Self-reported productivity loss among workers with upper extremity disorders

Abstract

Martimo K-P, Shiri R, Miranda H, Ketola R, Varonen H, Viikari-Juntura E. Self-reported productivity loss among workers with upper extremity disorders. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2009;35(4):301-308.Objective Upper extremity disorders (UED) are prevalent in working populations. This study investigates the prevalence, magnitude, and associated factors of on-the-job productivity loss among workers with UED.Methods Workers with incipient upper extremity symptoms were invited to participate in our study after the disorder was verified by a physician and no immediate sick leave was required. Of the 177 eligible patients, 168 (95%) were included in the study. They were asked to describe their symptoms, personal characteristics, and work-related factors. Self-assessed productivity measured the impact of UED on the achieved work output. ResultsOf the 168 participants, 56% reported a productivity loss; the average reduction thereof was 34%.Productivity loss was associated with pain intensity [odds ratio (OR) for the third tertile 2.8, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.2-6.5], pain interference with work (OR for the third tertile 5.7, 95% CI 2.2-14.3) and fear-avoidance beliefs (OR 2.8, 95% CI 0.9-8.9). Pain interference with sleep was associated with productivity loss only among those aged 46 years or older, whereas high job strain showed an association with productivity loss only among workers aged 20-45 years. In the younger group, productivity loss was more associated with a combination of any two of the following three factors than the presence of only one: pain intensity, job strain, and physical loads at work.Conclusions UED cause substantial loss of productivity at work. The most important associated factors are related to pain and its impact on work and sleep, but also to psychological aspects of pain and work. Our findings suggest that the factors associated with productivity loss differ in younger and older workers.

Effectiveness of an ergonomic intervention on the productivity of workers with upper-extremity disorders – a randomized controlled trial

“…In addition, decreased on-the-job performance has been shown to be a substantial part of productivity loss in employees with symptoms in the upper extremities (5)(6)(7)(8)(9). The baseline results of the present study showed that productivity loss in workers with a medically verified UED was associated with pain intensity and its interference with work and sleep, as well as high job strain and fear-avoidance beliefs (10).…”

The role of assessment of biomechanical exposure at the workplace in the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders

“…Various components of biomechanical exposure at the workplace play a prominent role in the onset and aggravation of musculoskeletal disorders. Recent publications in the Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health have addressed physical risk factors for specific musculoskeletal disorders (2,3), and subsequent consequences for productivity loss at work (4,5), sickness absence (6), and disability (7). Despite this knowledge, however, it is still difficult to quantify the exact levels of biomechanical exposure at which an increase in the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders occurs.…”

Musculoskeletal disorders among first-year Ghanaian students in a nursing college

“…They are a major cause of severe long-term pain and disability 1,2 , productivity loss 3 and reduced quality of life 4,5 which can lead to reduced educational attainment among students. In recent years, MSDs have emerged as a public health problem among college students, with the estimated prevalence rate varying between 32.9% and 89.3% in different parts of the world [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] .…”