The Science And Politics Of Work Disability Prevention

The rising cost of illness and disability benefits are one of today’s biggest social and labour market challenges. The promise of activation-oriented work disability policies was labour market engagement for all people, regardless of illness, injury or impairment. However, the reality has been more complex. The Science and Politics of Work Disability Policy addresses social and political economic contexts driving state work disability reform in 13 countries. In this first attempt to explain the history and future of work disability policy, this book asks new questions about work disability policy design, focus, and effects. It details how work disability policies have evolved with jurisdictions, why these take their current shape, and where they are heading. The well positioned authors draw on their insider knowledge and expertise in law, medicine, and social science to provide detailed case studies of their jurisdictions. This pathbreaking volume will be of interest to social security system policy makers, scholars, and students in the health and social sciences.

​This book addresses the developing field of Work Disability Prevention. Work disability does not only involve occupational disorders originating from the work or at the workplace, but addresses work absenteeism originating from any disorder or accident. This topic has become of primary importance due to the huge compensation costs and health issues involved. For employers it is a unique burden and in many countries compensation is not even linked to the cause of the disorder. In the past twenty years, studies have accumulated which emphasize the social causes of work disability. Governments and NGOs such as the World Bank, the International Labor Organization, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development have produced alarming reports on the extent of this problem for developed and developing countries. However, no comprehensive book is presently available to help them address this emerging field where new knowledge should induce new ways of management.​

The book provides a collection of cutting-edge, multi-disciplinary research-based chapters on work, workers and the regulation and management of workplace health and safety. Featuring research from Australia, Europe and North America, the chapters traverse important historical examples and place important, emerging contemporary trends, like work in the gig economy, into wider international and historical perspectives. The authors are leading authorities in their fields. The book contributes to advancing our knowledge – empirical and theoretical – of the ways in which labour market dynamics, management strategies, state regulation and public policy, and union organisation affect outcomes for workers. It features in-depth exploration of, and reflection on, some of the major labour market challenges facing workers, and analysis of strengths and weaknesses of responses to those challenges, whether via management, state regulation or collective employee voice. The chapters highlight shifts in in/equality of outcomes; access to security and flexibility at work; genuine access to workplace voice and decision-making; and the implications of different avenues and mechanisms for regulating work and employment. The text is aimed at researchers, undergraduate and postgraduate students in work and organisational studies, industrial/employment relations and human resource management, workplace (or occupational) health and safety, employment law, and labour history. It will also be of particular interest to policy makers and practitioners working in the field of workplace health and safety.

The issue of mental health at work has become a hot topic in both the popular media and academic writings. Although job stress and mental ill-health are associated with negative outcomes for individuals, teams, and organizations, there has been some suggestion that changing the work environment and creating healthy workplaces can improve worker health. Much of the current works in the general of health is fractured, coming from a variety of disciplines and perspectives without an organizing framework to help guide research and practice in the area. Having this individualized, compartmentalized perspective constrains our ability to fully understand the scope of the issue, the key factors in supporting or detracting from one’s mental health, and interventions focusing on mental health at work. Given the importance of understanding mental health at work and the current lack of coverage on workplace mental health, there is a need for a book to provide a holistic overview of the issue targeting the environmental, individual, and group influences of mental health and well-being, as well as the impact on individuals and workplaces. This handbook provides a conceptual framework for examining these issues. Each chapter offers an in-depth examination of the key facets of mental health at work, focusing both on the seminal and current literature on the topic and practical suggestions for best practices for organizations. With contributions from leading experts, authors address the state-of-the-art research and integrate current events that are shaping the way we work and our wellbeing at work. This edited collection will be of interest to researchers, academics, policymakers, and advanced students in the fields of human resource management, organizational psychology, and management.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights begins as “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” and “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.” But some segments of the society have more rights and freedoms than “others”. Although the “Others” have been given names such as Groups that Need Special Protection, they are now called Disadvantaged Groups and include children, young people, addicts, the elderly, the disabled, immigrants, minorities, ex-convicts, women, single-parent families, the poor. Considering that the majority of the world’s population consists of children, young people, women and the elderly, it is obvious that the problems of disadvantaged groups are actually the problems of society. Although the groups are counted individually, a person is in more than one group; The disadvantaged poor child can grow up to be a woman who becomes a single parent.

Pain: A textbook for health professionals provides a comprehensive guide to pain and pain management with a focus on interprofessional practice. Written by internationally acclaimed authors and fully updated to reflect latest evidence and understanding, this book bridges the gap between theoretical underpinning and practice for assessment and management of patients with persistent pain – all in clear and accessible language. Now in its third edition, the text emphasises personal aspects of pain and the therapeutic alliance, as well as social and cultural aspects of pain, pain education for patients, and multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary working. It will provide both students and clinicians with a new lens through which to understand a person’s pain experience, as well as tools for effective management. Comprehensive information about all aspects of pain and pain management Relevant to a wide audience – suitable for physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, nurses and GPs, as well as undergraduate students Factual and informative for clinicians in everyday practice Includes information on acute as well as chronic pain New chapters on communication, the language of pain, pain education for patients, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary working, and inequities in pain including pain in low- and middle-income countries and amongst indigenous peoples Updated chapters with new information about the psychology of pain Now with full colour artworks and page design

An exploration of the relationship between madness, distress and disability, bringing together leading scholars and activists from Europe, North America, Australia and India.

This collection provides a broad coverage of recent changes in medical and vocational rehabilitation in Northern Europe. It presents analyses that cut across health sciences, medical sociology, disability studies and comparative welfare state research. Through this interdisciplinary perspective, the book explores the changing roles of patients, caregivers, professionals and institutions, and the wider implications of these changes for social inequalities in health. What obstacles do different groups of patients encounter when negotiating the complex chains of medical and vocational services? Who decides regarding references to specialized treatments, and the provision of comprehensive and coordinated services, and different types of benefits and material support? What is the importance of the resources that patients and caregivers bring to bear in the rehabilitation process?