Musculoskeletal Disorders

Nashville, TN — A free online tool developed by researchers at Vanderbilt University is intended to help employers assess how and where exoskeletons could help reduce work-related back injuries “without the need for costly and time-consuming experiments.”

Bilbao, Spain — Excessive workloads, conflicting demands and a lack of support from management are some of the psychosocial factors that can contribute to the development of musculoskeletal disorders in the workplace, according to a literature review conducted by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.

Munster, Germany — Neck and shoulder problems are common musculoskeletal disorders among dentists, leading more than 1 out of 5 to seek medical care, a recent study out of Germany shows.

Columbus, OH — The physical benefits that exoskeletons provide to the musculoskeletal system may be negated by the “mental strain” that results when workers wearing the devices perform tasks that require them to think about their actions, results of a recent study conducted by researchers from Ohio State and Texas A&M universities indicate.

Detroit — Workers in construction and manufacturing may experience a “significantly higher incidence” of carpal tunnel syndrome compared with office workers, results of a recent study by researchers from the Henry Ford Health System show.

Washington — Age-specific efforts aimed at preventing musculoskeletal disorders related to overexertion – a significant cause of MSDs among construction workers in the United States – could help address the problem, researchers from NIOSH say.

Itasca, IL — In an effort to help employers and workers mitigate the risk of musculoskeletal disorders and develop techniques to prevent these injuries, the National Safety Council is teaming up with Amazon to establish new research, technology and processes as part of a five-year partnership to combat a leading cause of workplace injuries.

Waterloo, Ontario — Overhead work is associated with shoulder injuries. New resources from the Center of Research Expertise for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders, also known as CRE-MSD, are intended to help employers and workers address MSD risks caused by overhead work.

Waterloo, Ontario — A Canadian safety group has added three posters – focused on reducing the risk of MSD injuries in the knees, shoulders and lower back – to its musculoskeletal injury prevention resource library.

New York — Nearly three-quarters of remote workers say their employer should provide a general work-from-home stipend to help make their home workspaces more ergonomically correct, results of a recent survey show.