Measurement of Work-Related Physical Workloads - Proposal for a Body Region-Related Categorization System

Purpose—This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and risk factors of MSD pain in various anatomical regions among nurses. Method—A cross-sectional study involving a self-administered questionnaire by registered nurses with clinical experience. Data was collected using convenience sampling after obtaining informed consent. The results were drawn from a total of 300 nurses. Results—The nurses presented with occasional mental exhaustion (44.3%) and often physical exhaustion (44.0%). Almost all (97.3%) the nurses complained of having work-related pain during the last 12 months. Body parts with the most pain were the lower back (86.7%), ankles (86.7%), neck (86.0%), shoulders (85.0%), lower legs (84.7%) and upper back (84.3%). The pain frequency was rated as occasional pain for the neck and upper back, pain was often felt for the rest of the parts. Nurses complained of severe pain in the lower back (19.7%), right shoulder (29.7%) and left shoulder (30.3%). The frequency of having musculoskeletal symptoms in any body region was increased with age, lower education level, female gender, high BMI, job tenure and lifestyle. Conclusions—Nurses’ WRMSD complaints should be taken seriously to curb further risk and musculoskeletal hazards.

Download Full-text

The Theatrical Stage as Accident Site in Professional Dance

Medical Problems of Performing Artists ◽

10.21091/mppa.2014.1008 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

pp. 32-36 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Eileen M Wanke ◽

Michael Arendt ◽

Helmgard Mill ◽

Franziska Koch ◽

Jacqueline Davenport ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quantitative Research ◽

Injury Risk ◽

Body Region ◽

Time Loss ◽

Traumatic Injuries ◽

Intrinsic Factors ◽

Qualitative And Quantitative ◽

Work Related ◽

Professional Dance ◽

Accident Site

OBJECTIVE: Reducing work-related health hazards at the different theatre workplaces is one aspect of preventive options in professional dance. This also applies to hazards on the highly variable theatrical stage areas. However, detailed information on these stages and their risks is not available. The aim of this study was to analyze and evaluate work-related traumatic injuries in the stage area. METHODS: The basis for the evaluation was accident reports, from the German National Statutory Insurance, of work-related traumatic injuries occurring on stage in professional dancers (n=790: 407 males, 383 females) over a 17-year period (1995-2011). RESULTS: Most (79.4%) of the accidents on stage occurred during an ongoing performance (frequency: 10.1/100 performances), with only 19.7% occurring during rehearsals on stage (p<0.001). Due to the sustained injury, 30.2% of the dancers sustained a time-loss injury. Most (57.7%) of the injured dancers were older than 25 years. Of the accidents, 59.3% were initiated by a definably extrinsic cause, with 40.7% caused by intrinsic factors (p<0.001). Injuries were most commonly caused by the “partner” (21.7%) or “floor” (21.0%). The lower extremity was the most commonly affected body region (63.6%) (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Stage performances seem to carry an increased injury risk compared to rehearsals. The “risk” of on-stage work is spread across various factors that seem to be stage-specific. There is a need for further qualitative and quantitative research to be able to classify the stage as workplace more precisely.

Download Full-text

Musculoskeletal Pain and Work-related Risk Factors among Waste Collectors in Hanoi, Vietnam: A Cross-sectional Study

Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences ◽

10.3889/oamjms.2020.4866 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (E) ◽

pp. 498-508

Author(s):

Bang Van Nguyen ◽

Thuy Thi Thu Tran ◽

Ngan Thi Hoang ◽

Bich Ngoc Nguyen ◽

Quynh Thuy Nguyen

Keyword(s):

Musculoskeletal Pain ◽

Work Conditions ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Persistent Pain ◽

Body Region ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Significance Level ◽

