Key points
- The mission of the Musculoskeletal Health Program is to reduce work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), such as carpal tunnel syndrome and low back pain.
- Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are soft-tissue injuries caused by sudden or sustained exposure to repetitive motion, force, vibration, and awkward positions.
Overview
To Learn More
The mission of the NIOSH Musculoskeletal Health Program is to reduce the burden of work-related MSDs through a focused program of research and prevention that protects workers from MSDs, helps management mitigate related risks and liabilities, and helps practitioners improve the efficacy of workplace interventions. The Program collaborates with the NIOSH Center for Workers' Compensation Studies (CWCS) on identifying industries with high risk for musculoskeletal disorders and determining effective interventions for reducing the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. In addition, the Program collaborates with the NIOSH Center for Occupational Robotics Research (CORR) and the NIOSH Center for Direct Reading and Sensor Technologies (NCDRST) on coordinating research projects focusing on emerging technologies for MSD prevention and providing assistance in making industry standards and guidelines.
Program priorities
The Musculoskeletal Health Program has selected research priorities on the basis of burden, need, and impact and collaborated with other NIOSH research programs to write research goals included in the NIOSH Strategic Plan for FYs 2019-2026. Priority areas include (but are not limited to):
- address risk factors for MSDs through improved assessment methods
- develop and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions
- use workers' compensation data to better understand risk factors
- disseminate information on effective risk control methods and technologies
What we've accomplished
In 2022-2023, the Program:
- Posted seven webinars to YouTube highlighting the use of emerging technologies to prevent work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The archived webinars were cited in a popular exoskeleton news channel.
- Published a book chapter focusing on the breadth of the scientific knowledge and literature pertaining to MSDs for occupational safety and health professionals interested in learning about the field of ergonomics.
- Published a research report that evaluated the impact of a state workers' compensation (WC) insurer's onsite risk control (RC) services on insured employers' WC claim frequency and cost.
- Published a Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) report on whole-body vibration analysis of golf course maintenance tasks.
- Published a review paper of robots and automation as health/safety interventions in small manufacturing enterprises.
- Published a review paper on applications and roles of exoskeletons in patient handling.
What's ahead
In the future, the Program aims to:
- Partner with healthcare industry, academia, professional associations (Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and AIHA), state and federal government agencies to publish ergonomic best practices for handling decedents during mass fatality events in acute care settings.
- Disseminate information on workplace psychosocial factors, work organization, and physical exertion as risk factors for low back pain using data from National Health Interview Survey.
- Promote the importance of preventing WMSDs using technologies, interventions, and best practices through the NIOSH Science Blog, eNews, webinars and educational materials.
Resources
More information and useful resources can be found on the Ergonomics and Musculoskeletal Disorders page.
NORA Council
The Musculoskeletal Health Program helps lead the NORA Musculoskeletal Health Council, which brings together individuals and organizations to share information, form partnerships, and promote adoption and dissemination of solutions that work.