Influence of brick laying height on biomechanical load in masons: Cross-sectional field study with technical measurements.

BACKGROUND: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) located in the low back and neck/shoulder regions are major concerns for both workers, workplaces, and society. Masons are prone to WMSD, because their work is characterized by repetitive work and high physical workload. However, the knowledge on the physical workload during bricklaying is primarily based on subjective measurements. OBJECTIVE: This cross-sectional field study with technical measurements aimed to quantify physical workload in terms of muscular activity and degree of forward bending during bricklaying at different working heights among masons, i.e., knee, hip, shoulder, and above shoulder height. METHODS: Twelve male (36.1±16.1 years) experienced masons participated in a cross-sectional field study with technical measurements. Surface electromyography from erector spinae longissimus and upper trapezius muscles and an inertial measurement unit-sensor placed on the upper back were used to assess the physical workload (level of muscle activation and degree of forward bending) different bricklaying heights. Manual video analysis was used to determine duration of work tasks, frequency, type, and working height. The working heights were categorized as 'knee', 'hip', 'shoulder', and 'above shoulder'. The 95 percentiles of the normalized Root Mean Square (RMSn) values were extracted assess from erector spinae and trapezius recordings to assess strenuous level muscle of muscle activation. RESULTS: The RMSn of dominant erector spinae muscle increased from hip- to shoulder height (from 26.6 to 29.6, P <  0.0001), but not from hip to above shoulder height and decreased from hip to knee height (from 26.6 to 18.9, P <  0.0001). For the dominant trapezius muscle, the RMSn increased from hip- to shoulder- and above shoulder height (from 13.9 to 19.7 and 24.0, respectively, P <  0.0001) but decreased from hip- to knee height (from 13.9 to 11.5, P <  0.0001). Compared to hip height (27.9°), an increased forward bending was detected during bricklaying at knee height (34.5°, P <  0.0001) and a decreased degree of forward bending at shoulder- and above shoulder height (17.6° and 12.5°, P <  0.0001, respectively). CONCLUSION: Based on technical measurements, bricklaying at hip height showed the best compromise between muscular load and degree of forward bending. This study contributes to the development of the work environment for masons and can help guide preventive initiatives to reduce physical workload.

New Technology and Loss of Paid Employment among Older Workers: Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: This study investigates the association between the implementation of new technology in the workplace and the subsequent loss of paid employment among older workers. METHODS: We estimated the prospective risk of loss of paid employment (register-based) from questions on new technology among 10,320 older workers (≥50 years). To investigate potential differences between work types, analyses were stratified by job function: (1) work with symbols (office, administration, analysis, IT), (2) work with people (people, service, care), (3) work in the field of production (processing, producing or moving things). RESULTS: The introduction of new technology at the workplace reduced the risk of losing paid employment among older workers working with symbols (risk ratio [RR] 0.74, 95% CI 0.72-0.76) and in the field of production (RR 0.83, 95% CI 0.80-0.85), whereas new technology increased this risk among those working with people (RR 1.22, 95% CI 1.19-1.26). Being involved in the introduction of new technology and receiving adequate training in its use decreased the risk of loss of paid employment. CONCLUSIONS: Depending on the context, the introduction of new technology at work associates positively as well as negatively with future labour market participation among older workers. Worker involvement and adequate training in the use of new technology seem to be important for retaining workers in the labour market.

The Hierarchy of Controls as an Approach to Visualize the Impact of Occupational Safety and Health Coordination.

