The aim of my research is to investigate and improve the working environment. How cold, noise and vibrations from machines affect the health of workers and how to reduce the risk of ill health.
In my current project, which is funded by FORTE, I study how well FHVmetodik and the Swedish Occupational Health Service neurological questions on neurological injuries predict sensory disturbance in the hands and fingers among workers who are exposed to vibrations. The project also studies how well the new proposed measurement standard for vibrations predicts the risk of nerve damage compared with the current measurement standard.
The purpose is to know if a screening form can find nerve damage early and if the new proposed measurement standard is better than the current one. The goal is to share nerve damage among workers who use vibrating hand-held machines.
I am also a member of the steering group for the Arctic Center at Umeå University (ARCUM) and will in future also work as an Arctic Five Chair, Arctice Five Chair (in Occupational Medicin), https://arcticfive.org/, in expanding the collaboration between the five Nordic Universities within Arctic Five (Arctic University in Norway (YiT) Tromsö, Oulu University, Luleå University of Technology, University of Lapland, Rovaniemi and Umeå University).
Furthermore, I also work in collaboration with KI, with job exposure matrices for vibrations and how it affects the risk of cardiovascular disease and how vibrations can affect pregnant women.
I have also completed a project where I and my colleagues designed a more user-friendly website for the Swedish national vibration database with the support of AFA insurance.
https://www.vibration.db.umu.se/app/ (Available in English)
We hope that more people will carry out risk assessments of vibrations in the workplace with the help of this digital tool. Previous research projects also included studies on how noise and cold among construction workers affect the risk of cardiovascular disease and hearing loss. These research projects are possible to implement thanks to funding from AFA insurance. I am part of the Cold Health in Northern Sweden (CHINS) research group which focus on effects of cold on the general population.
The aim of my research is to improve the working environment and reduce ill health among workers. Above all, I study working environments in the construction, manufacturing and mining industries. My research focuses on how vibration from machines (vehicles and handheld machines such as tiger saws, grinders, and hammers), noise, and work in cold environments affect the risk of injury and ill health among workers.
I began my research at Umeå University, at Occupational and Environmental Medicine, where I studied how noise and vibration from handheld machines (grinders and hammers) together increased the risk of hearing loss. After the dissertation, I did my post-doc in Oulu at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, where I continued my research, focusing on how cold and vibration physiologically affect our hands. After 1½ years in Finland, I moved back to Umeå University and Occupational and Environmental Medicine where I just completed a research project on vibration load among demolition workers.
