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ISSN 1051-9815 (P)
ISSN 1875-9270 (E)
Impact Factor 2024: 1.7
WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment & Rehabilitation is an interdisciplinary, international journal which publishes high quality peer-reviewed manuscripts covering the entire scope of the occupation of work. The journal's subtitle has been deliberately laid out: The first goal is the prevention of illness, injury, and disability. When this goal is not achievable, the attention focuses on assessment to design client-centered intervention, rehabilitation, treatment, or controls that use scientific evidence to support best practice.
WORK occasionally publishes thematic issues, but in general, issues cover a wide range of topics such as ergonomic considerations with children, youth and students, the challenges facing an aging workforce, workplace violence, injury management, performing artists, ergonomic product evaluations, and the awareness of the political, cultural, and environmental determinants of health related to work.
Dr. Karen Jacobs, the founding editor, and her editorial board especially encourage the publication of research studies, clinical practice, case study reports, as well as personal narratives and critical reflections of lived work experiences (autoethnographic/autobiographic scholarship),
Sounding Board commentaries and
Speaking of Research articles which provide the foundation for better understanding research to facilitate knowledge dissemination.
Narrative Reflections on Occupational Transitions, a new column, is for persons who have successfully transitioned into, between, or out of occupations to tell their stories in a narrative form. With an internationally renowned editorial board,
WORK maintains high standards in the evaluation and publication of manuscripts. All manuscripts are reviewed expeditiously and published in a timely manner.
WORK prides itself on being an author-friendly journal.
WORK celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2015.
*WORK is affiliated with the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT)* *WORK is endorsed by the International Ergonomics Association (IEA)* *WORK gives out the yearly Cheryl Bennett Best Paper Award*
Abstract: In August 2009, an international group was founded with the task of developing a “toolkit for MSD prevention” under the IEA and in collaboration with the World Health Organization. According to the ISO standard 11228 series and the new Draft ISO TR 12259 “Application document guides for the potential user”, our group developed a preliminary “mapping” methodology of occupational hazards in the craft industry, supported by software (Excel®, free download on: www.epmresearch.org). The possible users of toolkits are: members of health and safety committees; health and safety representatives; line supervisors; foremen; workers; government representatives; health workers providing basic…occupational health services; occupational health and safety specialists. The proposed methodology, using specific key enters and quick assessment criteria, allows a simple ergonomics hazards identification and risk estimation to be made. It is thus possible to decide for which occupational hazards a more exhaustive risk assessment will be necessary and which occupational consultant should be involved (occupational physician, safety engineer, industrial hygienist, etc.). The methodology has been applied in different situations of small and medium craftsmanship Italian enterprises: leather goods, food, technical dental work, production of artistic ceramics and stained glass, beekeeping activities. The results are synthetically reported and discussed in this paper.
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Abstract: The OCRA method is the reference method chosen in ISO (ISO 11228-3) and CEN (EN 1005-5) standards regarding risk assessment and management of upper limbs repetitive movements and exertions. The method consists of two specific tools (OCRA index and OCRA checklist). In this paper special attention will be devoted to the procedures for the analysis of multiple repetitive tasks. When computing the OCRA index (checklist score) considering the presence of more than one repetitive task, a “traditional” procedure has been previously proposed. This approach, whose results could be defined as “time weighted average”, seems to be appropriate when considering…rotations among tasks that are performed almost once every hour. On the contrary, when rotation among repetitive tasks is less frequent the “time weighted average” approach could result into an underestimation of the exposure level. For those scenarios an alternative approach is based on a concept that the most stressful task is the minimum starting point. A peculiar procedure allows to exactly estimate the resulting index within this range of minimum to maximum values. It is possible to apply this approach also for job rotation with weekly or monthly or annual cycle typical of agriculture, supermarket, cleaning sectors. This paper shows criteria and results in two working situation: cleaning (weekly cycle) and packaging of fruit (annual cycle).