Occupational safety and health (OSH) in construction work continues to be a problematic issue, and OSH coordinators are a pivotal initiative for improving this in the EU. However, no studies on the impact of (OSH) coordinators in construction exists. This study conceptualizes the hierarchy of controls (HOC) as a means for visualizing and evaluating the impact of OSH coordinators' work. The study engages with a large observational material based on fieldwork notes from 107 days of observations with 12 successful OSH coordinators. The analysis shows that during the 107 observation days, the coordinators implemented 280 OSH measures and were prevented 71 times from implementing measures. Most of the implemented measures were in the administrative (53.6%) and engineering (35%) controls. This may provide part of the explanation of why an increasing focus on OSH coordination has not translated into improved OSH outcomes in construction. The study contributes with insights for OSH coordinators and professionals seeking to improve the visibility and legitimacy of their work. In addition, it may be beneficial to organizations interested in ensuring the effectiveness of their organizational OSH practices. The study also creates foundations for more research-based practices, education, and professionalization of OSH coordinators as a profession.

Engaging Occupational Safety and Health Professionals in Bridging Research and Practice: Evaluation of a Participatory Workshop Program in the Danish Construction Industry.

Engaging occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals has scarcely been evaluated as a means for transferring knowledge to practice about physical workload in the construction industry. The aim of this work was to examine how participants used and incorporate research-based knowledge from a three-day training course into practice. Twenty OSH professionals from the Danish construction industry participated in a workshop-training course. Researchers presented new knowledge and results about physically demanding work. The participants selected which themes they wanted to work with and developed an action plan. Evaluation was done using surveys and phone interviews. Analysis was based on how the OSH-professionals describe themselves, organizations, and the construction industry. Participant's average scores on the level of implementation of their chosen action plans were 3 (on a response scale from 1-5, where 1 is 'to a very low degree' and 5 is 'to a very high degree') immediately after the workshop program and 2.5 at follow-up. Qualitative evaluations showed that actions had been initiated, and some progress had been made. The participants were satisfied with the workshop course and the possibility to increase their knowledge through inputs from researchers and colleges and strongly believe that they would succeed with implementing their action plans in the future.

Safety climate as a predictor of work ability problems in blue-collar workers: prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate whether safety climate items would be predictive of future physical and mental work ability among blue-collar workers. METHODS: Blue-collar workers (n=3822) from the Danish Work Environment and Health study replied to questions on safety climate, physical and mental work ability, and health in 2012 and 2014. Using multivariate logistic regression, we estimated the association of number of safety climate items (0-5) in 2012 with physical and mental work ability in 2014. Potential confounders included sex, age, socioeconomic class, occupational group, lifestyle (smoking habits and body mass index) and previous accidents. RESULTS: In the fully adjusted model, workers reporting two and three or more safety climate problems (reference: 0) had higher risk for reduced physical work ability at follow-up (OR 1.29 [95% CI 1.03 to 1.61] and OR 1.52 [95% CI 1.27 to 1.84], respectively). Similar outcomes were observed for mental work ability. Using number of safety climate items as a continuous variable, a doseresponse association existed both for physical and mental work ability (trend-test <0.0001). CONCLUSION: A dose-response association between the number of safety climate items at baseline and lower physical and mental work ability was detected after 2 years. Safety climate items should be highly prioritised in blue-collar companies.

Regular use of pain medication due to musculoskeletal disorders in the general working population: Cross-sectional study among 10,000 workers.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to determine the association between work, health, and lifestyle with regular use of pain medication due to musculoskeletal disorders in the general working population. METHODS: Currently employed wage earners (N = 10,024) replied to questions about health, work, and lifestyle. The odds for regularly using medication for musculoskeletal disorders were modeled using logistic regression controlled for various confounders. RESULTS: Pain intensity increased the odds for using pain medication in a dose-response fashion. With seated work as reference, the odds for using pain medication were 1.26 (95%CI: 1.09-1.47) for workers engaged in standing or walking work that is not strenuous and 1.59 (95%CI: 1.39-1.82) for workers engaged in standing or walking work with lifting tasks or heavy and fast strenuous work. CONCLUSIONS: Workers with higher levels of physical activity at work are more likely to use pain medication on a regular basis for musculoskeletal disorders, even when adjusting for pain intensity, lifestyle, and influence at work. Am. J. Ind. Med. 59:934-941, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.