A new report shows significant proportions of employees are experiencing
fatigue and pain due to the biomechanical demands of their work.

The Safe Work Australia report, Exposure to Biomechanical Demands, Pain and
Fatigue Symptoms and the Provision of Controls in Australian Workplaces, is
based on National Hazard Exposure Worker Surveillance (NHEWS) data collected in
2008.

Biomechanical demands cover physical demands such as working in a twisted or
awkward posture, repetitive hand or arm movements, and sitting.

"Approximately 80 per cent of workers reported experiencing fatigue and
approximately 50 per cent to 60 per cent of workers reported experiencing pain
symptoms as a result of the biomechanical demands of their work," says the Safe
Work Australia report.

The research found that exposure to biomechanical demands was very common in
Australian workplaces. "For each of nine biomechanical demands included in the
survey, at least half and as many as 88 per cent of the workers surveyed
reported exposure."

Women are more likely to report pain and fatigue due to biomechanical demands
than men are. "Although male workers typically were exposed to higher levels of
biomechanical demands, female workers were more likely to report pain and
fatigue symptoms and less likely to be provided with biomechanical demand
controls than male workers."

Further Information

AplusA-online.de - Source: Safe Work Australia