1st Place, PREMUS best paper competition: workplace and individual factors in wrist tendinosis among blue-collar workers - the San Francisco study

Details

• Personal Author:
  Eisen EA ; Goldberg R ; Harris C ; Krause N ; Rempel D
• Description:
  Objective Workplace studies have linked hand/wrist tendinosis to forceful and repetitive hand exertions, but the associations are not consistent. We report findings from a prospective study of right wrist tendinosis among blue-collar workers. Methods Workers (N=413) at four industries were followed for 28 months with questionnaires and physical examinations every 4 months to identify incident cases of right wrist tendinosis. Exposure assessment of force and repetition were based on field measurements and video analysis to determine repetition rate and the percent time (% time) in heavy pinch (>1 kg-force) or power grip (>4 kg-force). All exposure variables were measured at the level of the individual and task. For workers responsible for >1 task, a time-weighted average exposure was calculated based on task hours per week. A proportional hazards model was used to assess the relationship between exposures and incidence of wrist tendinosis. Results During the 481 person-years of follow-up, there were 26 incident cases of right wrist tendinosis [incidence rate (IR) 5.40 cases per 100 person-years]. Adjusting for age, gender, and repetition, wrist tendinosis was associated with % time spent in heavy pinch [hazard ratio (HR) 5.01, 95% CI 1.27 - 19.79]. Composite exposure measure American Conference of Industrial Hygienists Threshold Limit Value (ACGIH-TLV) for hand activity level (HR 3.95, 95% CI 1.52-10.26) was also associated with the outcome for the medium-exposure group using video-based total repetition rate. Conclusions The workplace factors predicting wrist tendinosis were time-weighted average values of % time spent in heavy pinch and the ACGIH-TLV for Hand Activity Level. The % time spent in power grip was not a significant predictor, nor were any measures of repetition. An exposure-response relationship was observed for the % time spent in heavy pinch. These findings may improve programs for preventing occupational wrist tendinosis. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Men Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Surveys And Questionnaires Women Workload
• Keywords:
  Analytical-processes Author Keywords: Exposure-response Exposure-levels Force Hand-injuries Humans MSD Musculoskeletal-system Musculoskeletal-system-disorders Musculoskeletal Disorder Occupational Prospective Study Questionnaires Repetition Repetitive-work Risk-factors Upper Extremity Work-capacity Workers

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• ISSN:
  0355-3140
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  85-98
• Volume:
  37
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20042999
• Citation:
  Scand J Work Environ Health 2011 Mar; 37(2):85-98
• Contact Point Address:
  David Rempel, MD MPH. 1301 South 46th Street Bldg 163 Richmond, CA, 94804
• Email:
  david.rempel@ucsf.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2011
• Performing Organization:
  University of California-San Francisco
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20090901
• Source Full Name:
  Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health
• End Date:
  20130831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c3c7984647511f7ab4d11c46fd9418f86033547629f62bfed57d9d1cbb81caed04320e4a99f65459d4e5bf3ee27c0583255ebe563928b04a1068f5969d11942a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/195040/cdc_195040_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 405.45 KB ]