Supermarket workers: their work and their health, particularly their self-reported musculoskeletal problems and compensable injuries.

A literature review revealed that cashiers are the most studied of all supermarket workers, while little is known about other types of employees. However, cashiers are far from being the only supermarket workers affected by musculoskeletal disorders. The musculoskeletal health of supermarket employees other than cashiers was therefore examined for one company.

Participation in workplace design with reference to low back pain: a case for the improvement of the police patrol car.

Thirty Canadian police officers, divided into six groups, participated in the redesign of the interior of the patrol car. Three of the groups consisted of individuals having a history of low back disease. The effect of participating in a design process on the characteristics of the final design and on the perception of the low back pain was studied in a semi-experimental setting.

Manual handling in warehouses: the illusion of correct working postures.

Results from a study on load handling in two warehouses are presented. The loads were mainly handled with the back bent and in twisted postures. The so-called 'correct lifting' method was rare.

A conceptual model for work-related neck and upper-limb musculoskeletal disorders.

This paper presents a conceptual model for the pathogenesis of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The model contains sets of cascading exposure, dose, capacity, and response variables, such that response at one level can act as dose at the next. Response to one or more doses can diminish or increase the capacity for responding to successive doses.

Prevalence of epicondylitis and elbow pain in the meat-processing industry.

To determine the etiologic role of strenuous manual tasks in relation to epicondylitis, three clinical cross-sectional examinations were performed on meatcutters (N = 102), sausage makers (N = 125), packers (N = 150), and workers in nonstrenuous tasks (N = 332). The workers in strenuous jobs reported elbow symptoms 1.6-1.

Restitution of EMG spectrum after muscular fatigue.

Restitution of the EMG spectrum was studied in upper limb muscles. The subjects performed isometric and isotonic exercises until they refused because of fatigue. Force levels varied from 15 to 60% MVC.

Standardised Nordic questionnaires for the analysis of musculoskeletal symptoms.

Standardised questionnaires for the analysis of musculoskeletal symptoms in an ergonomic or occupational health context are presented. The questions are forced choice variants and may be either self-administered or used in interviews. They concentrate on symptoms most often encountered in an occupational setting.

Postural, epidemiological and biomechanical analysis of luggage handling in an aircraft luggage compartment.

Loading and unloading of luggage in an aircraft luggage compartment is carried out manually in uncomfortable working position. In this study, the loading work was analysed by surveying musculoskeletal symptoms, by recording the working postures and techniques at work, and by simulating the loading work in a mock-up of a DC-9 aircraft compartment. Low back, knees and shoulders were exposed to mechanical load in luggage handling.

Low-back pain in nurses and some loading factors of work.

Questionnaires were sent to qualified nurses (QNs) and nursing aides (NAs) to study the prevalence of low-back pain (LBP) and sciatica in relation to age, work-load, free time activities, menstruation, pregnancies and number of children. LBP and sciatica severe enough to make them unfit for daily tasks were significantly more common in NAs. Back injury and disability pension due to sciatic symptoms were also more common in NAs.

Arduousness of work, career, and disability pensioning of Finnish iron ore miners.

The career and work arduousness of a population of retired iron ore miners and their contemporaries who continued to work were investigated to find out what aspects of work history were associated with disability pensioning. The retired group had entered the mining industry at a more advanced age than the referents. The retired miners had also started at more strenuous tasks.

Firefighters' reaction to alarm, an ECG and heart rate study.

Firemen's reaction to alarm was investigated with a pulse rate and ECG analysis. The frame of reference was the psychophysiological alarm reaction and its relation to psychosomatic diseases. ECG and pulse rate measurements were recorded continuously from 22 first-string firemen.

Reliability of a vibration test in screening for predisposition to tenosynovitis.

The reliability of a vibration test has been studied in terms of its feasibility for screening for predisposition to tenosynovitis in an occupational health setting. In a worker population with a high prevalence of tenosynovitis the specificity and sensitivity of the method in the best cases were 68% and 50%, respectively. In an apparently healthy population there were significant interindividual differences; but in successive trials the same individual could have index values indicating both a predisposition and a lack of predisposition for tenosynovitis.

Psychological and biochemical strain in firemen's work.

Mental load and strain in the work of firemen and fire alarm center operators were studied in a group of 260 fireman and 6 female full-time operators from three fire brigades. The firemen proved to be satisfied with their work, and signs of chronic psychological problems were uncommon. Situational work load and related strain may, however, be extreme during active operations.

Prevalence of tenosynovitis and other injuries of the upper extremities in repetitive work.

The purpose of this investigation was to compare the prevalence of soft tissue disorders in the neck, arms and hands between packers doing repetitive work and shop assistants with variable tasks. One hundred and fifty-two female assembly-line packers in a food production factory and 133 female shop assistants were interviewed about their symptoms and given a clinical examination of the neck and upper extremities. The number of cases of tension neck, cervical syndrome, scalenus syndrome, and humeral epicondylitis did not differ significantly between the two groups.

Occupational rheumatic diseases and upper limb strain in manual jobs in a light mechanical industry.

The prevalence of occupational rheumatic diseases and the relation of the diseases to some specific work load factors were investigated. Ninety-three workers from a light mechanical industry were given a clinical, epidemiologic examination. General work methods were analyzed, and cycle time, mode of control, and the number of pieces handled/time unit were registered.

Correcting working postures in industry: A practical method for analysis.

A practical method for identifying and evaluating poor working postures, ie, the Ovako Working Posture Analysing System (OWAS), is presented. The method consists of two parts. The first is an observational technique for evaluating working postures.