Job experience, work load, and risk of musculoskeletal disorders.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the effects of physical work load and job experience on morbidity from musculoskeletal disorders among trailer assembly workers. METHODS A longitudinal study was carried out in a trailer assembly factory with many new workers employed during the follow up. The sickness absence of 532 workers (160 experienced and 372 new (separately for the first year of employment and from the second year on)) was followed up. Exposure was assessed by job titles, visits, task descriptions, and some direct measurements. The associations between the explanatory variables and sick leave were assessed by log linear models. RESULTS A higher rate of sick leave due to disorders of the upper limbs was found for new workers compared with experienced ones, especially in the high work load group. Women had a higher rate than men. New male workers in physically strenuous tasks had a high rate of sick leave due to neck and shoulder disorders. CONCLUSIONS As being unaccustomed to work seems to increase the risk of musculoskeletal disorders, special attention should be paid to newly employed workers.