Physical Workload Factors Research Articles

Incidence of knee and hip joint replacement associated with cumulative exposure to physical factors at work.

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) has been quite consistently associated with high physical workload and specific physical factors at work, while for hip OA, fewer studies are available, which still indicate possible associations with heavy lifting and physical workload. The objective of the study was to assess the association between exposure to workplace physical factors and incidence of knee and hip arthroplasty, as markers of severe OA in these joints. The study population was composed of employees 25-60 years who participated in the Turin 2011 census. For each job held since 1995, exposure to physical factors was assigned to individuals in the cohort through a Job-Exposure Matrix constructed from the Italian O*NET database. Using Poisson regression models, the incidence of knee and hip arthroplasty for OA, identified through hospitalizations from 2012 to 2018, was examined in relation to cumulative exposure to 7 different physical hazards and a composite indicator of physical workload constructed from 17 physical factors (Ergo-Index). The risk of knee OA was significantly increased in the highest cumulative exposure quartile of physical workload (incidence rate ratio = 1.98, 95% confidence interval: 1.24-3.16) and of all single hazards examined, compared to the lowest quartile, with significant trends in risk with increasing exposure. In contrast, no association was found with hip OA, whose relative risks were close to or below one in all higher-exposure quartiles of physical workload and of each single hazard. Our results indicate that exposure to physical hazards at work increases the likelihood of developing knee OA, but not hip OA.

Nurse-Task Matching Decision Support System Based on FSPC-HEART Method to Prevent Human Errors for Sustainable Healthcare

To increase the levels of sustainability of service quality as well as to ensure satisfaction and assurance of patients in the health sector, minimizing the probability of making mistakes nurses is of great importance. The extent of this probability is considerably affected by task types, physical conditions of the working environment, workload, and working conditions. Moreover, the physical and mental characteristics of nurses also have a colossal influence on this probability. It is also possible to increase the sustainability of health services by matching nurses appropriately to a specific task according to related risk levels, and by balancing their workload accordingly. This study proposes FSPC-HEART method in that purpose, as a new type of human error reduction and assessment technique (HEART) application based on fuzzy step-wise weight assessment ratio analysis and principal component analysis methods. Unlike the methods in the literature, this new method offers a person-specific proactive error prevention approach. With FSPC-HEART, the probability of each nurse to make a mistake, that is, the human error probability (HEP) values are calculated separately for each task. Also, the combined effect of physical and mental workload factors for each employee was taken into account. In the proposed method, the effect of the subjective judgments of the decision-makers on the objectively obtained HEP values was tried to be reduced. The developed nurse-task matching decision support system enables the FSPC-HEART method to be easily used by decision-makers, and to assign employees to tasks with low error probabilities.

Long-term sick leave for back pain, exposure to physical workload and psychosocial factors at work, and risk of disability and early-age retirement among aged Swedish workers

PurposeTo assess the risk of disability and early-age retirement associated with previous long-term sickness absence for back pain (back-pain SA), exposure to high physical workload, low job control, high demands and high strain, and to evaluate effect modification by work factors on the relationship between back-pain SA and premature retirement.MethodsAll employed Swedish residents born 1946–1955 (n = 835,956) were followed up from 2010 to 2016 for disability (DP) and early-age pension (EAP). Associations of premature retirement with exposure to work factors and back-pain SA in the 3 years before follow-up were estimated through proportional hazards models. Retirement, back-pain SA and covariates were assessed through administrative sources, and exposure to work factors through a job-exposure matrix.ResultsIn both genders, back-pain SA was associated with DP (> 1 episode: HR 3.23 among men; HR 3.12 among women) and EAP (> 1 episode: HR 1.24 among men; HR 1.18 among women). Higher physical workload and lower job control were also associated with an increased DP risk in both genders, whereas higher job demands showed a decreased risk. For EAP, associations with work factors were weak and inconsistent across genders. No effect modification by work factors was found, except for a negative effect modification by job strain on DP risk among women, i.e. a reduced effect of back-pain SA with increasing exposure.ConclusionBack-pain SA was a significant predictor of both DP and EAP, while work factors were consistently associated only with DP. Our results indicate that the joint effect of back-pain SA and work factors on DP is additive and does not support effect modification by work factors.

