Analysis of mental effort and its subjective and psychophysiological indicators for gas transport dispatchers

BACKGROUND: The paper presents some results of a field study concerning occupational effort in dispatchers' activity in gas transport field. The opportunity, aim and necessity of the study resulted from the present occupational safety and health (OSH) law requirements. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to assess the occupational effort and its indicators, in order to emphasize the risk /demand factors and to establish measures for occupational safety and health management system in order to protect the employees' health, safety and well-being at work. METHODS: The methodology had a multidisciplinary, ergonomic character, consisting in: analysis of the work content and conditions; assessment of the effort (mental and physical) and work capacity; assessment of work fatigue. RESULTS: The results showed the levels of mental (neuropsychic) effort in the dispatchers' studied activity, the risk factors that determine fatigue at work, and the risk factors that cannot be eliminated or reduced. CONCLUSIONS: For the dispatching activity, the occupational effort (namely its mental/neuropsychic component) is situated at a high level determined by the nature and content of the work task.