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are prevalent among waste collectors (WCs) in developing countries. AIM: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of MSDs and the factors associated with the risk of persistent musculoskeletal pain among WCs in Hanoi, Vietnam. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was utilized to study 468 WCs in 2017. The Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Questionnaire and a questionnaire on demographic and work conditions were used to collect data. Descriptive and multivariate logistics regression analyzes were applied at a significance level of 0.05 to examine the factors related to the risk of persistent pain. FINDINGS: About 74.4% of the participants of this study experienced MSDs in at least one body region and 9.4% reported MSDs in all 10 body sites. The lower back was reported to be the most affected followed by the neck and shoulders. The risk of persistent musculoskeletal pain was significantly associated with age (odds ratio (OR) = 2.31, confidence interval (CI) = 1.05–5.09), gender (OR = 3.29, CI = 1.28–8.44), work hours (OR = 2.35, CI = 1.12–4.92), work shift (OR = 0.48, CI = 0.26–0.92), duration of poor postures of the neck (OR = 0.31, CI = 0.13–0.76), bent back (OR = 0.4 CI = 0.18–0.92) and for medial rotation (OR = 3.01, CI = 1.42–6.36), carrying heavy objects (OR = 2.94, CI = 1.15–7.48), and experience of work dissatisfaction (OR = 3.31, CI = 1.46-7.52), stress (OR = 7.14, CI = 3.14–16.24), or anxiety (OR = 6.37, CI = 3.07–13.21). CONCLUSIONS: High prevalence of MSDs among WCs and its association with self-assessed unfavorable work postures and work-related stress implies the need of mechanical and social support at work for WC to prevent the development of MSDs and persistent pain.

Download Full-text

Validation of newly developed and redesigned key indicator methods for assessment of different working conditions with physical workloads based on mixed-methods design: a study protocol

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2016-015412 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (8) ◽

pp. e015412 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Andre Klussmann ◽

Falk Liebers ◽

Felix Brandstädt ◽

Marianne Schust ◽

Patrick Serafin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

Mixed Methods ◽

Body Movement ◽

Whole Body ◽

Health Measurement ◽

Work Related ◽

Key Indicator ◽

Cosmin Checklist ◽

Physical Workloads ◽

The Impact

IntroductionThe impact of work-related musculoskeletal disorders is considerable. The assessment of work tasks with physical workloads is crucial to estimate the work-related health risks of exposed employees. Three key indicator methods are available for risk assessment regarding manual lifting, holding and carrying of loads; manual pulling and pushing of loads; and manual handling operations. Three further KIMs for risk assessment regarding whole-body forces, awkward body postures and body movement have been developed de novo. In addition, the development of a newly drafted combined method for mixed exposures is planned. All methods will be validated regarding face validity, reliability, convergent validity, criterion validity and further aspects of utility under practical conditions.Methods and analysisAs part of the joint project MEGAPHYS (multilevel risk assessment of physical workloads), a mixed-methods study is being designed for the validation of KIMs and conducted in companies of different sizes and branches in Germany. Workplaces are documented and analysed by observations, applying KIMs, interviews and assessment of environmental conditions. Furthermore, a survey among the employees at the respective workplaces takes place with standardised questionnaires, interviews and physical examinations. It is intended to include 1200 employees at 120 different workplaces. For analysis of the quality criteria, recommendations of the COSMIN checklist (COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments) will be taken into account.Ethics and disseminationThe study was planned and conducted in accordance with the German Medical Professional Code and the Declaration of Helsinki as well as the German Federal Data Protection Act. The design of the study was approved by ethics committees. We intend to publish the validated KIMs in 2018. Results will be published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at international meetings and disseminated to actual users for practical application.

Download Full-text

The association between manual handling operations and pain in the hands and arms in the context of the 2018 BIBB/BAuA Employment Survey

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽

10.1186/s12891-021-04495-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Charlotte Mueller ◽

Martha Sauter ◽

Julia Barthelme ◽

Falk Liebers

Keyword(s):

Agricultural Sector ◽

Working Hours ◽

Work Related ◽

Arm Pain ◽

Current Prevalence ◽

Physical Workloads ◽

Manual Handling ◽

Log Linear ◽

The Relationship ◽

Employment Survey

Abstract Background Manual handling operations (MHO) are tasks performed by hand that require repetitive and forceful hand and arm movements. MHO are currently performed in many workplaces in skilled and unskilled jobs in the production and service sectors. MHO are considered as work-related health risk factors. The relationship between MHO and the occurrence of disorders of the upper extremities has been established. MHO can cause diseases such as tenosynovitis or carpal tunnel syndrome. This study aims to assess the current prevalence of MHO in the German workforce and to evaluate the relationship between MHO and the occurrence of hand and arm complaints. Methods The analysis was based on the German 2018 BIBB/BAuA Employment Survey. For this analysis we included subjects aged between 16 and 66 who work at least 35 h per week. The self-reported frequency of MHO (never; rarely; sometimes; often) was considered as the exposure of interest and was stratified by gender and occupation. Prevalence ratios (PR) were used to report the relationship between MHO and self-reported pain in the hands and arms (robust log-linear Poisson regression). Adjustments were made for age, gender, actual weekly working hours, psychosocial workload, and other physical workloads. The regression analyses considered complete cases. Results The analyses included 14,299 employees. Frequent MHO were reported by 32.6% of men and 31.1% of women. These workloads were often reported by respondents who work in the agricultural sector (men: 70.1%; women: 79.0%), in unskilled (men: 59.4%; women: 66.9%), and skilled manual occupations (men: 72.7%; women: 66.7%). A higher frequency of self-reported MHO was associated with a higher prevalence of hand complaints (PR 2.26 CI 2.00–2.55 “often” vs. “never” = ref.) as well as arm pain (PR 1.73 CI 1.55–1.92 for “often” vs. “never” = ref.). Conclusion MHO are still frequent in many occupations. The shown association between MHO and pain in the hands and arms demonstrates the importance of MHO in the current German workforce and the necessity to further develop prevention strategies.

