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.

A Practical Method for the Assessment of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Risks - Quick Exposure Check (QEC)

1998 ◽  
Vol 42 (19) ◽  
pp. 1351-1355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangyan Li ◽  
Peter Buckle
Keyword(s):  
Health And Safety ◽  
Practical Method ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Art Research ◽  
High Level ◽  
Practice Assessment

A newer exposure tool has been developed for health and safety practitioners to assess the exposure to risks for work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The tool is based on the practitioners' needs for such a tool and “state of the art” research findings. QEC has been tested, modified and validated based upon various simulated and practical tasks, with the help of up to 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 10 minutes for each task.

scholarly journals Ergonomic Evaluation of Current Advancements in Blueberry Harvesting

Agronomy ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eunsik Kim ◽  
Andris Freivalds ◽  
Fumiomi Takeda ◽  
Changying Li
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
The United States ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Component Ratio ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Private Industry ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Trauma Disorders

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) accounted for 32% of days-away-from-work cases in private industry in 2016. Several factors have been associated with MSDs, such as repetitive motion, excessive force, awkward and/or sustained postures, and prolonged sitting and standing, all of which are required in farm workers’ labor. While numerous epidemiological studies on the prevention of MSDs in agriculture have been conducted, an ergonomics evaluation of blueberry harvesting has not yet been systematically performed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the risk factors of MSDs for several types of blueberry harvesting (hand harvesting, semi-mechanical harvesting with hand-held shakers, and over-the-row machines) in terms of workers’ postural loads and self-reported discomfort using ergonomics intervention techniques. Five field studies in the western region of the United States between 2017 and 2018 were conducted using the Borg CR10 scale, electromyography (EMG), Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), the Cumulative Trauma Disorders (CTD) index, and the NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) lifting equation. In evaluating the workloads of picking and moving blueberries by hand, semi-mechanical harvesting with hand-held shakers, and completely mechanized harvesting, only EMG and the NIOSH lifting equation were used, as labor for this system is limited to loading empty lugs and unloading full lugs. Based on the results, we conclude that working on the fully mechanized harvester would be the best approach to minimizing worker loading and fatigue. This is because the total component ratio of postures in hand harvesting with a RULA score equal to or greater than 5 was 69%, indicating that more than half of the postures were high risk for shoulder pain. For the semi-mechanical harvesting, the biggest problem with the shakers is the vibration, which can cause fatigue and various risks to workers, especially in the upper limbs. However, it would be challenging for small- and medium-sized blueberry farms to purchase automated harvesters due to their high cost. Thus, collaborative efforts among health and safety professionals, engineers, social scientists, and ergonomists are needed to provide effective ergonomic interventions.

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.

scholarly journals O7C.2 Developing a measuring strategy for monitoring and evaluation of a national occupational health intervention programme in great britain (GB)

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. A64.3-A65
Author(s):  
Yiqun Chen ◽  
Andrew Curran
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
National Level ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Measurement Framework ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Over Time

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the GB regulator for health and safety at work. The HSE Health and Work (H&W) program designs and carries out a wide range of interventions; including inspection, enforcement and other regulatory activities as well as prevention; targeting priority health conditions in high-risk sectors. It is anticipated that long-term, sustainable and coordinated actions developed as part of the program will over time improve awareness, behaviors, control of exposures, and, as a result, prevent work-related ill health in GB workforce.An HSE Measuring Strategy, together with measurement framework and principles, has been developed. The measurement framework draws together data systems, covering Attitudes (A), Behaviors (B), Control of exposures (C), and Disease and work-related ill health reduction (D), based on a simple model to provide evidence required for evaluating the short, medium and long term impacts of the large scale and complex H&W program on the GB health and safety system. The Strategy gives a new focus on measuring behavioral changes and risk reductions; and emphasizes longitudinal measurement designs to assess progress over time.For developing the Strategy, workshops were organized to bring stakeholders across HSE to review existing systems for conducting population surveys, collecting exposure intelligence and occupational health surveillance, which have contributed to forming a long-term vision of fit-for-purpose measurement systems.We will present the development of the Strategy and the plans to implement it with the H&W program, which requires close collaborations between epidemiologists and social researchers, policy makers, and other multidisciplinary regulatory specialists. The lessons learnt will help HSE towards building the right evidence base for monitoring and evaluation of a range of national level intervention programs for work-related ill health prevention.©British Crown copyright (2019)

scholarly journals The Italian National Surveillance System for Occupational Injuries: Conceptual Framework and Fatal Outcomes, 2002–2016

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Campo ◽  
L Cegolon ◽  
D De Merich ◽  
U Fedeli ◽  
M Pellicci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Occupational Injuries ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Economic Incentives ◽  
National Database ◽  
Occupational Risk Factors ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Injured Person ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Fatal Injuries

