Abstract
A review of literature on comfort and discomfort indicates an increase in physical discomfort during the workday. In this paper, three different types of occupations were studied to identify whether a similar discomfort pattern exists in these occupations while participants perform work throughout the work day and workweek. Results are that sedentary and labor intensive occupations show an increase in physical discomfort throughout the workday. In addition, during the workweek, each occupation had a peak discomfort day and all occupations experienced a reduction of discomfort at the end of the last day of the workweek. Acknowledging and understanding why, when, and where discomfort peaks occur could assist in varying task scheduling to improve job performance. Future research should include emotional and psychological discomfort assessments, investigation of effects of age, time of year, and location in the world are warranted.
Highlights
The term Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD) applies to a broad range of disorders and injuries of the musculoskeletal system
Participants Three professions were selected to compare patterns of discomfort for this study: engineering professionals located in the USA [20]; administrative personnel located in the Netherlands [21]; and physical plasterers located in Ireland [22]
Engineering professionals The physical discomfort was low at waking and increased during the workday averaged over the four days (Figure 1)
Summary
The term Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD) applies to a broad range of disorders and injuries (e.g. sprain, strain) of the musculoskeletal system These occur when the demands of an activity exceed the capacity or limitations of the musculoskeletal components [1]. MSDs can occur suddenly due to a single incident e.g. handling a heavy load [1] or due to a sudden movement (slip/trip/fall) [3]. They develop gradually over long periods and are frequently referred to as Cumulative Trauma Disorders (CTDs) [4] or Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) e.g. tendonitis, bursitis and carpal tunnel syndrome [5]. Symptoms are experienced constantly and the individual becomes permanently disabled [5]
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