FAKTOR INDIVIDU YANG MEMPENGARUHI PERILAKU KESELAMATAN PADA PEKERJA DI BAGIAN FILLING POUCH

ABSTRAK
 
 Angka kecelakaan tertinggi di perusahaan pengolahan kelapa sawit terjadi di bagian filling pouch. Dengan kondisi intensitas kebisingan lebih dari 85 dB, dapat membuat lingkungan kerja menjadi salah satu hal yang berpengaruh terhadap angka kecelakaan diarea tersebut. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menentukan adanya pengaruh tingkat kebisingan, beban kerja fisik dan faktor individu (usia, masa kerja, pengetahuan dan kepribadian) terhadap perilaku keselamatan serta menentukan pengendalian terhadap variabel yang berpengaruh. Pengambilan data tingkat kebisingan berdasarkan data sekunder perusahaan, beban kerja fisik menggunakan perhitungan kebutuhan kalori, faktor individu menggunakan kuesioner berdasarkan instruksi kerja dan big five inventory serta data perilaku keselamatan berdasarkan observasi sebanyak 20 kali. Pengambilan data dilakukan terhadap 48 sampel operator filling pouch. Analisis data penelitian menggunakan Regresi Logistic Biner. Hasil dari penelitian menunjukkan variabel usia, masa kerja, kepribadian conscientiousness, dan kepribadian extraversion berpengaruh terhadap perilaku keselamatan. Rekomendasi yang diberikan yaitu pemberian sekat pembatas antara pekerja dan mesin, pengurangan jam kerja, melakukan perpindahan pekerja di area dengan tingkat kebisingan dibawah NAB, mempersiapkan program behavior based on safety dan melakukan tes kepribadian sebelum melakukan recruitment.
 
 Kata kunci: Perilaku keselamatan, Tingkat kebisingan, Beban kerja fisik, Faktor individu

The influence of occupational class and physical workload on working life expectancy among older employees.

Objective:This study investigates the impact of physical workload factors and occupational class on working life expectancy (WLE) and working years lost (WYL) in a sample of older Finnish workers.Methods:A 70% random sample of Finns in 2004 was linked to a job exposure matrix for physical workload factors and register information on occupational class and labor market status until 2014. Transitions between being at work, time-restricted work disability, unemployment, economic inactivity, disability retirement, retirement and death were estimated. A multistate Cox regression model with transition-specific covariates was used to estimate the WLE and WYL at age 50 up to 63 years for each occupational class and physical workload factor for men and women (N=415 105).Results:At age 50, male and female manual workers had a WLE of 10.13 and 10.14 years, respectively. Among both genders, manual workers had one year shorter WLE at age 50 than upper non-manual employees. This difference was largely attributable to unemployment (men: 0.60, women: 0.66 years) and disability retirement (men: 0.28, women: 0.29 years). Self-employed persons had the highest WLE (11.08 years). Men and women exposed to four or five physical workload factors had about one year lower WLE than non-exposed workers. The difference was primarily attributable to ill-health-related reasons, including disability retirement (men: 0.45 years, women: 0.53 years) and time-restricted work disability (men: 0.23, women: 0.33 years).Conclusions:Manual workers and those exposed to physical workload factors had the lowest WLE. The differences in WYL between exposure groups can primarily be explained by ill-health-based exit routes.

To what extent is severe osteoarthritis preventable? Occupational and non-occupational risk factors for knee and hip osteoarthritis.

To explore the relative contribution of cumulative physical workload, sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, as well as prior injury to hospitalization due to knee and hip OA. We examined a nationally representative sample of persons aged 30-59 years, who participated in a comprehensive health examination (the Health 2000 Study). A total of 4642 participants were followed from mid-2000 to end-2015 for the first hospitalization due to knee or hip OA using the National Hospital Discharge Register. We examined the association of possible risk factors with the outcome using a competing risk regression model (death was treated as competing risk) and calculated population attributable fractions for statistically significant risk factors. Baseline age and BMI as well as injury were associated with the risk of first hospitalization due to knee and hip OA. Composite cumulative workload was associated with a dose-response pattern with hospitalizations due to knee OA and with hospitalizations due to hip OA at a younger age only. Altogether, prior injury, high BMI and intermediate to high composite cumulative workload accounted for 70% of hospitalizations due to knee OA. High BMI alone accounted for 61% and prior injury only for 6% of hospitalizations due to hip OA. Our results suggest that overweight/obesity, prior injury and cumulative physical workload are the most important modifiable risk factors that need to be targeted in the prevention of knee OA leading to hospitalization. A substantial proportion of hospitalizations due to hip OA can be reduced by controlling excess body weight.

