not only directly shapes the social and physical environments but also determines the type of places where people can live, learn, work, and play in their everyday lives. This project develops a conceptual framework for collaborative and equitable health and transportation planning by extending the social determinants of health framework to include three major pathways through which transportation factors operate on health and equity outcomes. The three major pathways are behavioral health, environmental health, and social exclusion, which are identified via a thorough review of the academic literature and gray resources on health and transportation connections. Of the three pathway mechanisms, social exclusion and environmental health are intrinsically linked to social equity and justice issues. We further review state-level initiatives linking transportation to health and interview six state departments of transportation that are pioneers in advocating and implementing integrated health and transportation planning. The interview results are summarized and discussed in the report. Based on the interviews, we make recommendations for the Minnesota Department of Transportation to help further its efforts on integrated health and transportation planning.