Biomedical subjects

Richard P Wells

Publications and source records attributed to Richard P Wells.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Reducing musculoskeletal burden through ergonomic program implementation in a large newspaper.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of a workplace ergonomic program to reduce musculoskeletal burden among newspaper employees and to understand relationships among participation, risk factor changes and health status within an employee cohort. METHODS: We conducted repeat cross-sectional surveys, with 1,003 employees from all major departments in 1996 and 813 in 2001, generating a cohort of 433 participants in both surveys. Elements of the ergonomic program included employee RSI (repetitive strain injury) training, pro-active assessment of workstations and workstation modifications, and encouragement of early treatment through on-site physiotherapy. Potential risk factors included biomechanical and work organizational aspects of office work. Health status measures included pain intensity and the Work-Disability of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH). Repeat cross-sectional analyses incorporated modifications for shared variance. For the cohort, a theory of change informed path analyses using MPLUS. RESULTS: Among respondents in 2001, 69% reported participation in RSI training and 56% had workstation assessments. Among those with pain, 57% had consulted a health practitioner, including the on-site physiotherapist. In repeat cross-sectional analyses, the proportion reporting moderate pain or worse, at least once per month or for longer than 1 week, declined from 20 to 16% (p=0.01). Among the cohort, pain intensity and work disability in 1996 were the strongest predictors of 2001 health status (both p<0.001). Stable or increased supervisor awareness and concern about RSI was associated with decreased pain in 2001(p<0.01). Participation in RSI training was associated with increases in decision latitude (p<0.05), which themselves were associated with decreased work disability in 2001 (p<0.05). Increased time mousing was associated with increases in work disability (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a worksite ergonomics program was associated with a reduction in frequent and severe pain in the workforce. Changes in work disability were affected by multiple factors.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Evaluation of a participatory ergonomic intervention aimed at improving musculoskeletal health.

BACKGROUND: Participatory ergonomic (PE) interventions have been increasingly utilized to deal with work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD). METHODS: Using a longitudinal quasi-experimental design, a PE process was launched at one depot of a large courier company, with a nearby depot serving as a control. Evaluations focused on 122 employees across the two depots who participated in both pre- and post-questionnaires. An evaluation framework assessed the process of implementation, changes in risk factors, and changes in musculoskeletal health outcomes. Partial and multiple regressions explored the relationships in the evaluation framework. RESULTS: Changes in work organizational factors had a consistent impact upon changes in health outcomes. Greater participation in the process was associated with increased levels of job influence and communication (P = 0.0059 and P = 0.0940 respectively). Improvements in communication levels were associated with reduced pain intensity and improved work role function (WRF) (P = 0.0077 and P = 0.0248 respectively). Lower levels of pain post-intervention were related to greater WRF (P = 0.0493). CONCLUSIONS: A PE approach can improve risk factors related to WMSD, and meaningful worker participation in the process is an important aspect for the success of such interventions.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Study of the effectiveness of a participatory ergonomics intervention in reducing worker pain severity through physical exposure pathways.

A participatory ergonomics programme was implemented in an automotive parts manufacturing factory. An ergonomics change team was formed composed of members from management and the organized labour union. It was hypothesized that the physical change projects implemented as part of this process would result in decreased worker exposures to peak and cumulative physical demands and reduced worker perceptions of physical effort and pain severity. A quasi-experimental design was employed, utilizing a sister plant in the corporation as a referent group. A longitudinal questionnaire approach was used to document pre-post changes in worker perceptions. In general, the physical change projects were rated as improvements by workers and were successful at reducing peak and/or cumulative mechanical exposures. However, there were few systematic changes in perceived effort or pain severity levels. Explanations include the confounding effects of differential production rate and staffing changes at the intervention and referent plants and/or insufficient overall intervention intensity due to a relatively short intervention period, plant and team ambivalence towards the process and the low overall impact on exposure of the particular changes implemented.

Ergonomics↗

PubMed2004

In situ depth profiling of 137Cs contamination in soils at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory.