Download Full-text

The Association Between Manual Handling Operations and Pain in the Hands and Arms in the Context of the 2018 BIBB/BAuA Employment Survey

10.21203/rs.3.rs-257604/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Charlotte Mueller ◽

Martha Sauter ◽

Julia Barthelme ◽

Falk Liebers

Keyword(s):

Agricultural Sector ◽

Working Hours ◽

Work Related ◽

Arm Pain ◽

Current Prevalence ◽

Physical Workloads ◽

Manual Handling ◽

Log Linear ◽

The Relationship ◽

Employment Survey

Abstract Background: Manual handling operations (MHO) are tasks performed by hand that require a high frequency of repetitive and forceful movements of the hand and forearm. MHO are currently performed in a large number of workplaces in skilled and unskilled professions in the production and service sectors. MHO are considered a work-related health risk factor. The relationship between MHO and the occurrence of disorders of the upper extremities has already been established. MHO can cause diseases such as tenosynovitis of the forearm and carpal tunnel syndrome. This study aims to assess the current prevalence of exposure to MHO in the German workforce and to evaluate the relationship between MHO and the occurrence of disorders in the hands and arms. Methods: The analysis was based on the German 2018 BIBB/BAuA Employment Survey . We included subjects aged between 15 and 66 who work at least 35 hours per week. The self-reported frequency of MHO (never; rarely; sometimes; often) was considered the exposure of interest and was stratified by gender and occupation. Prevalence ratios were used to report the relationship between MHO and self-reported pain in the hands and arms (robust log-linear Poisson regression). Adjustments were made for age, gender, actual weekly working hours, psychosocial workload, and other physical workloads. Results: The analysis included 14,299 employees. Nearly 33% of the male and 31% of the female subjects reported that they often perform MHO. These workloads were often reported by respondents who work in the agricultural sector (men: 70%; women: 79%), in unskilled (men: 59%; women: 67%) and skilled manual occupations (men: 73%; women: 67%). A higher frequency of self-reported MHO was clearly associated with a higher prevalence of hand complaints (PR 2.26 CI: 2.00 - 2.55) as well as arm pain (PR 1.73 CI: 1.55 – 1.92). Conclusion: MHO are still frequent in many occupations. The association between self-reported frequencies of MHO and pain in the hands and arms shown here demonstrates the importance of MHO in the current German workforce and the necessity to further develop prevention strategies.

Download Full-text

Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among perioperative nurses: a systematic review and META-analysis

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽

10.1186/s12891-021-04057-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Marco Clari ◽

Alessandro Godono ◽

Giacomo Garzaro ◽

Gianluca Voglino ◽

Maria Rosaria Gualano ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Personal Characteristics ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Body Region ◽

Perioperative Nurses ◽

Work Related ◽

Meta Regression

Abstract Background To evaluate the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) in perioperative nurses and to explore their association with personal characteristics. Methods Medline, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and Joanna Briggs Institute Database were systematically searched. A meta-analysis calculating event rates, and relative 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) was performed for each musculoskeletal body region. The contribution of perioperative nurses’ sex, age, and BMI was assessed through a meta-regression. Results Twenty-two studies, considering 3590 perioperative nurses, were included in the systematic review. The highest prevalence of WRMSDs was found for the lower-back (62%; 95% CI 0.54–0.70), followed by knee (47%; 95% CI 0.36–0.59), shoulder (44%; 95% CI 0.37–0.51), waist (42%; 95% CI 0.31–0.53), neck (39%; 95% CI 0.29–0.51), ankle-feet (35%; 95% CI 0.22–0.51), upper-back (34%; 95% CI 0.25–0.44), hand-wrist (29%; 95% CI 0.20–0.40), and elbow (18%; 95% CI 0.12–0.26). Meta-regression showed that sex, age, and BMI were not significant predictors of low-back disorders (p = 0.69; R2 = 0). Conclusions WRMSDs represent a high prevalence issue among perioperative nurses. Perioperative nurses, in general, are steadily exposed to both physical and temporal risk factors. Further studies should be addressed to identify specific interventions aimed at reducing the burden of WRMSDs including ergonomic education and physical rehabilitation. Our data could be used in future studies as a reference to assess the risk of WRMSDs in other health-care professionals’ population.