ABSTRACTBackgroundA national database of work related injuries was established in Italy since 2002, collecting information on the injured person, his/her work tasks, the workplace as well as risk factors contributing to accident dynamics, according to a model called Infor.Mo.MethodsThe present is a qualitative description of occupational fatal injuries, excluding work-related fatal traffic injuries, that occurred in Italy from 2002 to 2016 (15 years).Results4,874 victims were registered, all were males, mainly of >51 years of age (50.5%), predominantly self-employed (27.8%) or workers with non-standard contracts (25%). About 18.4% and 17.3% of fatal accidents occurred in micro-enterprises belonging to, respectively, Construction and Agriculture. A wide range of nationalities (59 countries in addition to Italy) was identified. 18.9% work related fatal injuries were due to some form of dangerous energy □ mechanical, thermal, electrical, chemical □ freely present in the workplace. Fall of workers from height (33.5%), heavy bodies falling on workers from height (16.7%) and vehicles exiting their route and overturning (15.9%) were the accidents causing the greatest proportion of occupational fatal injuries. The activity of the injured person made up 43.3% of 9,386 risk factors identified in 4,874 fatalities. Less common risk factors were related to: work equipment (20.2%); work environment (14.9%); the activity of third parties (9.8%); personal protective equipment/clothing (8.0%) and materials (3.7%). The activity of the injured person remained the most relevant contributing factor even when the accident was caused by two or more risk factors.DiscussionOccupational fatal injuries occurred mainly in small size firms. Small companies generally have less resources to catch up with the continuously evolving health and safety at work regulations; moreover, they tend to be less compliant with occupational health and safety regulations since are less likely to be inspected by occupational vigilance services. As a result, the enforcement of regulations to control the occupational risk factors of occupational injuries is seemingly costly and scarcely effective. An alternative approach that is being introduced in Italy relies on the use of economic incentives to promote safe and healthy workplaces.

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 Considerations on Ergonomic Issues in Physiotherapy Activity

2021 ◽  
Vol 343 ◽  
pp. 10004
Author(s):  
Vlad Andrei Darabont ◽  
Doru Costin Darabont
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Mental Load ◽  
Repetitive Movement ◽  
Motor Disabilities ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽  
High Level ◽  
Technical Measures

Nowadays, the ergonomic issues become more and more important in all economic activity domains. Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) represent the main problem generated by the poor ergonomic design of the workplaces. The healthcare domain involves high level ergonomic risks related to physical and mental load of the work which could lead to MSDs. The paper presents an analysis of these ergonomic risks for physiotherapy activity and identifies potential measures to improve the health and safety in this domain. The physical load of the physiotherapist’s work is generated by the risk factors such as awkward postures, repetitive movement or working with patients with motor disabilities. The mental load of the physiotherapist’s work depends on risk factors such as working with patients with cognitive impairment and daily or weekly patient flows. The proposed preventive measures are organisational and technical. The organisational measures are based on the requirements of the occupational health and safety (OHS) legislation and on the good practice examples. The technical measures are based on the analysing the documentation of physiotherapy modern equipment. The results of the study can be used to improve the ergonomics and the health and safety of any workplace in physiotherapy activity.

scholarly journals The Italian National Surveillance System for Occupational Injuries: Conceptual Framework and Fatal Outcomes, 2002–2016

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (20) ◽  
pp. 7631
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Campo ◽  
Luca Cegolon ◽  
Diego De Merich ◽  
Ugo Fedeli ◽  
Mauro Pellicci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Economic Incentives ◽  
Third Party ◽  
National Database ◽  
Similar Distribution ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Injured Person ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Fatal Injuries

Background: A national database of work-related injuries has been established in Italy since 2002, collecting information on the injured person, his/her work tasks, the workplace and the risk factors contributing to incident dynamics, according to a model called Infor.Mo. Methods: A descriptive study of occupational fatal injuries, excluding work-related fatal traffic injuries, that occurred in Italy from 2002 to 2016 (15 years) was performed. Results: Among 4874 victims involved, all were males, mainly >51 years of age (43.2%), predominantly self-employed (27.8%) or workers with non-standard contracts (25%). About 18.4% and 17.3% of fatal events occurred in micro-enterprises belonging to, respectively, construction and agriculture. A wide range of nationalities (59 countries in addition to Italy) was identified. Overall, 18.9% of work-related fatal injuries were due to some form of hazardous energy—mechanical, thermal, electrical or chemical—that was normally present in the workplace. Workers’ falls from height (33.5%), heavy loads falling on workers from height (16.7%) and vehicles exiting their route and overturning (15.9%) were the events causing the greatest proportion of occupational fatal injuries in the present study (from 2002 to 2016) and in the initial pilot phase, focused on years 2002–2004, with a similar distribution of fatal events between the two time periods. The activity of the injured person made up 43.3% of 9386 risk factors identified in 4874 fatalities. Less common risk factors were related to work equipment (20.2%), work environment (14.9%), third–party activity (9.8%), personal protective equipment/clothing (8.0%) and materials (3.7%). The activity of the injured person remained the most relevant contributing factor even when the incident was caused by two or more risk factors. Discussion: Occupational fatal injuries occurred mainly in small size firms (up to nine employees) in hazardous workplaces. Small companies, which account for 68% (2888/4249) of all firms in the present study, generally have fewer resources to remain current with the continuously evolving health and safety at work regulations; moreover, these firms tend to be less compliant with health and safety at work regulations since they are less likely to be inspected by occupational vigilance services. Perspectives: An approach being introduced in Italy relies on the use of economic incentives to promote safe and healthy workplaces. The comparison of pre-intervention and post-intervention rates of work-related injuries by means of interrupted time series analyses could detect whether the intervention will have an effect significantly greater than the underlying secular trend.

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

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.

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