Occupational differences in disability retirement due to a shoulder lesion: do work-related factors matter?

ObjectiveTo identify occupations with a high risk of disability retirement due to a shoulder lesion and to examine the effect of physical and psychosocial work-related factors on occupational differences in disability retirement.MethodsWe followed Finnish wage earners aged 30–59 years (n = 1,135,654) from 2005 to 2014 for full disability retirement due to a shoulder lesion. The work-related exposures were assessed with job exposure matrices. We calculated age-adjusted incidence rates and hazard ratios to test for the association between occupation and disability retirement due to a shoulder lesion. We also examined the contribution of work-related exposures to the excess risk of disability retirement.ResultsAs compared to professionals, the age-adjusted risk of disability retirement was increased among men in all occupational groups except managers and customer service clerks and among women in several occupational groups. Adjustment for education attenuated the occupational differences considerably, particularly among women. The physical work-related factors fully explained the excess risk of disability retirement due to a shoulder lesion among male finance and sales associate professionals and administrative secretaries as well as among agricultural and fishery workers. In women, the physical work-related factors fully explained the excess risk among construction workers, electricians and plumbers. For both genders, the contribution of psychosocial factors to excess risk of disability retirement was modest and seen for monotonous work only.ConclusionsA reduction of the level of physical work load factors as well as monotonousness of work has a potential to prevent work disability due to a shoulder lesion.

Occupational and non-occupational risk factors of sickness absence due to a shoulder lesion

ObjectivesTo determine the associations of lifestyle factors and cumulative physical workload exposures with sickness absence (SA) due to a shoulder lesion and to calculate their population attributable fractions (PAF).MethodsOur nationally...

Favourable changes in physical working conditions and the risk of all-cause sickness absence: a pseudo-experiment.

We determined whether favourable changes in physical workload and environmental factors reduce sickness absence (SA) days using observational cohort data as a pseudo-experiment. The data from the Finnish Helsinki Health Study included three cohorts of employees of the City of Helsinki [2000/2002-07 (N = 2927), 2007-12 (N = 1686) and 2012-17 (N = 1118), altogether 5731 observations]. First, we estimated the propensity score of favourable changes (reduction in exposures) in physical workload and environmental factors during each 5-year follow-up period on the baseline survey characteristics using logistic regression. Second, we created and stabilized inverse probability of treatment weights for each participant using the propensity scores. Lastly, we used generalized linear model and fitted negative binomial regression models for over-dispersed count data to estimate whether the favourable changes decrease the risk of short-term (1-3 days), intermediate-term (4-14 days) and long-term (>14 days) SA using employer's register data. During a 5-year follow-up, 11% of the participants had favourable changes in physical workload factors, 13% in environmental factors and 8% in both factors. The incidence of short-term, intermediate-term and long-term SA were lower in employees with favourable workplace changes compared with those without such changes. The reductions were largest for long-term SA. Reporting favourable changes in both workload and environmental factors reduced the number of SA days by 41% within 1 year after the changes and by 32% within 2 years after the changes. This pseudo-experimental study suggests that improving physical working conditions reduces SA.

Physical and psychosocial work exposures as risk factors for disability retirement due to a shoulder lesion

ObjectiveTo assess the longitudinal associations of physical and psychosocial exposures with disability retirement due to a shoulder lesion.MethodsIn a nationwide register-based study, we followed 1 135 654 wage earners aged...

Risk and Prognostic Factors of Low Back Pain: Repeated Population-based Cohort Study in Sweden.

