Effects of participatory ergonomic intervention on the development of upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders and disability in office employees using a computer

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the participatory ergonomic method on the development of upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders and disability in office employees. METHODS This study is a randomized controlled intervention study. It comprised 116 office workers using computers. Those in the intervention group were taught office ergonomics and the risk assessment method. Cox proportional hazards model and generalized estimating equations (GEEs) were used. RESULTS In the 10-month postintervention follow-up, the possibility of developing symptoms was 50.9%. According to multivariate analysis results, the possibility of developing symptoms on the right side of the neck and in the right wrist and hand was significantly less in the intervention group than in the control group (p<0.05). Neck disability/symptom scores over time were significantly lower in the intervention group compared with the control group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION The participatory ergonomic intervention decreases the possibility of musculoskeletal complaints and disability/symptom level in office workers.