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Reducing musculoskeletal burden through ergonomic program implementation in a large newspaper

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Abstract

Objectives: To assess the impact of a workplace ergonomic program to reduce musculoskeletal burden among newspaper employees and to understand relationships among participation, risk factor changes and health status within an employee cohort. Methods: We conducted repeat cross-sectional surveys, with 1,003 employees from all major departments in 1996 and 813 in 2001, generating a cohort of 433 participants in both surveys. Elements of the ergonomic program included employee RSI (repetitive strain injury) training, pro-active assessment of workstations and workstation modifications, and encouragement of early treatment through on-site physiotherapy. Potential risk factors included biomechanical and work organizational aspects of office work. Health status measures included pain intensity and the Work-Disability of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH). Repeat cross-sectional analyses incorporated modifications for shared variance. For the cohort, a theory of change informed path analyses using MPLUS. Results: Among respondents in 2001, 69% reported participation in RSI training and 56% had workstation assessments. Among those with pain, 57% had consulted a health practitioner, including the on-site physiotherapist. In repeat cross-sectional analyses, the proportion reporting moderate pain or worse, at least once per month or for longer than 1 week, declined from 20 to 16% (p=0.01). Among the cohort, pain intensity and work disability in 1996 were the strongest predictors of 2001 health status (both p<0.001). Stable or increased supervisor awareness and concern about RSI was associated with decreased pain in 2001(p<0.01). Participation in RSI training was associated with increases in decision latitude (p<0.05), which themselves were associated with decreased work disability in 2001 (p<0.05). Increased time mousing was associated with increases in work disability (p<0.05). Conclusions: Implementation of a worksite ergonomics program was associated with a reduction in frequent and severe pain in the workforce. Changes in work disability were affected by multiple factors.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge contributions by: consultant Ben Amick and other members of the Worksite Upper Extremity Group at the Institute for Work & Health (Dorcas Beaton, Carol Kennedy, Hyunmi Lee, Anne Moore, Michael Polanyi, Harry Shannon, Peter Subrata, Michael Swift, Dwayne van Eerd); labor and management members of the Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) Committee at the workplace; and participants in the study. The Institute for Work & Health, an independent not-for-profit research organization, sponsored the study and in turn receives support from the Ontario Workplace Safety & Insurance Board. Specific funding for the evaluation was provided by the RSI Committee and the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health/National Institutes of Health under Research Grant #5 R01 OH003708-03. None of the authors has ongoing relationships with either the union or company involved.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Work and Health, 481 University Avenue, Suite 800, M5G 2E9, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Donald C. Cole, Sheilah Hogg-Johnson, Selahadin Ibrahim & Sue E. Ferrier

  2. Department of Public Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Health Sciences Building, 6th floor, Room 676, 155 College Street, M5T 3M7, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Donald C. Cole, Michael Manno & Selahadin Ibrahim

  3. Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo, N2L 3G1, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    Richard P. Wells

  4. St. Michael’s Hospitals, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Michael Manno

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  1. Donald C. Cole
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The Worksite Upper Extremity Research Group

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Correspondence to Donald C. Cole.

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Cole, D.C., Hogg-Johnson, S., Manno, M. et al. Reducing musculoskeletal burden through ergonomic program implementation in a large newspaper. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 80, 98–108 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-006-0107-6

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