Prospective longitudinal cohort study. To determine the associations for workload and health-related factors with incident and recurrent low back pain (LBP), and to determine the mediating role of health-related factors in associations between physical workload factors and incident LBP. It is not known whether the risk factors for the development of LBP are also prognostic factors for recurrence of LBP and whether the associations between physical workload and incident LBP are mediated by health-related factors. We used data from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health study. Those responding to any two subsequent surveys in 2010 to 2016 were included for the main analyses (N = 17,962). Information on occupational lifting, working in twisted positions, weight/height, smoking, physical activity, depressive symptoms, and sleep problems were self-reported. Incident LBP was defined as pain limiting daily activities in the preceding three months in participants free from LBP at baseline. Recurrent LBP was defined as having LBP both at baseline and follow-up. For the mediation analyses, those responding to three subsequent surveys were included (N = 3516). Main associations were determined using generalized estimating equation models for repeated measures data. Mediation was examined with counterfactual mediation analysis. All risk factors at baseline but smoking and physical activity were associated with incident LBP after adjustment for confounders. The strongest associations were observed for working in twisted positions (risk ratio = 1.52, 95% CI 1.37, 1.70) and occupational lifting (risk ratio = 1.52, 95% CI 1.32, 1.74). These associations were not mediated by health-related factors. The studied factors did not have meaningful effects on recurrent LBP. The findings suggest that workload and health-related factors have stronger effects on the development than on the recurrence or progression of LBP, and that health-related factors do not mediate associations between workload factors and incident LBP. 3.

Variation in menarcheal age of school-aged female athletes engaged in different types of sport

It is widely known from the literature that the rate of physical development and sexual maturation is not only determined by genetics but is also modified by physical workload factors. Given the above, this paper aimed at comparing menarcheal age of school-aged athletes engaged in different types of sport (and their respective workloads) after controlling for physical traits such as body height and mass and slenderness ratio. The survey was conducted in 2017 in 6 sports schools in Poland’s Lubuskie Voivodeship. Body height and mass were measured and the slenderness index (body height divided by the cubic root of body weight) was used to establish body build. The age of menarche was self-reported by the study participants. In total, 232 girls aged 9–18 were included in the research, of whom 125 reported their age of menarche. The age-adjusted arithmetic means and standard deviations were calculated for the study participants’ estimates. The raw data were then transformed into standardized z-score values. The significance of differences was assessed by Mann-Whitney U test as an alternative to the t-test when a given variable was not normally distributed. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to evaluate linear relations between the workload and age at menarche. It was found that dancers, acrobats and swimmers reported the youngest menarcheal ages. Girls practising most demanding sport disciplines (in terms of strength and endurance) reported the oldest age at menarche. Girls practising more than 3 times per week had menarche later than those practising 3 times a week or less, and the difference was statistically significant. In conclusion it might be stated that the type of sport discipline has a significant effect on age of menarche. Sport disciplines involving heavier physical exertion usually delay the onset of menstruation.

Work-Related Exposures and Sickness Absence Trajectories: A Nationally Representative Follow-up Study among Finnish Working-Aged People.

The contribution of physically demanding work to the developmental trajectories of sickness absence (SA) has seldom been examined. We analyzed the associations of 12 physical work exposures, individually and in combination, with SA trajectories among the occupationally active in the Finnish nationally representative Health 2000 survey. We included 3814 participants aged 30–59 years at baseline, when exposure history to work-related factors was reported. The survey and interview responses were linked with the annual number of medically confirmed SA spells through 2002–2008 from national registries. Trajectory analyses identified three SA subgroups: 1 = low (54.6%), 2 = slowly increasing (33.7%), and 3 = high (11.7%). After adjustments, sitting or use of keyboard >1 year was inversely associated with the high SA trajectory (odds ratio, OR, 0.57; 95% 95% confidence interval, CI, 0.43–0.77). The odds of belonging to the trajectory of high SA increased with an increasing number of risk factors, and was highest for those with ≥4 physical workload factors (OR 2.71; 95% CI 1.99–3.69). In conclusion, these findings highlight the need to find ways to better maintain the work ability of those in physically loading work, particularly when there occurs exposure to several workload factors.

