Table 5.
Occupational health and work-related illness among young Nordic unskilled workers
| Author, (Year) | Data source, population | Industry gender | Exposure | Effect | Results | Study design and quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Occupational health among young Nordic unskilled workers (N = 1) | ||||||
| Nielsen et al (2013) Denmark |
Single and group interviews with 26 young adult workers from 6 various sized supermarkets (aged 18–24 years). | Retail industry N = 4 sabbatical year workers | Sabbatical year workers and other groups of young workers; retail industry N = 4 school dropout workers | How safety and risk are experienced and practiced | Sabbatical year workers regard themselves as “young risk-taking workers.” It is generally the responsibility that separates the work of the sabbatical year workers from the work of the “working students” and “school dropouts.” The work of the “sabbatical year workers” is often given greater importance although routine work and hard physical work dominate all the categories. School drop-out workers regard themselves as “young risk-taking workers.” Physical strength is regarded as the primary reason why they work in retail. They accepted the job because they often can see no other alternatives, except unemployment benefits. They are positioning themselves within a dominating sense of resignation. This group of young employees is a particularly a vulnerable group because they are assigned particularly arduous tasks more often than other working adolescents. Several expressed that they perceive the work as stressful, but at the same time, they appear to accept this as a necessary condition if they want a job. This group of employees often works in retail for longer periods than other groups of young employees because they have limited opportunities for getting other jobs within or outside the retail sector. | Focus group interviews Qualitative 16/20 = 80% |
| Work-related illness among young Nordic unskilled workers (N = 1) | ||||||
| Muhr & Rosenhall (2010) Sweden |
Men aged 19–22 years (n = 839) doing military service. | Ototraumatic factors (occupational noise, playing loud music, and genetic factors) | Auditory symptoms (tinnitus, hearing impairment, and sensitivity to noise) | Occupational noise was reported by more than 50%. Bivariate: significant associations between occupation noise and all auditory symptoms Multivariate: association between occupational noise and hearing deterioration. | Cross-sectional Study Validity: Internal 19/26 = 73% External 5/8 = 63% | |