The Impact of Remote Work of University Teachers During the Covid-19 Pandemic on Occupational Health and Safety with a Focus on Psychological and Musculoskeletal Well-Being

Abstract

Abstract The Covid-19 pandemic has changed working conditions in many industries. Some of them have been completely closed, with no possibility of any professional activity, others have changed the manner of performing employee tasks, place and time. Many jobs have been moved home. These were mainly service industries, where exposure to psychophysical hazards increased incomparably to the previous working conditions. Administrative and office work during the Covid-19 pandemic has brought huge changes in the form of an increased risk of musculoskeletal disorders. This article presents the results of quantitative and qualitative research on the scale of musculoskeletal ailments in the administrative and office work of academic teachers and preventive measures to reduce the effects of these ailments. The research was conducted remotely using a questionnaire in three research and teaching centers in the Silesian Voivodeship. Quantitative research was supported by a direct interview conducted directly among academic teachers at one of the universities in the Silesian Voivodeship. According to the presented research results, respondents noticed a significant increase in musculoskeletal disorders dictated by the rapid change in working conditions related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Every second respondent pointed to non-ergonomic working conditions at home and a long time of exposure to static physical load, with particular emphasis on the sitting position (at the computer), as the main cause of the ailments. The research also touched on issues related to preventive measures to minimize the aforementioned ailments undertaken by both universities and the respondents themselves. The presented results are part of a larger whole planned over time.