scholarly journals A new perspective on musculoskeletal disorders – emerging ergonomic risks in the European Union and Romania

2022 ◽  
Vol 354 ◽  
pp. 00017
Author(s):  
Maria - Elena Boatca ◽  
Alexandra Coroian ◽  
Anca Draghici
Keyword(s):  
Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Risk Category ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
New Perspective

According to the European Agency for Health and Safety at Work, changes in employment arrangements, new technologies and an increasing ageing population are key sources of emerging risks. New and emerging risks should be a major area of interest for every organisation, as a thorough risk prevention activity is key to high organisation efficiency and increased employee wellbeing. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are not a new risk category by themselves, but the changing characteristics of the work system generate new types of MSDs as a profession-related pathology (work-related MSDs). There is limited literature on this matter, hence the paper provides relevant insights and a new perspective on ergonomic risks and MSDs. Also, the paper presents a comparative analysis of ergonomic risks in the EU and Romania – based on secondary data – and identifies emerging risks in this category.

scholarly journals Association between Working in Awkward Postures, in Particular Overhead Work, and Pain in the Shoulder Region in the Context of the 2018 BIBB/BAuA Employment Survey

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Barthelme ◽  
Martha Sauter ◽  
Charlotte Mueller ◽  
Falk Liebers
Keyword(s):  
Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽  
Shoulder Pain ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Arm Pain ◽  
Current Prevalence ◽  
Musculoskeletal Problems ◽  
Shoulder Region ◽  
Pain Prevalence ◽  
Employment Survey

Abstract Background: Musculoskeletal disorders are the leading cause of work-related sick leave and incur substantial socioeconomic costs. With the aging of our society and employees, the problem is exacerbating, and prevention is becoming increasingly important. According to previous studies, exposure to awkward postures, such as overhead work, is associated with musculoskeletal problems. Objective: This study aimed to determine the current prevalence of employees who work in awkward postures, specifically overhead, stratified by age, gender and occupation in the context of the 2018 BIBB/BAuA Employment Survey and to analyze associations between awkward working postures, in particular overhead work, and pain in the shoulder region. Method: The study is based on secondary data from the German 2018 BIBB/BAuA Employment Survey . We have included 14,327 of the 20,012 employees aged between 15 and 67 who work at least 35 hours per week who took part in the survey. The classification of participants in occupational groups is based on the Blossfeld classification. The multivariate analysis was conducted by applying robust Poisson regression models adjusted block by block to obtain the relation between the self-reported frequency of working in awkward postures, in particular overhead work, and the occurrence of arm and neck/shoulder pain. Prevalence ratios (PR) are reported as effect estimates. Results: 12.6 % of participants indicated that they are often exposed to awkward postures at work; 5 % stated they often performed overhead work. The majority of these employees work in agricultural, unskilled, and skilled manual occupations. The crude prevalence is 17.4 % for arm pain and 48.4 % for neck and shoulder pain. If subjects reported that they often performed overhead work, the risk of arm pain increased by 18 % (PR 1.18, CI 1.04 – 1.34, final model). Conclusion: Working in awkward postures, especially overhead work, is a risk factor for musculoskeletal disorders in the arms. The development of prevention strategies should focus on the workforce in agricultural, unskilled and skilled manual occupations.

The effects of using an ergonomic aid on the physical workload and body discomfort reported by pre-adolescent farmers in West Bengal, India

Work ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Banibrata Das ◽  
Somnath Gangopadhyay ◽  
Tirthankar Ghosh
Keyword(s):  
Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽  
West Bengal ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Handgrip Strength ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Body Part ◽  
Work Conditions ◽  
Physical Workload ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Work Related

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal disorders are one of the major health hazards among farmers. Pre-adolescents are mainly associated with agricultural work due to poor socioeconomic conditions. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to implement a new ergonomics aid for the betterment of job procedures and improvement of productivity, health, and safety of the preadolescent farmers. METHODS: 100 male and 100 female preadolescent farmers were randomly selected from the villages of Tarakeswar, West Bengal, India, to evaluate and reduce work-related musculoskeletal disorders, physiological stress. Modified Nordic questionnaires, Body Part Discomfort (BPD) scale, and handgrip strength were assessed before and after using the ergonomics aid. RESULTS: The results of the study show that there was a significant change (decrease) in discomfort in the lower back, wrists, shoulder, and hands among preadolescent farmers when using the newly designed ergonomic aid. Handgrip strength increased and physiological stress was decreased among preadolescent farmers in post-intervention than pre-intervention in just after work conditions. Productivity has been increased in farming by decreasing absenteeism from work with the use of ergonomic aid. CONCLUSION: This study concludes that productivity has been increased in farming by decreasing absenteeism from work as well as by using the ergonomic aid the discomfort feeling has been decreased markedly.

