Lifting, posture associated with work disorders
Lifting, posture associated with work disorders
A worker’s posture, lifting habits, and exposure to vibration are among the workplace factors most closely associated with musculoskeletal problems, according to a comprehensive report by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in Cincinnati.
NIOSH conducted the study to determine how much certain work factors are likely to contribute to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).1 The authors call their results "the most comprehensive compilation to date of the epidemiologic research on the relation between selected MSDs and exposure to physical factors at work. On the basis of our review of the literature, NIOSH concludes that a large body of credible epidemiologic research exists that shows a consistent relationship between MSDs and certain physical factors, especially at higher exposure levels."
The researchers note that of the 705,800 occupational injuries and illnesses reported in 1994, the last full year for which data were available, 32% were the result of overexertion or repetitive motion. Data for 1992 to 1995 indicate that injuries and illnesses requiring days away from work declined 19% for overexertion and 14% for repetitive motion. The incidence rate of overexertion in lifting declined from 52.1 per 10,000 workers in 1992 to 41.1 in 1995. The incidence rate for repetitive motion disorders declined from 11.8 per 10,000 workers in 1992 to 10.1 in 1995.
Those declines are similar to declines involving days away from work for all causes of injury and illness. The researchers say the reasons for the declines are unclear, but they may include better prevention efforts, poor reporting of injuries and illnesses, or a change in the way health care providers are diagnosing the conditions.
In the main portion of the study, the NIOSH researchers determined that the strongest association between work activities and musculoskeletal diseases involved neck and neck/shoulder posture; elbow repetition, force, and posture; hand/wrist repetition, force, posture, vibration, and combination; hand/arm vibration; lifting or forceful back movement; and whole body vibration affecting the back.
The least association was found with neck and neck/shoulder vibration, shoulder force and vibration, elbow repetition and posture without elbow force, hand/wrist posture without other hand/wrist factors, and static work posture for the back.
Reference
1. Bernard BP, ed. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and workplace factors: A critical review of epidemiologic evidence for work-related musculoskeletal disorders of the neck, upper extremity, and low back. Cincinnati: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 1997.
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