Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA 99-0093-2749: University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, St. Peter’s University Hospital, Piscataway, New Jersey

Details

• Personal Author:
  Baron, Sherry L. ; Habes, Daniel J.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  On February 1, 1999, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) received a request from the Safety Manager of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey for a health hazard evaluation (HHE). The request stated that ultrasound technologists at one of the University's antenatal testing units were experiencing neck, shoulder, and arm pain from performing trans-abdominal and trans-vaginal sonograms on pregnant women. On March 9-11, 1999, NIOSH representatives conducted a site visit at St. Peter's University Hospital, where the antenatal unit is located. The investigation included videotape analysis of several ultrasound procedures and distribution of a musculoskeletal disorder symptom questionnaire/body map to the ultrasound technologists. Physical stresses associated with the performance of trans-abdominal and trans-vaginal sonograms included awkward postures of the shoulder and wrist, long reaches, sustained static forces, and pinch grips. Many of the factors associated with physical stress to the workers were related to the design and lack of adjustability of workstation components and equipment. The hospital employee health staff had previously conducted a thorough examination of the musculoskeletal health status of the sonographers prior to the NIOSH evaluation, which had documented shoulder and hand disorders. Body map discomfort diagrams were received from six ultra sonographers present during the NIOSH site visit
  
  five out of six reported some neck or right shoulder and arm discomfort.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Awkward-postures Awkward Postures Hazard-Confirmed Hospitals Repetitive-Motion-disorders Repetitive Motion Disorders Sonography Static-forces Static Forces Trans-abdominal And Trans-vaginal Ultrasounds Ultrasounds

  More +
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA9900932749
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  New Jersey ; OSHA Region 2
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  15 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Blythe, Ellen E. ; Moore, Elaine
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20000579
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2000-107830
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HETA 99-0093-2749, 1999 Aug ; :1-14
• Editor(s):
  Arthur, Penny
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1999
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  8062 - General medical & surgical hospitals - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f85d38a930060fe5fedef93349bc335104a12e931feef223b003404bfbc16956ed5beef4fd51ecc249ecc8a1b94025296f0dac58aba5ad427bc669bcf9bd0586
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/170992/cdc_170992_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 203.91 KB ]