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Keywords: OCRA method, repetitive multiple tasks, job rotation, cleaning, packaging of fruit
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0694-3964
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 3964-3972, 2012
Abstract: Occupational musculoskeletal disorders in the upper limbs and its consequences on the impact and prevalence in the work force are subject of many investigations in almost all the production fields. However, the exposure to this kind of risk factor on urban gardeners has not been well studied so far. The kind of plant varieties used in the parks, the tools that they use, as much as the necessary actions for the maintenance of the park, have an impact on the biomechanical overload of the upper limbs. Additionally, the analysis of the exposure to the biomechanical overload on upper limbs in…gardening work is a complex task, mainly because it is an activity highly variable and of annual cycle. For this reason an analytical model for risk exposure evaluation is necessary. During this research the work activity of 29 gardeners in 3 urban parks of Barcelona has been analyzed. Each park has a specific acting plan, in relation with the quantity and the typology of vegetal species, its classification and the season of the year. Work and observation and video recording sessions on-site were conducted. The video-graphic registration was done on workers without any prior musculoskeletal disorder and with a minimum labour experience of 5 years. Moreover, the analysis of saturation time, considered as the relation of the repetitive working hours in reference with the hours of effective work was done. Using the registered tasks on video, the biomechanical overload on upper limbs applying the OCRA Checklist method was analyzed. Results: A methodological procedure to analyze the risk exposure in annual working cycle has been proposed. The results that we got allow us to get information that can help in the assignment of the tasks and in the training of staff, as well as in the recommendations of the urban landscape’s design. All these aspects have the goal to decrease the risk to develop work-related musculoskeletal disorders
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Abstract: In Brazil the sugar ethanol industry has had strong growth in the last 10 years, sometimes due to the growing sugar exportation, sometimes due to the alcohol production for automobile fuel and for exportation. Despite the growing mechanization of the raw material harvest (sugar cane), the manual work still persists. The development of this article was based in the application of the OCRA Method in the sugar cane harvesting process, to evaluate the risks to the upper limbs by repetitive movements and epidemiologically prove the ratio risk x harm to the heath of the workers, as well as the probability…of developing improvements in the working conditions. The analysis process consists of studying the work organization, the risks to the health of the worker and the distribution of the recovery periods during the working day.
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DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0696-3981
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 3981-3983, 2012
Abstract: In this paper an introduction to and description of the risk assessment tools that are freely available for companies in The Netherlands is given. It is explained in what way the tools can and should be used and how the level I checklist for physical load and the level II instruments are related. The two instruments that -in 2011- made this ‘Dutch toolbox’ complete, are the checklist physical load and the Working Posture Risk Assessment Tool (WRAP 1.0). The content, the development process and some examples of these tools are explained. The toolbox is complete but does need additional evaluation…to improve the quality of the assessments and the usability in practice.
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Keywords: risk assessment, MSD, practical tools, physical load at work
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0697-3984
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 3984-3989, 2012
Abstract: The Key Indicator Methods (KIM) assess the risk of manual handling of loads on a screening level. Their purpose is the recognition and removal of job design deficits. The risk assessment is carried out in two stages. The first stage is the ordinal scaled description of workload items. The second stage is the evaluation of the degree of probability of physical overload. The intended user population are both practitioners in enterprises such as safety engineers, industrial engineers, and inspectors. The first two KIM were developed and tested from 1996 to 2001 in connection with the implementation of the EU directives…into German national legislation. They consist of two independent, but formally adaptable methods for lifting, holding, and carrying and for pulling, and pushing. The KIM were drafted in the German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) in close collaboration with the German Labour Inspectors. Numerous companies, scientists, statutory accident insurances, institutions, employer associations, and trade unions were involved. Since their first publication in 2000 and 2001, these methods are widely accepted among possible users with a corresponding broad application in Germany. They are recommended by the EU Labour Inspector Conference for application. In 2007 a third KIM for manual handling operating tasks KIM MHO were developed, tested, and validated in the last four years.