The State of Scientific Knowledge Regarding Work Related Neck and Upper Limb Musculoskeletal Disorders

2000 ◽  
Vol 44 (30) ◽  
pp. 5-434-5-436
Author(s):  
Peter Buckle ◽  
Jason Devereux
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Biological Mechanisms ◽  
Member States ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Strong Positive Relationship ◽  
Preventative Strategy ◽  
European Health

The report has drawn together knowledge from an extensive set of sources. These include the contemporary scientific literature, the views of an international expert scientific panel, current practice, employer and employee representatives and a number of official authorities from member states of the European Union (EU). The need for EU consensus regarding diagnostic criteria is identified. Size of the problem across EU member states has been reported. Understanding of the biological mechanisms of WRULDs varies greatly and it is dependent on the specific disorder. A strong positive relationship between some WRULDs and the performance of work, especially where workers were highly exposed to workplace risk factors is noted. Identifying workers in the extreme exposure categories should become a priority for any preventative strategy. Current scientific knowledge and existing general advice in European health and safety directives, etc., already provide some strategies for preventing WRULDs. Further action is suggested.

Adverse Work Stress Reactions — A Review of the Potential Influence on Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDS)

2000 ◽  
Vol 44 (30) ◽  
pp. 5-457-5-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Devereux ◽  
P.W. Buckle
Keyword(s):  
Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽  
Work Stress ◽  
Reciprocal Relationship ◽  
Stress Reactions ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽  
Health Burdens ◽  
The Impact

Available data show that work stress and work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are the leading occupational health burdens in Member States of the European Union. Cross-sectional data do no provide a clear indication of the impact of work stress upon WMSDs. Studies have used different indicators for stress and this makes comparison between them more difficult. Similar workplace risk factors, including physical and psychosocial, seem to be associated with work stress and WMSDs. Stress has been implicated in the pathology of WMSDs but many hypotheses require further investigation. There is some epidemiological evidence to support work stress reactions as a predictor of WMSDs and a weighted reciprocal relationship may also exist between these two health problems. However, more longitudinal studies are required to clarify this issue.

Better musculoskeletal health for anaesthetists

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.M. Yentis ◽  
◽  
K. Asanati ◽  
C.R. Bailey ◽  
R. Hampton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
The Body ◽  
Musculoskeletal Health ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽  
Many Sources ◽  
Psychological Risk

3Association of Anaesthetists | Better musculoskeletal health for anaesthetistsSummaryWork-related musculoskeletal disorders are very common amongst healthcare workers, and there is evidence that anaesthetists are at greater risk of upper limb disorders than other groups. This guidance aims to bring together advice and recommendations from a variety of sources in order to inform and support anaesthetists at work, in an attempt to reduce the prevalence and severity of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and the exacerbation of pre-existing disorders. Mechanical and psychosocial risk factors for work-associated musculoskeletal disorders are summarised, along with general principles for achieving better musculoskeletal health and practices specific to areas of the body most at risk. These include recommended exercises and stretches during sedentary work.RecommendationsAttention must be paid by both employers and anaesthetists to the physical and psychological risk factors that may lead to development and/or exacerbation of musculoskeletal disorders. This requires ongoing risk assessments and adherence to published standards of health and safety at work, including training. Such a programme is best achieved as part of a multidisciplinary approach.What other guidelines are available on this topic? There are many sources of guidance on health and safety in the workplace, across many sectors, much of which is of relevance to anaesthetists. There is no readily accessible guidance specifically aimed at the anaesthetic workplace.Why was this guideline developed?This guidance was developed as part of a wider piece of work by the Association of Anaesthetists based around ergonomics of the anaesthetic workplace, as a result of the increased reported incidence of musculoskeletal disorders amongst anaesthetists. It aims to draw on existing guidance and present a summary of advice relevant to anaesthetists and their practice.How and why does this publication differ from existing guidelines?This guidance summarises other advice and recommendations, and focuses on factors relevant to the anaesthetic workplace

Defining Nanomaterials for the Purpose of Regulation within the European Union

2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Bowman ◽  
Joel D'Silva ◽  
Geert van Calster
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
International Agreement ◽  
Market Demand ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks ◽  
Cosmetic Formulations ◽  
Policy Shift

Consumer desire for superior and new products has provided industry with the opportunity and market demand to incorporate and experiment with new technologies, including nanotechnologies. While these products and processes have fallen under the scope of existing regulatory frameworks, potential health and safety concerns has prompted some stakeholders to call for new, nano-specific regulations. Until now, governments have been hesitant to respond to such demands given the evolving state of the scientific art and limited international agreement as to what nanotechnologies or nanomaterials “are”. Despite these challenges, in November 2009 the European Union formally embraced the idea of specifically regulating the use of nanomaterials in cosmetic formulations. To achieve this objective, the Parliament and Council had to define what they meant by nanomaterials within the context of the adopted text in order to regulate them. It appears likely that other instruments will be similarly amended so as to include nano-specific provisions, including definitions. This article explores this policy shift within the European Union and the implications of the Parliament and Council's stance at this stage due to the absence of a generally accepted definition within the international community.

