Musculoskeletal pain more affected by psychosocial factors

A study of administration workers has found their musculoskeletal pain is more affected by psychosocial factors than by excessive work hours.

The French study looked specifically at the associations between work-time organisation, psychosocial factors at work and musculoskeletal pain of the neck, shoulders, and wrists and hands among 762 administrative employees.

The workers were asked questions about the organisation of their work time, covering the number of hours worked, overtime, split shifts, freedom to choose hours, and early starts and late finishes.

Psychosocial characteristics examined included psychological demands, decision latitude, social support (from colleagues and superiors), and recognition.

The researchers found that work-time organisation had no impact on the prevalence of neck or shoulder pain among the workers, but irregular shifts and lack of advance schedule notice were associated with wrist and hand pain.

As the psychological demands at work increased, however, the prevalence of workers' neck and shoulder pain rose significantly.

The researchers said their study added more weight to arguments that employers should develop strategies to minimise psychological demands at work, in order to prevent physical injuries.

Neck, Shoulder, and Hand and Wrist Pain Among Administrative Employees: Relation to Work-Time Organisation and Psychosocial Factors at Work. Ariane Leroyer et al, France. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Volume 48, Number 3, March 2006.

Item provided courtesy of OHS Alert