Carpal tunnel syndrome among apprentice construction workers

Abstract

Many construction workers begin developing CTS before or during their apprenticeship. Few apprentices seek medical attention for hand symptoms characteristic of CTS. The results of this study indicate a public health need for the implementation of prevention strategies for CTS in the construction industry.

Does obesity contribute to non-fatal occupational injury? Evidence from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth

“…Our study has several strengths. First, the current findings are based on a representative sample with a relatively large sample size, while most of the previous research used smaller company or industry-specific samples (14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26). Second, the NLSY79 cohort has a relatively high participation rate and low sample attrition, and the longitudinal nature of our sample allows us to ensure temporal precedence of the exposure.…”

“…Despite such observations, obesity's contribution to occupational injury risk remains far from clear in epidemiological literature. A review by Pollack & Cheskin (13) with respect to traumatic workplace injury found that many of the estimates for the relationship between obesity and workplace injury in published papers were not statistically significant (14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24). However, the review also noted that many of these studies were limited by small sample sizes, inadequacies Lin et al in addressing confounding, and/or lack of robustness in statistical methods, hence inconclusive.…”

Method for quantitatively assessing physical risk factors during variable noncyclic work

“…The participants completed a questionnaire on demographics, work history, medical history, and hobbies (4,5,20). The questionnaire items have shown good testretest reliability (21).…”

“…Although few studies of upper-extremity musculoskeletal disorders have been carried out among construction workers, the prevalence and incidence appear to be high (4)(5)(6). Certain construction worker groups may be at greater risk of developing upper-extremity musculoskeletal disorders than other groups are.…”

Reliability of Hand Diagrams for the Epidemiologic Case Definition of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

“…The prevalence of this disorder has been estimated between one and five percent in the general population [1][2][3] with higher estimated rates of 10% or more reported among workers in some industries [4][5][6]. The direct costs for treatment and indirect costs for lost work time and permanent functional disability make this syndrome costly for patients as well as employers [7,8].…”