Search
Ergonomics
Preventing Low Back Pain in Construction Laborers
Target Condition: Work-related low back pain.
Traditional Approach: Medicine, surgery, physical therapy, alternative medicine.
New Approach: Primary prevention through more effective training.
Progress: Increased awareness results in improved training.
Investigator Dr. Margareta Nordin
The low back is the most frequently injured body part and the most frequent source of complaints of pain, lost work time, and early retirement of laborers in the construction industry. In a long-term study, Occupational and Industrial Orthopaedic Center (OIOC) ergonomicists in conjunction with New York City labor organizations and community resources developed and implemented a model program with the goal of reducing morbidity associated with work-related low back pain among members of the mason tender trade.
The trade, including general laborers and demolition workers as well as mason tenders, work in different types of building and construction perform a variety of physically demanding tasks: structure demolition, mortar mixing, palletizing, hoisting, moving bricks, cement blocks, and equipment, erecting and dismantling scaffolds, constructing repairing highways, bridges, and other large structures, cement and concrete work, and asbestos and hazardous waste remediation. The physical workload of mason tenders is extremely high. Ninety per cent of their work involves manual materials handling, including lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling and carrying. The large number of workers at risk for low back pain represents a problem with potentially significant social impact and thus requires an effective injury prevention strategy to address it.
OIOC personnel first conducted a musculoskeletal symptom survey was conducted in order to be able to analyze pertinent demographic, temporal, and injury characteristics among mason tenders and to identify those work-related activities and job factors that workers perceived as contributing to their musculoskeletal injuries or disorders. Focus group discussions with experienced mason tenders were also conducted to identify the trade’s most stressful and problematic. Several work site visits were conducted as well to observe, assess, and document exposure of mason tenders to ergonomic risk factors at construction sites.
Results of the symptom survey revealed that 82% of mason tenders experienced at least one distressing musculoskeletal symptom during the past year. Low back pain was the most frequently reported symptom (65%), resulting in 12% of mason tenders missing work and 18% seeking medical help. Bending and/or twisting the back in an awkward way, prolonged work while maintaining the same stance, working overhead or away from the body, working near or at physical limits, and working while in pain were identified as the greatest contributors to their musculoskeletal symptoms.
Survey results together with the outcome of focus group discussions and field observations were incorporated in the development and implementation of a strategy to facilitate primary prevention of low back pain in the trade. The core elements of the resultant model program included the application of ergonomics principles, ergonomics hazards recognition, problem-solving skills and safe materials handling practices in a training curriculum of the union trade instructors who teach mason tenders and new apprentices the skills of the trade.
The train-the-trainer program was successfully implemented in the Mason Tenders Training Center and resulted in 22% increase of ergonomic knowledge of union trade instructors and considerable improvement of their teaching performance.
Preventing Low Back Pain in Construction Laborers
Target Condition: Work-related low back pain.
Traditional Approach: Medicine, surgery, physical therapy, alternative medicine.
New Approach: Primary prevention through more effective training.
Progress: Increased awareness results in improved training.
Investigator Dr. Margareta Nordin
The low back is the most frequently injured body part and the most frequent source of complaints of pain, lost work time, and early retirement of laborers in the construction industry. In a long-term study, Occupational and Industrial Orthopaedic Center (OIOC) ergonomicists in conjunction with New York City labor organizations and community resources developed and implemented a model program with the goal of reducing morbidity associated with work-related low back pain among members of the mason tender trade.
The trade, including general laborers and demolition workers as well as mason tenders, work in different types of building and construction perform a variety of physically demanding tasks: structure demolition, mortar mixing, palletizing, hoisting, moving bricks, cement blocks, and equipment, erecting and dismantling scaffolds, constructing repairing highways, bridges, and other large structures, cement and concrete work, and asbestos and hazardous waste remediation. The physical workload of mason tenders is extremely high. Ninety per cent of their work involves manual materials handling, including lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling and carrying. The large number of workers at risk for low back pain represents a problem with potentially significant social impact and thus requires an effective injury prevention strategy to address it.
 |
 |
|||
|
Risk of low back pain in the construction industry Mason tenders perform a variety of tasks—lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling, carrying heavy objects—that results in lost work time and need for medical attention.
|
 |
|||
 |
 |
|||
OIOC personnel first conducted a musculoskeletal symptom survey was conducted in order to be able to analyze pertinent demographic, temporal, and injury characteristics among mason tenders and to identify those work-related activities and job factors that workers perceived as contributing to their musculoskeletal injuries or disorders. Focus group discussions with experienced mason tenders were also conducted to identify the trade’s most stressful and problematic. Several work site visits were conducted as well to observe, assess, and document exposure of mason tenders to ergonomic risk factors at construction sites.
Results of the symptom survey revealed that 82% of mason tenders experienced at least one distressing musculoskeletal symptom during the past year. Low back pain was the most frequently reported symptom (65%), resulting in 12% of mason tenders missing work and 18% seeking medical help. Bending and/or twisting the back in an awkward way, prolonged work while maintaining the same stance, working overhead or away from the body, working near or at physical limits, and working while in pain were identified as the greatest contributors to their musculoskeletal symptoms.
Survey results together with the outcome of focus group discussions and field observations were incorporated in the development and implementation of a strategy to facilitate primary prevention of low back pain in the trade. The core elements of the resultant model program included the application of ergonomics principles, ergonomics hazards recognition, problem-solving skills and safe materials handling practices in a training curriculum of the union trade instructors who teach mason tenders and new apprentices the skills of the trade.
The train-the-trainer program was successfully implemented in the Mason Tenders Training Center and resulted in 22% increase of ergonomic knowledge of union trade instructors and considerable improvement of their teaching performance.