BackgroundThis review examines the evidence for an association between computer work and neck and upper extremity disorders (except carpal tunnel syndrome).MethodsA systematic critical review of studies of computer work and musculoskeletal disorders verified by a physical examination was performed.ResultsA total of 22 studies (26 articles) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Results show limited evidence for a causal relationship between computer work per se, computer mouse and keyboard time related to a diagnosis of wrist tendonitis, and for an association between computer mouse time and forearm disorders. Limited evidence was also found for a causal relationship between computer work per se and computer mouse time related to tension neck syndrome, but the evidence for keyboard time was insufficient. Insufficient evidence was found for an association between other musculoskeletal diagnoses of the neck and upper extremities, including shoulder tendonitis and epicondylitis, and any aspect of computer work.ConclusionsThere is limited epidemiological evidence for an association between aspects of computer work and some of the clinical diagnoses studied. None of the evidence was considered as moderate or strong and there is a need for more and better documentation.

This review aimed to identify risk factors for occupational accidents and illnesses among young workers in the Nordic countries and to attain knowledge on specific vulnerable groups within the young working force that may need special attention. We conducted a systematic review from 1994 to 2014 using five online databases. Of the 12,528 retrieved articles, 54 met the review criteria and were quality assessed, in which data were extracted focusing on identifying occupational safety, health risk factors, and vulnerable groups among the young workers. The review shows that mechanical factors such as heavy lifting, psychosocial factors such as low control over work pace, and organizational factors such as safety climate are all associated with increased injury risk for young Nordic workers. Results show that exposures to chemical substances were associated with skin reactions, e.g., hand eczema. Heavy lifting and awkward postures were risk factors for low back pain, and high job demands were risk factors for mental health outcomes. The review identified young unskilled workers including school drop-out workers as particularly vulnerable groups when it comes to occupational accidents. In addition, apprentices and young skilled workers were found to be vulnerable to work-related illnesses. It is essential to avoid stereotyping young Nordic workers into one group using only age as a factor, as young workers are a heterogeneous group and their vulnerabilities to occupational safety and health risks are contextual. Politicians, researchers, and practitioners should account for this complexity in the education, training and organization of work, and workplace health and safety culture.

Mechanical and psychosocial work exposures: the construction and evaluation of a gender-specific job exposure matrix (JEM) by Hanvold TN, Sterud T, Kristensen P, Mehlum IS The constructed job exposure matrix (JEM) considered a large range of mechanical and psychosocial work exposures and used gender-specific estimates. The JEM performed considerably better for mechanical than psychosocial work exposures. Even though it provides crude exposure estimates, the JEM was evaluated as a useful and valuable tool in characterizing exposure in epidemiological studies lacking information on work environment. Hanvold TN, Sterud T, Kristensen P, Mehlum IS. Mechanical and psychosocial work exposures: The construction and evaluation of a gender-specific job exposure matrix (JEM). Scand J Work Environ Health. 2019;45(3):239-247. doi:10.5271/sjweh.3774Objectives The aim of this study was to (i) construct and evaluate a gender-specific job exposure matrix (JEM) for mechanical and psychosocial work exposures and (ii) test its predictive validity for low-back pain.Methods We utilized data from the Norwegian nationwide Survey of Living Conditions on work environment in 2006 and 2009. We classified occupations on a 4-digit level based on the Norwegian version of the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO-88). The mechanical and psychosocial exposure information was collected by personal telephone interviews and included exposures that were known risk factors for low-back pain. We evaluated the agreement between the individual-and JEM-based exposure estimates, with kappa, sensitivity and specificity measures. We assessed the JEM's predictive validity by testing the associations between low-back pain and the individual-and JEM-based exposure. ResultsThe results showed an overall fair-to-moderate agreement between the constructed JEM and individual work exposures. The JEM performed considerably better for mechanical work exposures compared with psychosocial work exposures. The predictive validity of the mechanical and psychosocial JEM showed a consistently lower but predominantly reproducible association with low-back pain for both genders. ConclusionsThe mechanical estimates and psychosocial stressors, such as psychological demands, monotonous work and decision latitude in the constructed JEM, may be useful in large epidemiological register studies. The predictive validity of the matrix was evaluated as being overall acceptable;it can thus be an effective and versatile approach to estimate the relationship between work exposures and low-back pain.

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The results indicate that sustained trapezius muscle activity with periods of more than 4 minutes duration for more than half of the working day, increases the rate of neck and shoulder pain in a 2.5-year period. This implicates the importance of reducing the lengths of periods with sustained muscle activity at work.

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ObjectiveDepressive symptoms are associated with sickness absence, work disability and unemployment, but little is known about worklife expectancy (WLE). This study investigates the impact of depressive symptoms on the WLE of a large sample of Danish employees.MethodsWe used occupational health survey data of 11 967 Danish employees from 2010 and linked them with register data on salary and transfer payments from 2010 to 2015. Depressive symptoms were self-reported using the Major Depression Inventory. We used multistate data and a life table approach with Cox proportional hazard modelling to estimate the WLE of employees, expressed by time in work, unemployment and sickness absence. Separate analyses were conducted for sex and employees with a voluntary early retirement pension scheme. Using age as time axis, we used inverse probability weights to account for differences in educational level, sector, body mass index, smoking habits and loss of employment during sickness absence.ResultsThe WLE of employees reporting depressive symptoms was shorter compared with those not reporting depressive symptoms; that is, the expected time in unemployment and sickness absence was longer, while the expected time in work was shorter. The shorter WLE was most pronounced in women; for example, a 40-year-old woman with depressive symptoms can expect 3.3 years less in work, 0.8 years more in unemployment and 0.7 years more in sickness absence. Employees with a voluntary early retirement pension scheme showed an even lower WLE.ConclusionsOur study showed a meaningful impact of depressive symptoms on the WLE of Danish employees using a multistate framework.

A longitudinal study on risk factors for neck and shoulder pain among young adults in the transition from technical school to working life by Hanvold TN, Waersted M, Mengshoel AM, Bjertness E, Twisk J, Veiersted KBThe results indicate that neck and shoulder pain increases during the transition from technical school to working life and that both work-related and individual factors are associated with pain development. This knowledge may help in improving early intervention strategies aiming to increase a sustainable work life among young adults. Affiliation 597Original article Scand J Work Environ Health. 2014;40(6):597-609. doi:10.5271/sjweh.3437 A longitudinal study on risk factors for neck and shoulder pain among young adults in the transition from technical school to working life Objectives The study examined the course of neck and shoulder pain among a cohort of technical school students entering working life. We also aimed to identify work-related and individual risk factors for neck and shoulder pain during this transition period. MethodsThe study was designed as a prospective cohort study following 420 technical school students (167 student hairdressers, 118 student electricians, and 135 media/design students) from school, through their apprenticeship and into working life. Every 4 th month over a 6.5 year period (2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009), the participant`s neck and shoulder pain for the preceding four weeks was assessed. Mechanical and psychosocial workplace factors as well as individual factors were evaluated at baseline and/or during the follow-up period. Data were analyzed by generalized estimating equations (GEE). ResultsWe found a significant increase in neck and shoulder pain over time in the transition from technical school to working life. High mechanical workload was associated with neck and shoulder pain among women, while a high level of shoulder muscle endurance capacity was associated with lower rates of neck and shoulder pain among men. Perceived muscle tension and ethnicity were the most consistent predictors for neck and shoulder pain, found among both women and men.Conclusion Increased neck and shoulder pain was found in the transition from technical school to working life, and both work-related and individual factors were associated with pain development.