Search

The present study used longitudinal data from an alternative keyboard intervention study to test pathways between physical, work organization/psychosocial, stress and musculoskeletal symptom factors postulated by Sauter and Swanson in their ecological model of musculoskeletal disorders in office work. Data on work organization, stress and musculoskeletal symptoms were collected from 189 office workers at baseline and 1 year later. After baseline, an alternative keyboard was provided to half of the participants, while the remaining participants continued using a conventional keyboard. Regression analyses on the Year 1–baseline difference scores revealed significant relationships for keyboard condition and musculoskeletal symptoms, keyboard condition and work organization and work organization and stress. However, the relationships between work organization and musculoskeletal symptoms, keyboard condition and stress and stress and musculoskeletal symptoms were not significant. Thus, the analyses provided partial support for the tested pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMDs) are increasingly becoming more prevalent in the US workforce. The introduction of computer-based technology seems to have been accompanied by an increase in WRMDs. Computer-based technology seems to intensify work so much as to create stressful and unhealthy working conditions. In this paper, the role and impact of various psychosocial work stressors, including teamwork, in work organization interventions aimed at reducing and/or preventing WRMDs among office/computer workers are examined. Both the process and the content of the work organization interventions rely on teamwork. The results show the importance of teamwork in influencing stress and musculoskeletal discomfort. In particular, the psychosocial factors of open group process and group cohesiveness were among the most important predictors of anxiety and musculoskeletal discomfort. The results show that teamwork affects both psychosocial stress outcomes (anxiety) as well as musculoskeletal discomfort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]