Carpal tunnel syndrome prevalence: an evaluation of workers at a raw poultry processing plant
Musolin, Kristin ; Ramsey, Jessica
International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health
2017
23
4
282-290
carpal tunnel syndrome ; musculoskeletal diseases ; poultry ; food processing ; risk assessment
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD)
https://doi.org/10.1080/10773525.2018.1474420
English
Bibliogr.
"OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) among workers at a raw poultry processing plant and categorize jobs on the basis of hand activity and force.
METHODS: A cross-sectional survey among 191 workers assessed CTS defined by self-reported CTS symptoms, a hand symptom diagram, and measurements of nerve conduction parameters. We categorized jobs based on American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists' (ACGIH®) limits for hand activity and force, and examined the relationships with CTS occurrence.
RESULTS: A total of 64 workers (34%) had CTS after adjusting for non-occupational factors. Overall, 81% of jobs were above the ACGIH action limit; 59% were above the ACGIH threshold limit value®. CTS prevalence did not differ significantly between exposure groups (PR = 0.82, p = 0.35).
CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that poultry processing jobs continue to be hazardous with workers at risk for CTS. Recommendations for the study population were provided to reduce exposure and CTS risk among workers."
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