National Office
CSTE
2872 Woodcock Blvd
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Atlanta, GA 30341
770-458-3811
770-458-8516
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Indicator 7: Musculoskeletal Disorders Reported by Employers |
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| • Estimated annual number and rate of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) involving days away from work among private sector workers |
| • Estimated annual number and rate of MSDs of the back involving days away from work among private sector workers |
| • Estimated annual number and rate of MSDs of the upper extremities, neck, and shoulder involving days away from work among private sector workers |
| • Estimated annual number and rate of carpal tunnel syndrome cases involving days away from work among private sector workers |
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| Data Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Annual Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses |
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are injuries or disorders of muscles, tendons, nerves, ligaments, joints, or spinal discs that are caused or aggravated by work activities. Workplace risk factors for MSDs include repetitive forceful motions, awkward postures, use of vibrating tools or equipment, and manual handling of heavy, awkward loads. These disorders also can be caused by single, traumatic events such as falls.
This occupational health indicator is based on data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in the Annual Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (Annual Survey). The BLS definition of MSDs includes sprains, strains, pain, hurt back, carpal tunnel syndrome, and hernia in which the event leading to the condition is reported as overexertion, repetitive motion, or bending, reaching, or twisting. BLS excludes MSDs reportedly caused by single events such as slips and falls, and motor vehicle crashes.
MSDs are some of the most common and costly work-related health problems. These injuries can significantly impact the ability of workers to perform their jobs and affect quality of life both on and off the job. According to the Annual Survey, MSDs have consistently accounted for over one-third of all work-related injuries and illnesses involving days away from work reported by employers over the last decade.1 Direct workers’ compensation costs of work-related MSDs have been estimated at $20 billion annually in the U.S., and total costs of these injuries when including indirect costs, such as lost productivity, range as high as $54 billion.2
The Annual Survey is based on data collected from a nationwide sample of employers. While it is a valuable source of information about work-related injuries, it has a number of limitations. Excluded from these estimates are public sector workers, the self-employed, household workers and workers on farms with fewer than 11 employees. Together these sectors comprise approximately 21% of the U.S. workforce.3 In addition, there is evidence that MSDs are under-recorded on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) logs that serve as the basis for the Annual Survey.4,5 The Annual Survey is also subject to sampling error. Workers’ compensation data used in Indicator 8 in this report provide additional information about one type of MSD—carpel tunnel syndrome—in the states.
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| Data |
| • 2000 click here to view table |
| • 2001 click here to view table |
| • 2002 click here to view table |
| • 2003 click here to view table |
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1 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Worker Health Chartbook, 2004. Cincinnati OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2004-146. 2004. Available: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/chartbook/pdfs/2004-146.pdf
2 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council, Musculoskeletal Disorders and the Workplace; Low back and Upper Extremities. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. 2001, page 58.
3 Leigh JP et al. An estimate of the US governments’s undercount of nonfatal occupational injuries. J Occup and Environ. Med. 2004; 46 (No. 1)
4 Conway H, Svenson J. Occupational injury and illness rates,1992-1996: why they fell. Mon Labor Rev.1998; 121(11)36-58.
5 Azaroff LS, Levenstein C, Wegman DH. Occupational Injury and Illness Surveillance: Conceptual Filters Explain Underreporting. AJPH. 2002; 92(9):1421-1429.
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