Preremediation characterization of Cs contamination in soils was conducted at the Auxiliary Reactor Area (ARA)-23 Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act site, located at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). Characterization activities included verification of the lateral extent of the contaminated area using the INEEL vehicle-mounted Global Positioning Radiometric Scanner. The vertical extent of the contamination in select areas of the site was evaluated with an in situ gamma-ray spectrometer, and depth discrete samples were collected at 5-cm depth intervals down to a depth of 20.3 cm. A comparison was made between the depth distribution data from the in situ spectrometric measurements and the physical, depth discrete samples. The results of the study and of the aforementioned comparison indicate that use of in situ high-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors during the remediation of the ARA-23 site will aid in directing the depth of excavation, thereby helping to (a) minimize the amount of soils excavated and removed for disposal, and (b) reduce overall project costs.

Cesium Radioisotopes↗

PubMed2003

The effects of job rotation on the risk of reporting low back pain.

Job rotation has been widely recommended as an administrative control to reduce the risk of developing work-related musculoskeletal disorders. However, evidence of its benefits are hard to find in the literature. The effect of job rotation on predictions for the risk of reporting low back pain was estimated using Low Back Pain Reporting (LBPR) and Time Weighted Average (TWA) approaches. Index scores calculated using the peak hand force, the peak L4/L5 shear force and the L4/L5 moment cumulated over the entire shift were used to estimate the effects of job rotation on the probability of reporting low back pain. Simulations of realistic rotations between two jobs showed that workers in low demand jobs who rotate into higher demand jobs experience a linear increase in reporting probability using the TWA approach. With the LBPR approach a step increase in reporting probability occurred because of the immediate exposure to the peak loading parameters associated with the more demanding job. With a 50-50 rotation the TWA and LBPR index scores increased by 39% and 57%, respectively. With the LBPR approach the redistribution of risk was not uniform with job rotation. The increase was greater for those who rotated into the demanding job compared to the reduction experienced by those who rotated out of the demanding job. The effects of job rotation are not easily estimated because of the complex effect that mixing jobs has on peak and cumulative tissue loading.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Methodological issues in evaluating workplace interventions to reduce work-related musculoskeletal disorders through mechanical exposure reduction.

Researchers of work-related musculoskeletal disorders are increasingly asked about the evidentiary base for mechanical exposure reductions. Mixed messages can arise from the different disciplinary cultures of evidence, and these mixed messages make different sets of findings incommensurate. Interventions also operate at different levels within workplaces and result in different intensities of mechanical exposure reduction. Heterogeneity in reporting intervention processes and in measuring relevant outcomes makes the synthesis of research reports difficult. As a means of synthesizing the current understanding of measures, this paper describes a set of intervention and observation nodes for which relevant workplace indicators prior to, during, and after mechanical exposure reduction can provide useful information. On the basis of this path of impacts from exposure reduction, an approach to the evaluation of multilevel ergonomic interventions is described that can assist fellow researchers in producing evidence relevant to the challenges faced by workplace parties and policy makers.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗

PubMed2002

The effect of typing posture on wrist extensor muscle loading.

High static loading of the forearm extensor musculature has been observed during keying tasks. To reduce the level of loading, one must first understand the contributing factors. A simulation of the human finger was used to determine muscle force contributions during a static index finger key press at several wrist postures. The planar model included active and passive muscle forces of the intrinsic and extrinsic finger muscles. The model was expanded to include the passive forces from the other fingers as well as the weight of the hand to determine the exertion required of the wrist extensor muscles to maintain the given wrist and finger postures. Model results indicated that greater than 25% of maximal exertion is required of the wrist extensors when the wrist is extended to 30. The increased moment contribution from passive forces of the extrinsic finger flexor muscles was responsible for the majority of the increased wrist extensor contribution as the wrist was extended. These findings are in relative agreement with previous electromyographic studies and may indicate a mechanism for forearm extensor pain in office workers. Potential applications of this research include ergonomic modeling of the upper limb to determine internal loads that may lead to work-related disorders.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