The Effectiveness of Ergonomic Interventions in Material Handling Operations

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bertke SJ ; Lampl MP ; Tseng C-Y ; Wurzelbacher, Steven J.
• Description:
  This study evaluated the effectiveness of ergonomic interventions in material handling operations involving 33 employers and 535 employees from 2012 to 2017. Outcomes included employee-reported low back/upper extremity pain and safety incidents at baseline, every three months, and annually for up to two years. A total of 32.5% of employees completed at least one survey, while 13.6% completed all nine surveys over two years. Among highly exposed employees (who reported handling ≥ 50 lbs. > 33% of the time), upper extremity pain frequency and severity were lower among those who reported using the intervention routinely versus those that reported using their body strength alone to handle objects ≥ 50 lbs. After excluding from analyses one employer that used anti-fatigue mats, low back pain frequency was also significantly lower among highly exposed intervention users. In conclusion, there was some evidence that the interventions were effective in reducing employee-reported pain for highly exposed employees. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Ergonomics Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Intervention Effectiveness Lifting Low Back Pain Materials Handling MSD Musculoskeletal Disorders Upper Extremities
• ISSN:
  0003-6870
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  87
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20060077
• Citation:
  Appl Ergon 2020 Sep; 87:103139
• Contact Point Address:
  Steven J. Wurzelbacher, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1090 Tusculum Ave, MS R-14, Cincinnati, OH, 45226-1998
• Email:
  Srw3@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2020
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Applied Ergonomics
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:53986e001b34f88a10e2b3acd7d4d49569e4eeb8b30bf0ab64a005770324f2cf95ef5487b7cb589714001080c16675b58d8c4e76a826b3e1c4609b5a94f99763
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/224105/cdc_224105_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 638.79 KB ]