Development of Industry-Specific Physical Job Evaluation Tool

Abstract

Background According to Washington State workers’ compensation data, construction as an industry ranked first in its compensable claims rate of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) injuries (Anderson, Adams, Bonauto, Howard, & Silverstein, 2015). Many current physical job assessment tools available for ergonomics practitioners to evaluate work-related musculoskeletal disorder risks of the back, shoulder, hand/wrist and knee are mostly of general purposes. This project sought to identify risk factors pertinent to given industries. The construction industry is used as an example in this demonstration. Approach Four hundred thirty-six construction employees from sixteen companies in the State of Washington were observed and evaluated using commonly used exposure assessment tools: Washington State Checklists (Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, 2004a, b), Strain Index (Moore & Garg, 1995), American Congress of Governmental Industrial Hygienists Lifting Threshold Limit Values (ACGIH, 2005), Liberty Mutual Manual Materials Handling Guidelines (Snook & Ciriello, 1991), Quick Ergonomics Checklist (David et al, 2005; David et al, 2008), and the European Union Vibration Directives (EU, 2002). The physical risk factors that were evaluated are those that have been associated with WMSDs. These risk factors included: awkward postures of the back, shoulder, hand/wrist; lifting; pushing, pulling, carrying; high hand forces (pinching, griping); highly repetitive motions of the hand/wrist; repeated impacts of the hand or knee; vibration (whole body, hand); and any specific tasks with potential WMSD risks but were otherwise not covered in any of the common assessment tools. Following the results of the exposure assessments, a comprehensive physical job evaluation checklist was created by retaining items sensitive to differentiate levels of risks within jobs in the construction industry. From our job evaluations, WMSD risk factors may not be the same between industry groups and as such, industry-specific tools may simplify the evaluation process by focusing on unique exposures. The final Physical Job Evaluation Checklist is currently presented in the form of a spreadsheet available for download and use ( www.lni.wa.gov/Safety/Research/Wmsd/WMSD2010.asp ). Accompanying reference guide is also available to provide instructions how data fields can be obtained or measured. The user can print out a paper form first, record the assessment at a job site, then enter the necessary data into the spreadsheet. The algorithm then generates all the evaluation reports and highlight areas that should receive attention. The goals are to raise general awareness of industry-specific physical factors that contribute to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), and help identify specific aspects of the job that pose a risk for back, shoulder, hand/wrist and knee injury common in the construction industry. Using the Physical Job Evaluation Checklists can help prioritize injury prevention efforts by identifying the jobs, or the aspects of the job that pose the greatest risk of injury. It is also possible to evaluate the impact that proposed jobsite changes have on WMSD risk (before and after exposures). And finally, it is possible to compare exposures between workers performing the same or different tasks. Limitation Due to the study design, the Physical Job Evaluation Checklist IS NOT intended to predict the occurrence of WMSDs or to provide guidance or suggestions on how to mitigate exposure to risk factors of WMSDs.