Report Says Back Injuries #1 Work Injury

A report, released in the final week of the Clinton administration, focused new attention on so-called ergonomics rules issued last fall that industry has pledged to overturn and Bush aides have said may face review by the new administration.

The head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration called the academy study a "validation" of the new rules, but industry groups urged a delay in enforcement to allow for further study.

The rules in dispute take effect in October and are intended to prevent injuries.

Business had sworn to overturn them in Congress or the courts, charging that they are ill-conceived and overly costly.

Overall, the new study found that back pain made up the overwhelming share of workplace problems, along with muscle and bone disorders and wrist injuries, including carpal tunnel syndrome. It estimated that these maladies cost the country $45 billion to $54 billion annually in compensation, lost wages and lowered productivity.

Back disorders were related to jobs that involved heavy lifting, those in which workers have to twist or turn their bodies from side to side and those in which they experience whole-body vibration.

But, the study added, back pain also occurred in jobs where workers faced a rapid work pace, monotonous work, low job satisfaction, little decision-making power and high levels of stress. Repetitive motion, force and vibration were the primary risk factors in shoulder, arm and wrist injuries.

For muscle and bone disorders, the men at greatest risk were carpenters, construction laborers and operators of industrial machinery. Among women, it was nurses and nursing support, domestic and commercial cleaning and janitorial work.

The report said that programs can be developed to reduce these injuries, but must be tailored to specific workplaces.

Reference Source 89

For more information on how to prevent obesity or diabetes, use
PreventDisease.com's "Quick Prevention Resources".