Risk Factors for Low Back Pain: A Population‐Based Longitudinal Study

To identify risk factors for low back pain (LBP) and lumbar radicular pain and to assess whether obesity and exposure to workload factors modify the effect of leisure-time physical activity on LBP and lumbar radicular pain. The population of this 11-year longitudinal study consists of a nationally representative sample of Finns ages ≥30 years (n = 3,505). The outcomes of the study were LBP and lumbar radicular pain for >7 days or for >30 days in the past 12 months at follow-up. LBP and lumbar radicular pain were more common in women than in men. LBP slightly declined with increasing age, while lumbar radicular pain increased with age. Abdominal obesity (defined by waist circumference) increased the risk of LBP (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.40 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.16-1.68] for LBP >7 days and adjusted OR 1.41 [95% CI 1.13-1.76] for LBP >30 days) and general obesity (defined by body mass index) increased the risk of lumbar radicular pain (adjusted OR 1.44 [95% CI 1.12-1.85] for pain >7 days and adjusted OR 1.62 [95% CI 1.16-2.26] for pain >30 days). Smoking and strenuous physical work increased the risk of both LBP and lumbar radicular pain. Walking or cycling to work reduced the risk of LBP, particularly LBP for >30 days (adjusted OR 0.75 [95% CI 0.59-0.95]), with the largest reductions among nonabdominally obese individuals and among those not exposed to physical workload factors. Using vibrating tools increased the risk of lumbar radicular pain. Lifestyle and physical workload factors increase the risk of LBP and lumbar radicular pain. Walking and cycling may have preventive potential for LBP.

To what extent do education and physical work load factors explain occupational differences in disability retirement due to knee OA? A nationwide register-based study in Finland

ObjectivesTo examine the association of education and physical work load factors on the occupational differences in disability retirement due to knee osteoarthritis (OA).DesignLongitudinal study.SettingLinkage of several nationwide registers and a...

Occupation, Physical Workload Factors, and Disability Retirement as a Result of Hip Osteoarthritis in Finland, 2005-2013.

To identify occupations with a high risk of disability retirement as a result of hip osteoarthritis (OA), and to examine the effect of physical workload factors on the occupational differences in disability retirement. A total of 1,135,654 (49.4% women) Finns aged 30-60 years in gainful employment were followed from 2005 to 2013 for full disability retirement as a result of hip OA. Information on pensions, occupation, and education were obtained from national registers. Physical workload was assessed by a sex-specific job exposure matrix. We calculated age-adjusted incidence rates and examined the associations of occupation, education, and physical workload factors with disability retirement using a competing risk regression model. Age-adjusted incidence rate was 25 and 22 per 100,000 person-years in men and women, respectively. Both men and women working in lower-level nonmanual and manual occupations had an elevated age-adjusted risk of disability retirement as a result of hip OA. A very high risk of disability retirement was found among male construction workers, electricians, and plumbers (HR 12.7, 95% CI 8.4-19.7), and female professional drivers (HR 15.2, 95% CI 7.5-30.8) as compared with professionals. After adjustment for age and education, the observed occupational differences in disability retirement were largely explained by physical workload factors among men and to a smaller extent, among women. Our results suggest that education and physical workload factors appear to be the major reasons for excess disability retirement as a result of hip OA in manual occupations, particularly among men.

Prevalence and predictors for musculoskeletal discomfort in Malaysian office workers: Investigating explanatory factors for a developing country

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a major occupational health issue for workers in developed and developing countries, including Malaysia. Most research related to MSDs has been undertaken in developed countries; given the different regulatory and cultural practices it is plausible that contributions of hazard and risk factors may be different. A population of Malaysian public service office workers were surveyed (N = 417, 65.5% response rate) to determine prevalence and associated predictors of MSD discomfort. The 6-month period prevalence of MSD discomfort was 92.8% (95%CI = 90.2–95.2%). Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) analyses was used to compare a range of models and determine a model of best fit. Contributions associated with MSD discomfort in the final model consisted of physical demands (61%), workload (14%), gender (13%), work-home balance (9%) and psychosocial factors (3%). Factors associated with MSD discomfort were similar in developed and developing countries but the relative contribution of factors was different, providing insight into future development of risk management strategies.

