Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Prevalence: An Evaluation of Workers at a Raw Poultry Processing Plant

Details

• Personal Author:
  Musolin KM ; Ramsey JG
• Description:
  Objectives: Evaluate the prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) among workers at a raw poultry processing plant and categorize jobs on the basis of hand activity and force. Methods: A cross-sectional survey among 191 workers assessed CTS defined by self-reported CTS symptoms, a hand symptom diagram, and measurements of nerve conduction parameters. We categorized jobs based on American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists' (ACGIH) limits for hand activity and force, and examined the relationships with CTS occurrence. Results: A total of 64 workers (34%) had CTS after adjusting for non-occupational factors. Overall, 81% of jobs were above the ACGIH action limit; 59% were above the ACGIH threshold limit value. CTS prevalence did not differ significantly between exposure groups (PR = 0.82, p = 0.35). Conclusions: These findings suggest that poultry processing jobs continue to be hazardous with workers at risk for CTS. Recommendations for the study population were provided to reduce exposure and CTS risk among workers. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Ergonomics Food Handling Food Industry Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Cross Sectional Studies Hand Activity Level Hand Injuries Musculoskeletal System Disorders Nerve Conduction Study Nerve Function Poultry Processing Poultry Workers Repetitive Work

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• ISSN:
  1077-3525
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• 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:
  282-290
• Volume:
  23
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20051679
• Citation:
  Int J Occup Environ Health 2017 Oct; 23(4):282-290
• Contact Point Address:
  Kristin M. Musolin, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH, USA
• Email:
  jwy1@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• NORA Priority Area:
  Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ccf7fab7a1f3be789f5b186d62cadcfd11e0ba9715a063098ec0e6ee4aa557139e83d458893da5a8f10a6b2cd4d63e31decc66232309819fe70270824d8f3b59
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/211504/cdc_211504_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.09 MB ]