C. Franssonhall et al., SELF-REPORTED PHYSICAL EXPOSURE AND MUSCULOSKELETAL SYMPTOMS OF THE FOREARM-HAND AMONG AUTOMOBILE ASSEMBLY-LINE WORKERS, Journal of occupational and environmental medicine, 37(9), 1995, pp. 1136-1144
The aim was to study the prevalence of physical exposures and symptoms
of the forearm-hand in a population with highly repetitive jobs. Auto
mobile assembly-line workers (ALWs) (n = 521) and a control group (CG)
from the general population answered a questionnaire. Consistent diff
erences were found between the groups. ALWs reported more symptoms fro
m the forearm-hand and higher exposure to repetitive movements, precis
ion movements, and manual handling (less than or equal to 15 kg) than
the CG. Female ALWs reported more symptoms and higher exposure to know
n risk factors for work-related forearm-hand disorders than their male
colleagues. In conclusion, automobile assembly-line workers appear to
be a high-risk group for work-related symptoms from the forearm-hand.
Also, exposure to physical load should be conscientiously analyzed si
nce women may perform different tasks than men.