Screening of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Upper Limb Disorders Using the SALTSA Protocol: A Work-Site Study in Belgium

Abstract

Background: Long-term absenteeism continues to rise in Belgium and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) have been considered a primary cause. However, there is still uncertainty about the prevalence of MSDs, and about the contribution of work-related factors in the etiology of MSDs. SALTSA, which was developed in 2001, is a European diagnostic criterion document that aims to standardize the reporting of work-related upper limb MSDs (ULMSDs). The purpose of this work-site study was to implement SALTSA in daily occupational health practice and to determine the prevalence of ULMSDs in a Belgian company. Methods: During health examinations, occupational health nurses and an occupational health physician screened employees in a company with ergonomically high-risk activities for the occurrence of ULMSDs using the SALTSA protocol. In order to explore associations between ULMSDs and lifestyle and work-related factors, bivariate and logistic regression analyses were performed. Findings: Three hundred and eight (94.0%, 308/328) employees were screened resulting in an ULMSD prevalence of 20.5% (95% CI = [16.0–25.3]). Rotator cuff syndrome was the most common condition. Prevalence varied significantly between men (9.6%, 95% CI = [5.6–14.9]) and women (35.0%, 95% CI = [26.9–43.9]). Being female ( p < .001) and working in the cabling assembly unit ( p = .002) were found to be significant predictors of ULMSDs. Conclusion/Application to Practice: By using the SALTSA protocol in occupational health practices, ULMSDs can be screened unequivocally, enabling comparisons between different occupational sectors and countries. Occupational health nurses can play an important role in detecting and screening MSDs among workers.