Abstract

The first phase of the this project examining the predictive value of task-related factors for spinal column injury evaluated the predictive value of workstation characteristics for posture among assemblers. Workstation factors appeared to exert a weak effect on posture, at least in this type of non-repetitive work involving many different types of dynamic workstations. It was therefore difficult to identify posture-related risk factors solely on the basis of workstation observations.

The second phase of this project was a questionnaire study of the relation between workstation characteristics and the prevalence of back problems. No association was observed between these variables.

In the third phase, assemblers indicated on a questionnaire - incorporating photographs, diagrams, and written questions - elements of their task which they perceived as causing back pain. The results indicate that the state of a worker's back influences his or her perception of the difficulty of the tasks. Some of the results were quite unexpected, e.g. a riveting gun which was identified as problematic only by assemblers with back problems. Finally, the assemblers tended to identify global, complex situations rather than specific local ones, suggesting the need to assess the interrelation between various factors in evaluating the difficulty of a task.