The effect of excess body mass on the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome: a meta-analysis of 58 studies.

We aimed to estimate the effects of overweight and obesity on carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), and to assess whether sex modifies the associations. Literature searches were conducted in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar and ResearchGate databases from 1953 to February 2015. Fifty-eight studies consisting of 1,379,372 individuals qualified for a meta-analysis. We used a random-effects meta-analysis, assessed heterogeneity and publication bias, and performed sensitivity analyses. Overweight increased the risk of CTS or carpal tunnel release 1.5-fold (pooled confounder-adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.47, 95% CI 1.37-1.57, N = 1,279,546) and obesity twofold (adjusted OR = 2.02, 95% CI 1.92-2.13, N = 1,362,207). Each one-unit increase in body mass index increased the risk of CTS by 7.4% (adjusted OR = 1.074, 95% CI 1.071-1.077, N = 1,258,578). Overweight and obesity had stronger effects on carpal tunnel release than CTS. The associations did not differ between men and women, and they were independent of study design. Moreover, the associations were not due to bias or confounding. Excess body mass markedly increases the risk of CTS. As the prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing globally, overweight-related CTS is expected to increase. Future studies should investigate whether a square-shaped wrist and exposure to physical workload factors potentiate the adverse effect of obesity on the median nerve.

Abstinence and current or former alcohol use as predictors of disability retirement in Finland.

According to previous studies, abstinence from alcohol increases the risk of disability retirement (DR). We studied whether former alcohol users' poor mental or physical health might have contributed to this result. Prospective population-based study of 3621 occupationally active Finns aged 30-55 years at baseline. Disability pension data for 2000-2011 was retrieved from national pension records. We examined medically certified disability retirement due to all causes and due to mental disorders among lifelong abstainers, former drinkers, those with an alcohol use disorder irrespective of consumption and current users, further classified according to weekly intake of alcohol. Chronic somatic diseases were evaluated in a clinical examination and common mental and alcohol use disorders using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Cox regression was used. Neither lifelong abstinence nor alcohol consumption, even at hazardous levels, without alcohol use disorder was associated with disability retirement. Compared with light drinkers, former drinkers' hazard ratio for DR due to mental disorders was 2.67 (95% CI 1.39-5.13), allowing for somatic and mental morbidity, physical and psychosocial workload, health behaviour and socio-demographic factors. The respective hazard ratio of DR due to all causes for those with alcohol use disorder was 2.17 (1.49-3.16) and of DR due to mental disorders 4.04 (2.02 to 8.06). Lifelong abstinence did not predict disability retirement. Former drinkers and people with alcohol use disorders were at a multi-fold risk of work disability due to mental disorders compared with light drinkers, thus it is important to support their work ability.

Musculoskeletal complaints among central sterile supply technicians in relation to physical and psychosocial factors at work

Objective: The objective was to examine the prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints (MSCs) among central sterile supply technicians (CSSTs) in relation to their physical workload and psychosocial factors at work. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2013 among 64 CSSTs working in the central sterile supply department of a tertiary care hospital in Saudi Arabia. A questionnaire was used to collect data on demographic characteristics, physical workload, and psychosocial factors at work. Furthermore, a Nordic Questionnaire was used to examine the prevalence of MSCs among the participants. Results: The study showed that the overall 1-year prevalence of MSCs at anybody site of the participants was 43.8%. The reported MSCs were mostly related to the low back (28.1%), followed by wrists/hands (23.4%) and shoulders (21.9%). Age, gender, and BMI were not associated with MSCs. Work requiring exertion of arms/hands, and working in awkward postures were the only physical work factors that were significantly (P < 0.05) higher among CSSTs who had MSCs (89.3%, 57.1%, respectively) compared to CSSTs who had not (69.4%, 30.6%, respectively). Psychosocial factors at work did not show a significant difference between CSSTs who had MSCs and those who had not. Conclusion: 43.8% of the CSSTs reported 1-year prevalence of MSCs affecting mostly low back, wrists/hands, and shoulders. Ergonomic assessment and preventive intervention should be conducted to prevent the incidence of MSCs among CSSTs through controlling both physical and psychosocial risk factors at their workplace.