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Abstract: Upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms and disorders are common in the working population. The economic and social impact of such disorders is considerable. Long-time, dynamic repetitive exposure of the hand-arm system during manual handling operations (MHO) alone or in combination with static and postural effort are recognised as causes of musculoskeletal symptoms and disorders. The assessment of these manual work tasks is crucial to estimate health risks of exposed employees. For these work tasks, a new method for the assessment of the working conditions was developed and a validation study was performed. The results suggest satisfying criterion validity and moderate objectivity…of the KIM-MHO draft 2007. The method was modified and evaluated again. It is planned to release a new version of KIM-MHO in spring 2012.
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Keywords: key indicator method, manual handling operations, risk assessment, repetitive work tasks, hand arm system, Upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders, UEMSDs
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0699-3997
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 3997-4003, 2012
Abstract: The Hand Arm Risk Assessment Method (HARM 1.0) has been developed for occupational health officers to perform risk assessments of developing arm, neck or shoulder pain during hand arm tasks. The tool can also help in finding solutions for risk reduction and estimating their effect on the risk level. In this paper the status of affairs and the practical application of HARM is described. The usage of HARM is explained and illustrated with the risk assessment of a specific hand arm task. In addition, the experiences with the application of HARM by a stone factory in The Netherlands are described.
Keywords: MSD, risk assessment, prevention officer, practical application, work place analysis
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0700-4004
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 4004-4009, 2012
Abstract: Scan-derived landmarks locations and surface shapes are more and more used, but there is no commonly accepted protocol for evaluating the accuracy of these measurements. Therefore we propose a protocol for evaluating the accuracy of surface shape and the repeatability of scan-derived landmark locations. According to existing Japanese and German domestic standards, we propose to use an artefact (e.g. sphere with diameter of about 120 mm) calibrated very accurately for evaluating the accuracy of scanner-systems. For evaluating the repeatability of landmark locations, we propose to use an anthropomorphic dummy with landmark locations premarked. These test objects are measured by a…3D body scanner to be evaluated. Evaluation parameters such as trueness, precision, and repeatability are calculated from the measured data. A round-robin test was conducted in six different institutes using 17 body/head/foot scanners produced by eight companies. The purposes of the roundrobin test were to evaluate the availability of test objects to different body scanners, and to examine the measurement locations of test objects and quality parameters to be reported. As a result, the proposed test objects could be measured and the data exported by all scanner systems except one, which could not export the ball measurement. For a comparative purpose, a figure of measured surface might be useful.
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Keywords: Reliability, accuracy, 3D anthropometry, landmarks
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0064-4010
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 4010-4017, 2012
Abstract: Where exactly is the human waist? How do definitions work for women who deviate from the conventional body shape? Does the measuring instrument matter? Waist is conventionally understood to be a measurable zone within the abdominal region of the torso, a zone of considerable importance. There needs to be a good consistent waist definition, one accurate and valid for everyone. Incorrect definition and measurement will result in technical errors, commercial wastage and customer dissatisfaction. This paper investigates the waist’s location and size from the point of view of garment construction for 90 adult women scanned and manually measured in a…breast reduction study at Flinders Medical Center, South Australia. There are differing definitions of the location of the human waist as well as different measuring instruments. This study compares: • Two definitions: • ISO 8559, 2.1.11 and • CAESAR, Waist Circumference Preferred. • Two different instruments: • the traditional tape measure, and • software-extracted computer-aided anthropometry (CAA). Substantial discrepancies between the results from these two locations-definitions were found. The choice of instrument used seriously affects the measurement obtained. This study demonstrates three things: • waist is not horizontal for a significant sub group of the population, • CAA extracted waist measurements are not accurate (same as real values) or valid (measures the characteristic) for a sub group, and • manually measured CAESAR Preferred Waist accurately and validly measured all individuals studied. There is a clear need to modify ISO waist definition for garment construction to include the full range of anatomical variation encountered amongst women.
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Keywords: ISO 8559, waist, body scanning, computer-aided anthropometry, garment construction
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0065-4018
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 4018-4024, 2012
