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Occupational Medicine 1998;48:231-236
© 1998 Society of Occupational Medicine

research-article

Prevalence of upper extremity symptoms and possible risk factors in workers handling paper currency

D. L. Holness*,, D. Beaton{dagger} and R. A. House*

* Department of Occupational and Environmental Health and University of Toronto Toronto, Ontario, Canada
{dagger} Upper Extremity Reconstructive Service, St Michael's Hospital and University of Toronto Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The prevalence of upper extremity symptoms in the workforce is high, particularly in industries characterized by forceful, repetitive or awkward movements. A study was undertaken to assess the prevalence of upper extremity symptoms in bank workers in a paper currency processing operation and to examine the role of possible risk factors for these complaints. Thirty-nine workers of a total workforce of 47 were assessed with a questionnaire and physical examination. The questionnaire collected information about demographics, health status, symptom reporting, psychosocial work stressors and other work exposure characteristics. Overall, 59% of the workers reported having significant work-related upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms in the preceding year, including 49% with neck and shoulder symptoms and 49% with arm and wrist symptoms. In this study the key predictive factor for upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms was psychological job demands. The workers had similar ergonomic stressors (with little gradient of exposure) and therefore our results do not contradict the importance of ergonomic factors in the development of upper extremity symptoms. However, the results do suggest that within a group exposed to similar ergonomic stressors, psychological job demands may be an important factor associated with musculoskeletal symptoms.

Keywords      Ergonomics; musculoskeletal; work organization

Received       21 January 1997
Accepted       26 January 1998

Correspondence and reprint requests to: D. L. Holness, Department of Occupational & Environmental Health, St. Michael's Hospital, 30 Bond Street, Toronto, Ontario M5B 1W8, Canada. Tel: (+1) 416-867-7470; Fax: (+1) 416-864-5870; email holnessl{at}smh.toronto.on.ca


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