Assessment of physical work load in epidemiologic studies: concepts, issues and operational considerations

Ergonomic epidemiology is a rapidly increasing field of research providing data on the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders and possible risk factors. The present paper states, on the basis of a literature overview, that physical work load (mechanical exposure) is poorly denned and measured in mo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ergonomics 1994-06, Vol.37 (6), p.979-988
Main Authors: WINKEL, JØRGEN, MATHIASSEN, SVEND ERIK
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Epidemiologic Methods
Epidemiology
Ergonomics
Ergonomics - statistics & numerical data
Humans
Medical disorders
Muscular system
Musculoskeletal
Musculoskeletal Diseases - epidemiology
Musculoskeletal Diseases - etiology
Musculoskeletal Diseases - prevention & control
Occupational Diseases - epidemiology
Occupational Diseases - etiology
Occupational Diseases - prevention & control
Occupational Exposure
Physical work load
Predictive Value of Tests
Review
Risk Factors
Skeletal system
Terminology
Workload - statistics & numerical data
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Summary:Ergonomic epidemiology is a rapidly increasing field of research providing data on the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders and possible risk factors. The present paper states, on the basis of a literature overview, that physical work load (mechanical exposure) is poorly denned and measured in most studies on ergonomic epidemiology. On this background the paper: (1) suggests adjustments of mechanical exposure concepts and terminology; (2) concludes that invalid exposure assessment may, to a large extent, explain the lack of quantitative data on relationships between mechanical exposures and musculoskeletal disorders; and (3) suggests some guidelines for future quantitative assessments of mechanical exposure in large populations.
ISSN:0014-0139
1366-5847
DOI:10.1080/00140139408963711