ASSESSMENT OF PHYSICAL WORK LOAD IN EPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDIES - CONCEPTS,ISSUES AND OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

Ergonomic epidemiology is a rapidly increasing field of research provi ding data on the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders and possible risk factors. The present paper states, on the basis of a literature o verview, that physical work load (mechanical exposure) is poorly defin ed and measured in most studies on ergonomic epidemiology. On this bac kground the paper: (1) suggests adjustments of mechanical exposure con cepts and terminology; (2) concludes that invalid exposure assessment may, to a large extent, explain the lack of quantitative data on relat ionships between mechanical exposures and musculoskeletal disorders; a nd (3) suggests some guidelines for future quantitative assessments of mechanical exposure in large populations.