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Objectives: To assess the impact of a workplace ergonomic program to reduce musculoskeletal burden among newspaper employees and to understand relationships among participation, risk factor changes and health status within an employee cohort. Methods: We conducted repeat cross-sectional surveys, with 1,003 employees from all major departments in 1996 and 813 in 2001, generating a cohort of 433 participants in both surveys. Elements of the ergonomic program included employee RSI (repetitive strain injury) training, pro-active assessment of workstations and workstation modifications, and encouragement of early treatment through on-site physiotherapy. Potential risk factors included biomechanical and work organizational aspects of office work. Health status measures included pain intensity and the Work-Disability of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH). Repeat cross-sectional analyses incorporated modifications for shared variance. For the cohort, a theory of change informed path analyses using M PLUS. Results: Among respondents in 2001, 69% reported participation in RSI training and 56% had workstation assessments. Among those with pain, 57% had consulted a health practitioner, including the on-site physiotherapist. In repeat cross-sectional analyses, the proportion reporting moderate pain or worse, at least once per month or for longer than 1 week, declined from 20 to 16% ( p=0.01). Among the cohort, pain intensity and work disability in 1996 were the strongest predictors of 2001 health status (both p<0.001). Stable or increased supervisor awareness and concern about RSI was associated with decreased pain in 2001( p<0.01). Participation in RSI training was associated with increases in decision latitude ( p<0.05), which themselves were associated with decreased work disability in 2001 ( p<0.05). Increased time mousing was associated with increases in work disability ( p<0.05). Conclusions: Implementation of a worksite ergonomics program was associated with a reduction in frequent and severe pain in the workforce. Changes in work disability were affected by multiple factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: The relative importance of region, workplace, and individual determinants of health burden is debated. Objective: To model the contribution of hospital characteristics to employee mental and musculoskeletal disorders. Methods: We linked employment records of nurses and support services’ staff with health records, neighbourhood census, and hospital administrative data. We conducted multi-level logistic regression analyses with three levels: year (I), employee characteristics (II), and hospital characteristics (III). Results: Northern region hospitals experienced lower disorder prevalences (odds ratios (OR) 0.58, 95% confidence intervals (0.40, 0.82) for mental and 0.56 (0.44, 0.73) for musculoskeletal disorders). Hospitals with yearly workloads of the highest versus lowest quintiles of inpatient days/1000 employee hours (>86.0 vs. <42.6) and surgical cases/1000 employee hours (>10.5 vs. <3.9) had greater odds of mental (1.29 (1.05, 1.57); 1.22 (1.05, 1.42)) and musculoskeletal (1.38 (1.21, 1.58); 1.21 (1.09, 1.34)) disorders. Conclusion: Opportunities exist for reduction in burden with hospital workload reduction. Further exploration of regional effects is needed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]