Are employment shifts into non-manufacturing industries partially responsible for the decline in occupational injury rates?

Background: Bureau of Labor Statistics figures have shown declines in injury and illness rates over the past 25 years. It is unclear what factors are contributing to that decline.

Methods: Connecticut injury and illness data was industry-adjusted to account for the shifts in employment by industry sector for the 25-year period from 1976 to 2000.

The effect of different warming methods on sensory nerve conduction velocity in shipyard workers occupationally exposed to hand-arm vibration.

Objectives: Segmental sensory nerve conduction velocity (SNCV) was measured from the wrists to the hands and digits in a population of 134 (126 men and 8 women) vibration-exposed shipyard workers following systemic warming using a bicycle ergometer. Results were compared to earlier nerve conduction tests, identical in execution, except that the warming process was segmental and cutaneous. The study was designed to investigate whether SNCVs, which were selectively slow in the fingers after segmental cutaneous (skin surface) warming, would be affected differently by systemic warming.

Syndromes from segmental vibration and nerve entrapment: observations on case definitions for carpal tunnel syndrome.

Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to assess the overlap and stability of two different case definitions of carpal tunnel syndrome CTS. The analysis considers the association between different case definitions and objective tests (sensory nerve conduction velocities, SNCVs and vibrotactile perception thresholds, TTS), and the natural history of CTS, in the context of two vibration-exposed cohorts.

Methods: Clinical CTS cases were defined in two ways: (1) by the study physician using fixed criteria, and; (2) by questionnaire and hand diagram.

A population based survey of ergonomic risk factors in Connecticut: distribution by industry, occupation, and demographics.

Background: Risk factors for upper-extremity musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) include biomechanical factors (force, repetition, posture) and psychosocial factors (job stress). A population-based telephone survey of workers in Connecticut characterized these risk factors by industry, occupation, gender, and age.

Findings: Risk factors were highly prevalent in the Connecticut workplace, but varied considerably by industry, occupation, gender, and age.

The Hand-Arm Vibration International Consortium (HAVIC): prospective studies on the relationship between power tool exposure and health effects.

Objectives: The Hand-Arm Vibration International Consortium (HAVIC) is a collaboration of investigators from Europe and North America studying health effects from hand-arm vibration (HAV). Features include prospective design, cross-cohort exposure, and health assessment methods.

Methods: Two new cohorts (dental hygienists and dental hygiene students), two existing cohorts (Finnish forest workers, and Swedish truck cab assemblers), and a previous population (US shipyard workers) are included.

A pilot study of hand and arm musculoskeletal disorders in dental hygiene students.

Purpose: This study was designed to determine the relationship between musculoskeletal disorder symptoms and vibration in dental hygiene students as a pilot for a larger scale study.

Methods: A custom-designed questionnaire was distributed to three intact student groups: those accepted for admission, those at the end of the first year, and graduating students at the end of the second year. Data were analyzed using tabular and multivariate analysis.