Title
Towards exposure limits for working postures and musculoskeletal symptoms - a prospective cohort study
Author
Coenen, P.
Douwes, M.
van den Heuvel, S.
Bosch, T.
Publication year
2016
Abstract
Occupational postures are considered to be an important group of risk factors for musculoskeletal pain. However, the exposure-outcome association is not clear yet. Therefore, we aimed to determine the exposure-outcome association of working postures and musculoskeletal symptoms. Also, we aimed to establish exposure limits for working postures. In a prospective cohort study among 789 workers, intensity, frequency and duration of postures were assessed at baseline using observations. Musculoskeletal pain was assessed cross-sectionally and longitudinally and associations of postures and pain were addressed using logistic regression analyses. Cut-off points were estimated based on ROC-curve analyses. Associations were found for kneeling/crouching and low-back pain, neck flexion and rotation and neck pain, trunk flexion and low-back pain, and arm elevation and neck and shoulder pain. The results provide insight into exposure-outcome relations between working postures and musculoskeletal symptoms as well as evidence-based working posture exposure limits that can be used in future guidelines and risk assessment tools. Practitioner Summary: Our study gives insight into exposure-outcome associations of working postures and musculoskeletal symptoms (kneeling/crouching and low-back pain, neck flexion/rotation and neck pain, trunk flexion and low-back pain, and arm elevation and neck and shoulder pain). Results furthermore deliver evidence-based postural exposure limits that can be used in guidelines and risk assessments.
Subject
Life
WHC - Work, Health and Care
ELSS - Earth, Life and Social Sciences
Work and Employment
Workplace
Healthy Living
Exposure assessment
Musculoskeletal pain
Occupational health
Work postures
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:b52fe967-e79a-4851-af8f-b12b11d76548
TNO identifier
533382
Source
Ergonomics, 59 (9), 1182-1192
Document type
article