Download Full-text

Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders among Nurses at the Ho Teaching Hospital, Ghana

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/1071181321651342 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 65 (1) ◽

pp. 1291-1294

Author(s):

Woyram Abla Kofi- Bediako ◽

Gideon Sama ◽

Cosmos Yarfi ◽

Delali Ed-Bansah ◽

Augustine Appah Acquah

Keyword(s):

Back Pain ◽

Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽

Teaching Hospital ◽

Working Hours ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Body Region ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Work Related ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders

Nurses are at an increased risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) especially in developing countries, where the use of assistive technology to minimize the adverse effects of manual handling and poor patient lifting are lacking. A cross-sectional study design was used to evaluate the prevalence of WRMSDs among nurses at the Ho Teaching Hospital in Ghana using the Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire. Results indicated a 94% prevalence of WRMSDs, with a significantly higher (p=0.031) prevalence in females (97%) than males (87%). Age and working hours were significantly associated with MSDs (p=0.048, p=0.001, respectively). The most prevalent WRMSDs by body region were low back pain (73.3%), upper back pain (55.7%), ankle/feet pain (55.0%), and neck pain (35.5%). A high prevalence of WRMSDs exist among nurses at the Ho Teaching Hospital. A detailed assessment of ergonomic exposures among nurses in Ho is warranted to better understand the causes of WRMSDs among this population.

Download Full-text

Musculoskeletal pain and associated factors among waste collectors in Hanoi, Vietnam: A cross-sectional study.

10.21203/rs.2.15527/v3 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Bang Van Nguyen ◽

Thuy Tran ◽

Ngan Thi Hoang ◽

Bich Ngoc Nguyen ◽

Quynh Thuy` Nguyen

Keyword(s):

Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽

Musculoskeletal Pain ◽

Work Conditions ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Body Region ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Work Related ◽

Related Stress ◽

Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Questionnaire

Abstract Background: Musculoskeletal disorders are prevalent among waste collectors in developing countries. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and risk factors of persistent musculoskeletal disorders among waste collectors in Hanoi, Vietnam. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was utilized to study 468 waste collectors in 2017. The Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Questionnaire and questionnaires on demographic and work conditions were used to collect data. Descriptive and Multivariate logistics regression analyses were applied at the significant level p<0.05. Findings: 67.4% waste collectors participating into this study reported musculoskeletal disorders in at least one body region. Lower back was the most affected site, followed by pain in the neck and shoulders. The risk of persistent musculoskeletal disorders associated with age, gender, work hours, work shift, duration of poor postures of the neck and back, carrying heavy objects, and experience of work dissatisfaction, stress or anxiety. Conclusions: High prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among waste collectors and association with self-assessed unfavorable work postures and work-related stress imply the need of mechanical and social support at work for waste collectors to prevent the development of musculoskeletal disorders.

Download Full-text

Musculoskeletal Disorders

10.1093/oso/9780190662677.003.0023 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Carisa Harris-Adamson ◽

Stephen S. Bao ◽

Bradley Evanoff

Keyword(s):

Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽

Body Region ◽

Low Back ◽

Personal Factors ◽

Neck Disorders ◽

Physical Exposures ◽

And Control ◽

Ergonomic Interventions

This chapter describes the nature and magnitude of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) and their prevention and control. The incidence and severity of musculoskeletal disorders is described by body region and by occupation, and a conceptual model for the contributors and pathways to developing WRMSDs is described. Neck disorders and upper-extremity disorders as well as low back pain and lower-extremity disorders are described in detail, including evaluation, diagnosis, and prevention. Personal factors, physical exposures, and psychosocial stress that contribute to the development of WRMSDs are described. Ergonomic interventions to reduce or eliminate physical exposures are stressed as critically important preventive measures.

Download Full-text