Original Article

Quality of Working Life Assessment among Train Drivers in Keshesh Section of Iran Railway

Abstract

Quality of working life (QoWL) is the attitudes of employees towards their job, especially their work outcomes including job satisfaction, mental health, and safety which directly influence organizational outcomes. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate train drivers' QoWL and determine its influencing factors. In this descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study, QoWL was evaluated among 100 train drivers working in Keshesh section of Iran Railway. In this sense, WRQoL scale was used which assesses five factors of Control at Work, General Well-Being, Home-Work Interface, Job and Career Satisfaction, Stress at Work, and Working Conditions. Total score of QoWL was calculated and the effects of age, work experience, marital status, education, satisfaction with the salary, and satisfaction with the supervisor on the QoWL were assessed. Data was analyzed statistically using SPSS version 18. Working Conditions and Home-Work Interface with the mean score of 1.37 and 2 were the most critical QoWL factors, respectively. Furthermore, no significant relations were observed between demographic and background variables and total score of QoWL. Overall, the quality of working life has obtained a low score among the understudy train drivers. Therefore, appropriate measures should be adopted in order to promote QoWL of this occupational group especially in two factors of Working Conditions and Home-Work Interface.

Hsu M-Y, Kernohan G. Dimensions of hospital nurses' quality of working life. J Adv Nurs 2006;54:120-31.

Yousuf A. Evaluating the quality of work life. Management and Labour Studies 1996;21:5-15.

Cummings TG, Worley CG. Organization development and change: Cengage Learning; 2009.

Pillutla M, Audia P, Nicholson N. The Blackwell encyclopedic dictionary of organizational behavior: Blackwell; 2004.

Kalimo R, Lindström K, Smith MJ. Psychosocial approach in occupational health. Handbook of Human Factors and Ergonomics 1997:1059-84.

Zimolong B, Elke G. Occupational health and safety management. Handbook of Human Factors and Ergonomics 2006:673-707.

Efraty D, Sirgy MJ. The effects of quality of working life (QWL) on employee behavioral responses. Soc Indicat Res 1990;22:31-47.

Ingelgård A, Norrgren F. Effects of change strategy and top-management involvement on quality of working life and economic results. Int J Indust Ergon 2001;27:93-105.

Carayon P, Smith MJ. Work organization and ergonomics. Appl Ergon 2000;31:649-62.

Velayudhan A, Venkatachalam J. Quality of work life dimensions: an empirical study. Ind J Appl Psychol 1997;34:1-7.

Van Laar D, Edwards JA, Easton S. The Work-Related Quality of Life scale for healthcare workers. J Adv Nurs 2007;60:325-33.

Kecklund G, Åkerstedt T, Ingre M, Söderström M. Train drivers' working conditions and their impact on safety, stress and sleepiness: a literature review, analyses of accidents and schedules. National Institute for Psychosocial Factors and Health Stress Research Report: National Institute for Psychosocial Factors and Health. Stress Research Report; 1999.

Kompier MAJ, Di Martino V. Review of bus drivers' occupational stress and stress prevention. Stress Medicine 1995;11:253-62.

Dorrian J, Baulk SD, Dawson D. Work hours, workload, sleep and fatigue in Australian Rail Industry employees. Appl Ergon 2011;42:202-9.

Tse JL, Flin R, Mearns K. Bus driver well-being review: 50 years of research. Transp Res Part F Traffic Psychol Behav 2006;9:89-114.

Sawin DA, Scerbo MW. Effects of instruction type and boredom proneness in vigilance: Implications for boredom and workload. Hum Factors 1995;37:752-65.

Shabaninejad H, Arab M, Rashidian A, Zeraati H, Bahrami S. Quality of working life of Family Physicians in Mazandaran. Hakim Res J 2012;15:178-84.

Malt UF, Karlehagen S, Hoff H, Herrstromer U, Hildingson K, Tibell E, et al. The effect of major railway accidents on the psychological health of train drivers-I. Acute psychological responses to accident. J Psychosom Res 1993;37:793-805.

Arab M, Shabaninejad H, Rashidian A, Rahimi A, Purketabi K. A survey on working life quality of specialists working in affiliated hospitals of TUMS. Hospital 2013;11:19-24.

QoWL. The Work-Related Quality of Life (WRQoL) Factors. 2012.

Koohi I. Accidents Analysis of Rail Transportation Industry in Iran. World Appl Sci J 2009;7:358-65.

Austin A, Drummond PD. Work problems associated with suburban train driving. Appl Ergon 1986;17:111-6.

Johanning E, Fischer S, Christ E, Göres B, Landsbergis P. Whole-body vibration exposure study in US railroad locomotives-An ergonomic risk assessment. AIHA J 2002;63:439-46.

Johanning E, Landsbergis P, Fischer S, Christ E, Göres B, Luhrman R. Whole-body vibration and ergonomic study of US railroad locomotives. J Sound Vibr 2006;298:594-600.

QoWL. HWI: Home-Work Interface. 2012 [cited 2013 April 30]; Available from: http://www.qowl.com/qowl_factor_HWI.html.

Files
IssueVol 6 No 2 (2014) QRcode
SectionOriginal Article(s)
Published2015-10-11
Keywords
Train driving Quality of working life Home-Work Interface Working Conditions WRQoL scale

Rights and permissions
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
1.
Mazloumi A, Kazemi Z, Nasl-Saraji G, Barideh S. Quality of Working Life Assessment among Train Drivers in Keshesh Section of Iran Railway. Int J Occup Hyg. 2015;6(2):50-55.