These health workers are more vulnerable to occupational injury, work instigated disability, and are at higher risk of experiencing prolonged work absence due to workplace health and safety (WHS) issues.
Such symptoms may result from intensive, prolonged close work.
1 Risk factors for wrist/hand MSD (including sinovitis/tenosynovitis) include heavy physical work, awkward postures, repetitive work, prolonged computer work, distress, older age, female gender, smoking, increased weight and co-morbidities.
Examples of these physical work demands are monotonous and repetitive arm movements, awkward body postures, prolonged standing, work with arms above shoulder height, and heavy lifting [ 11].
The indirect costs were mainly based on productivity loss due to sick-leave, and also productivity loss due to disability pension in cases of prolonged reduced work capacity.
The association of upper extremity symptoms with prolonged computer work [ 7, 8], and the increasing use of computers by young workers and university students are reasons for concern that this population may be at risk for disabling musculoskeletal disorders.
Work-related factors (including number of years worked as an operator, prolonged working hours per shift, long duration of sitting work without a break, feeling pressure due to work and working postures) and individual factors (including age, gender, BMI and regular sport/physical activities) were associated with musculoskeletal symptoms in multiple logistic regression models.
A timely and sustainable return to work is a crucial rehabilitation outcome for workers following injury, as prolonged work absences result in significant personal and societal costs. 1 2 Many studies investigating factors associated with work status following injury are restricted to particular injury types or body regions.
In the present study, participants generally found it difficult to manage prolonged work activities and to take sufficient breaks, and needed to pay sufficient attention to their physical posture at work.
For many workers, 54% of employed and 37% of relative workers, prolonged hours of work are compounded by the absence of rest breaks during working hours.
When they do, they take prolonged leave from work, damaging their careers.
