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Law and the workplace: Occupational medicine. Jack W. Snyder & Julie E. Klees, Eds. (Hanley & Delfus, Inc., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1996), 200 pages, $36.00.

Background Psychosocial working conditions are likely to contribute to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs), but a lack of standardized measurement tools reflects both the theoretical and methodological limitations of current research. Methods An interdisciplinary team including biomedical, behavioral, and social science researchers used an iterative process to adapt existing instruments for an interviewer-administered questionnaire assessing psychosocial workplace exposure related to musculoskeletal disorders. Results The resulting questionnaire included measures of psychosocial workplace factors based on two theoretical models (the demand-control-support and the effort-reward imbalance models), supplemented by the additional constructs of “emotional demands,” and “experiences of discrimination.” Other psychosocial and physical measures selected for questionnaire inclusion address physical workload, sociodemographic and anthropometric characteristics, social relations and life events, health behaviors, and physical and psychological health. Conclusion Using an interdisciplinary approach facilitated the development of a comprehensive questionnaire inclusive of key measures of psychosocial factors that may play a role in the complex mechanisms leading to WRMSDs. Am. J. Ind. Med. 45:428–439, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Background/Aims The member institutions of the HMORN have long been concerned about their ability to conduct multi-site research in a timely and efficient manner. Frequently in the past, investigators in multi-site studies have felt constrained by the requirement of submitting proposed research to multiple IRBs. In June 2008, the HMORN Governing Board approved a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that streamlined this submission process for data-only studies (Version 1), and in September 2010, the SOP was revised (Version 2) to permit the inclusion of all HMORN multi-site research except clinical trials. IRB Administrators and Directors from around the HMORN met in December 2010 to discuss strategies for harmonizing clinical trials review as well as establishing a Network-wide IRB Authorization Agreement for the conduct of HMORN multi-site research.