Sector: construction industry

Type of hazard: handling of loads

Catchwords: occupational disease, lifting and carrying of loads, epidemiology

Status: completed 06/1997

Financed by: Bundesministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft, Forschung und Technologie (BMBF)

Research institution(s): Universitätskrankenhaus Hamburg-Eppendorf; Nordig-Institut für Gesundheitsforschung und Prävention, Hamburg; Abteilung Arbeitswissenschaft, Universität Hamburg; Rheumaklinik Bad Bramstedt; Kooperationsstelle Hamburg

Description, key words:

Integral cause analysis for spinal illnesses

Aims:

Increased risk of spine, joint and tendon disorders in construction workers (and introduction of the new occupational illness list numbers 2108 and 2109). Goal: explaining the cause-effect relationship between musculo skeletal disorders and the influences of activities performed in construction work in an interdisciplinary, integrated, observational approach; determining and analysing problematic activities/working procedures; derivation and evaluation of intervention and prevention measures

Activities/methods:

Cross-sectional study of 561 construction workers (bricklayers, painters, concrete workers, joiners): investigation of occupational case histories, past illnesses, risk factors external to the working environment; standardised orthopaedic examination with functional diagnosis, occupational medical examination with immunological tests, second cross-sectional examination after three years (480 construction workers); occupational scientific field studies to analyse characteristic work activities; more profound analysis of selected characteristic work activities in the bio-mechanics laboratory. Development of an occupational scientific inquiry instrument for the continuous determining of individual strain.

Results:

Multiple correlations provide points of main effort of prevention

Publications:

Symposium "Körperliche Belastungen und Erkrankungen im Baugewerbe" 17./18.11.1997 in Hamburg

last update: 22.08.2000