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Workplace Health Resources

Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSD)

  • The CDC National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Ergonomics and Musculoskeletal Disorders Health and Safety Topic Page contains a number of resources related to information on a number of WMSD topics (e.g., back injury); ergonomic programs and interventions (e.g., computer keyboard design); evaluating risk factors; and data and scientific research.
  • The CDC National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Elements of Ergonomic Programs primer follows a seven step process providing the basics for implementing and evaluating a workplace ergonomics program. The primer contains a number of strategies for gathering and analyzing data for WMSDs and evaluating WMSD prevention interventions such as the effectiveness of controls.
  • The CDC Arthritis Program recommends several evidence-based self-management programs as well as physical activity programs for people with arthritis proven to improve the quality of life of people with arthritis.
  • The Department of Defense Ergonomics Working Group has developed multiple ergonomic fact sheets for employee education.
  • The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has developed a number of Ergonomic eTools that provide informational resources and strategies on addressing ergonomics hazards in general and for specific industry sectors.
  • The Job Accommodation Network, supported by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, publishes Job Accommodations for People with Arthritis, a fact sheet with examples of workplace accommodations for people with arthritis.
  • The Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics (AOEC) and the Society of Occupational and Environmental Health (SOEH) with support and contributions from the CDC National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), The Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR), the U.S. Veteran’s Administration (VA), AARP, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the American Public Health Association (APHA), and the Work and Health Research Center (WHRC) at the University of Maryland School of Nursing hosted a conference in 2009 titled, “Healthy Aging for a Sustainable Workforce.” The conference report generated several recommendations for programs and policies to address workplace injuries and illnesses such as work-related musculoskeletal disorders which can be found on pages 17-19 and on pages 35-37 with respect to older construction workers in the report.
  • The Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety has created Manual Materials Handling Tables (male and female) that can be used to perform ergonomics assessments of lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling, and carrying tasks with the primary goal of supporting ergonomic design interventions.

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