The Costs of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Automotive Manufacturing

2000 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 403-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Punnett
Keyword(s):  
Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Labor Turnover ◽  
Recent Experience ◽  
Workers Compensation ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Automotive Manufacturing ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽  
Compensation Claims

Inadequate application of ergonomic principles to the design of workplaces and individual jobs has adverse consequences for worker health and safety, especially in terms of strains, sprains, and other musculoskeletal disorders. In addition to the human pain and suffering, other losses are externalized to workers, with adverse financial and psychosocial impacts. There are also costs to employers through workers' compensation claims, scrap, and decreased production quality, medical insurance premiums, labor turnover, and adverse impacts on labor relations, although many of these are not linked by traditional accounting methods to ergonomic problems per se. Data collected in five plants of two major U.S. automotive manufacturing companies in the last decade have been used to estimate some of the costs associated with work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), only some of which resulted in workers' compensation claims. In one plant in 1984–85, the payroll cost of all back and shoulder disorders was at least $320 per year per worker, not including workers' compensation premiums or claims paid. A large proportion of these costs were accrued by “unreported” cases, that is, cases that either had never been reported to the plant clinic or had been reported in the past and were considered administratively to have recovered. In the other four plants, annual costs associated with in-plant medical visits for MSDs in 1989–93 were almost as high as those resulting from compensation claims. At least one-half of these disorders were estimated to be attributable to physical ergonomic exposures in the workplace and thus preventable. These data are consistent with estimates by others that the real costs to employers are at least two to three times the amount paid in workers' compensation cases, and that at least 50 percent of all work-related musculoskeletal disorders among the working population could be prevented by appropriate ergonomic job design. Furthermore, recent experience with ergonomics programs in various manufacturing and service settings shows that they are cost-effective in reducing morbidity, work absenteeism, and workers' compensation claims; payback periods for workplace modifications can be as short as a few months. Further investigations should explore the reasons that monetary costs and other impacts on profitability do not always motivate employers to improve working conditions.

Evaluating Change in Exposure to Risk for Musculoskeletal Disorders — A Practical Tool

2000 ◽  
Vol 44 (30) ◽  
pp. 5-407-5-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangyan Li ◽  
Peter Buckle
Keyword(s):  
Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Practical Tool ◽  
Art Research ◽  
High Level ◽  
Practice Assessment

A tool has been developed for health and safety practitioners to assess the exposure to workplace risks for work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The tool is based on the practitioners' needs and “state of the art” research findings. QEC has been tested, modified and validated using both simulated and real tasks, with the help of approximately 150 practitioners. The studies have shown that the tool has a high level of sensitivity and usability, and exhibits largely acceptable inter/intra-observer reliability. Field studies also indicate that the tool is, in practice, reliable and applicable for a wide range of tasks. With a short training period and some practice, assessment can normally be completed within approximately 10 minutes for each task.

How and how well do workplace assessments work? Using contextual variations in a theory-based evaluation with a large N

Evaluation ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 135638902098046
Author(s):  
Peter Dahler-Larsen ◽  
Anna Sundby ◽  
Adiilah Boodhoo
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Control Group ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Public ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Regulatory Policies ◽  
Safety Risks ◽  
Large N ◽  
Safety And Health

What can be said about effect of an intervention without a control group? The lack of evaluative evidence is a long-standing problem for regulatory policies against work-related health and safety risks. The European Union Occupational Safety and Health Framework has been in operation for three decades and covers more than 200 million workers, but the most recent evaluation was inconclusive about the benefits generated by this framework. A theory-based evaluation focusing on mechanisms in combination with a design capturing within-intervention variations offers a way forward. The idea is to measure the prevalence of most likely mechanisms and their correlation with outcomes. This approach is illustrated in a large- N evaluation of the use of workplace assessments in the public sector in Denmark. The strengths and weakness of the workplace assessment legislation are assessed. It is shown how findings based on the presented approach contribute to the public debate about workplace assessments.

scholarly journals Proceedings of the 3rd P4Work Symposium – Work & Pain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo Bellosta-López ◽  
Víctor Doménech-García ◽  
Sandra Calvo Carrión ◽  
Carolina Jiménez Sánchez ◽  
Julia Blasco-Abadía
Keyword(s):  
Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Work Related ◽  
High Quality Evidence ◽  
Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽  
Work Health ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Knowledge Alliance ◽  
Research World

The Knowledge Alliance Prevent4Work for Preventing Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders aims at establishing a collaborative network between higher education and research world, work health-related institutions, technology enterprises, and companies from different activity sectors to develop innovative educational programs, high quality evidence-based material and actions that could be implemented in the European Union to improve the prevention and management of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders. The present work compiles the proceedings of the Third P4Work Symposium – Work & Pain. The virtual symposium was organized by Universidad San Jorge and INP Formation in collaboration with the other partners of the "Prevent 4 Work" project and was held on 20 October 2021 via Zoom.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document