Publications (4)7.67 Total impact
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Article: Rotator Cuff Syndrome: Personal, Work-Related Psychosocial and Physical Load Factors
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ABSTRACT: Objective: To identify factors associated with rotator cuff syndrome (RCS) among active workers. Methods: Seven hundred thirty-three workers in 12 worksites participated in a cross-sectional study with individual structured physical and psychosocial health interviews, physical examinations, and exposure assessments of biomechanical factors. Work organization, including job content or structural constraints, was assessed at the departmental level. Multivariable logistic modeling was used. Results: Fifty-five subjects (7.5%) had RCS. Cases were more likely to report low job security (P < 0.04) and to have very high job structural constraints (P < 0.03). Age and body mass index were marginally significant. Upper arm flexion ≥ 45° ≥ 15% of time and either duty cycle of forceful exertions ≥9% time (odds ratio = 2.43, 95% CI = 1.04 to 5.68) or forceful pinch >0% [odds ratio = 2.66, 95% CI = 1.26 to 5.59] were significant risk factors. Conclusions: Long duration of shoulder flexion and forceful exertion (especially pinch) in a job are significant risk factors for RCS. Work organization may impact physical and psychosocial exposures and should be further explored.Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 08/2008; 50(9):1062-1076. · 2.06 Impact Factor -
Article: Reliability and validity assessment of the hand activity level threshold limit value and strain index using expert ratings of mono-task jobs.
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ABSTRACT: This study evaluated two subjective assessment methods for physical work-related musculoskeletal disorder (WMSD) risk factors. A total of 567 participants from 12 companies in the manufacturing and health care industries were evaluated using the hand activity level (HAL) threshold limit value (TLV) and the Strain Index. Inter-rater reliability comparisons were performed on 125 selected cyclic tasks, with one novice and three experienced raters. Predictive validity was assessed by evaluation of relationships between measured exposure parameters and diagnosed WMSDs of the hand/wrist and elbow. HAL hand repetition ratings had a Spearman r value of 0.65 and a kappa value of 0.44 between raters. Subjective force (0-10 scale) estimates had a Spearman r = 0.28 and were not significantly different between raters (p > .05). The rating comparison for the four subjective components of the Strain Index had Spearman r correlations of 0.37-0.62 and kappa values of 0.25-0.44. The Strain Index and HAL TLV agreed on exposure categorization 56% of the time. Logistic regression showed, after adjustment for age, gender, and body mass index, that higher peak hand force estimates (odds ratio [OR] 1.14, confidence interval (CI) 1.02-1.27), most common force estimates (OR 1.14, CI 1.02-1.28), hand/wrist posture rating (OR 1.71, CI 1.15-2.56), and Strain Index scores >/= 7 (OR 1.82, CI 1.04-3.18) were associated with distal upper extremity disorders in the dominant hand. HAL repetition ratings >/= 4 (OR 2.81, CI 1.40-5.62) and hand/wrist posture ratings (OR 1.59, CI 1.01-2.49) were associated with disorders in the nondominant hand. These findings show moderate to good inter-rater agreement and significant relationships to health outcomes for the identified measures.Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene 05/2008; 5(4):250-7. · 1.19 Impact Factor -
Article: Assessment of perceived injury risks and priorities among truck drivers and trucking companies in Washington State.
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ABSTRACT: The trucking industry experiences one of the highest work-related injury rates. Little work has been conducted previously in the United States to assess the hazards, needs, and injury prevention priorities in trucking. Two separate industry-wide surveys of 359 trucking companies and 397 commercial truck drivers were conducted in Washington State. Trucking companies and drivers both ranked musculoskeletal and slip, trip, fall injuries as the top two priorities. Controlling heavy lifting, using appropriate equipment, and addressing slippery surfaces were frequently listed as solutions. There appears to be a gap in safety climate perception between workers and employers. However, driver and company priorities agreed with industry workers' compensation claims. There is room for safety program management improvement in the industry. The study findings detail opportunities for prioritizing and reducing injuries. This information can be used to focus and design interventions for the prevention of work-related injuries while improving industry competitiveness.Journal of Safety Research 02/2008; 39(6):569-76. · 1.29 Impact Factor -
Article: Natural course of nontraumatic rotator cuff tendinitis and shoulder symptoms in a working population.
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ABSTRACT: This study assessed the prevalence, incidence, and persistence of nontraumatic rotator cuff tendinitis and shoulder symptoms over a 1-year period in a working population and the predictive value of symptoms and physical findings. A 1-year prospective study of 436 active workers was conducted at 12 different worksites. Detailed health interviews, psychosocial questionnaires, and physical examinations were conducted at baseline and again after 1 year, with shorter evaluations at 4 and 8 months. Individual observed exposure assessment of shoulder posture, arm-hand activity, and hand forces was conducted. The prevalence of rotator cuff tendinitis at baseline was 7.6% [95% confidence interval (95% CI 5.1-10.1%)] for the right and 4.8% (95% CI 3.0-7.0%) for the left, compared with shoulder symptoms of 18.6% (95% CI 14.9-22.3%) (right) and 11.2% (95% CI 8.2-14.2%) (left). The incidence of rotator cuff tendinitis was 5.5% (95% CI 2.8-6.8%) and 2.9% (95% CI 1.0-3.8%), respectively. Higher proportions of participants with current symptoms or physical findings at baseline became clinical cases after 1 year than those without symptoms or findings. The 1-year persistence of clinical case status was 31.3% (95% CI 26.9-35.7%) (right) and 31.6% (95% CI 27.2-36.0%) (left). There were significant differences at baseline between the asymptomatic participants and the clinical cases with respect to physical health on the 12-item Short-form Health Survey (P=0.0002), the perception of general health (P=0.0027), and the frequency of high hand force exposure (P=0.0177). Considerable movement occurs between different stages of shoulder problems. Symptoms and physical findings alone appear to predict clinical case status within 1 year. Frequent follow-up is necessary to capture changes in health and exposure status in prospective studies.Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health 05/2006; 32(2):99-108. · 3.12 Impact Factor
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2006
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Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
Olympia, WA, USA
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