Workers' compensation claims for musculoskeletal disorders and injuries of the upper extremity and knee among union carpenters in Washington state, 1989-2008

Details

• Personal Author:
  Adams D ; Cameron W ; Kucera KL ; Lipscomb HJ ; Schoenfisch AL ; Silverstein BA
• Description:
  Background: Numerous aspects of construction place workers at risk of musculoskeletal disorders and injuries (MSDIs). Work organization and the nature of MSDIs create surveillance challenges. Methods: By linking union records with workers' compensation claims, we examined 20-year patterns of MSDIs involving the upper extremity (UE) and the knee among a large carpenter cohort. Results: MSDIs were common and accounted for a disproportionate share of paid lost work time (PLT) claims; UE MSDIs were three times more common than those of the knee. Rates declined markedly over time and were most pronounced for MSDIs of the knee with PLT. Patterns of risk varied by extremity, as well as by age, gender, union tenure, and predominant work. Carpenters in drywall installation accounted for the greatest public health burden. Conclusions A combination of factors likely account for the patterns observed over time and across worker characteristics. Drywall installers are an intervention priority. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Construction Industry Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety Workplace
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Work-related Carpenters Cohort Studies Construction Construction-industry Construction-workers Construction Workers Extremities Injury Surveillance Knee-disorders Knee-injuries Longitudinal Analyses Musculoskeletal-system Musculoskeletal-system-disorders Musculoskeletal Disorders Surveillance-programs Work-capability Work-environment Workers Workers' Compensation

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• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  North Carolina ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 4 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  428-436
• Volume:
  58
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20045968
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2015 Apr; 58(4):428-436
• Contact Point Address:
  Hester J. Lipscomb, PhD, Box 3834, Duke University Medical Center Durham, NC 27710
• Email:
  Hester.lipscomb@duke.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• Performing Organization:
  Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20090901
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  20150131
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b593cd0bee52d50c7702b6b7fd8cd7b2d09169a70a3e8509de09d8cef1e3b8341f60a130ce7ec40e41c8d348dfbc8c98a2ca49a5e218a63861d5ea5d7540da67
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/201174/cdc_201174_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 560.87 KB ]