Ergonomic analysis to characterize task constraint and repetitiveness as risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders in telecommunication office work.

A modified activity analysis procedure was devised to quantify the presence of two task attributes identified in previous research as contributing to an increase in work demands and ergonomic hazards. The purpose of this study was to develop an exposure index based on the presence of two task attributes. The utility of this job activity analysis will, of course, be determined by the extent to which workers with varying degrees of muscular pain and discomfort correspond to the risk exposure group we have described. The results of both the medical and psychological assessments of the workers--contained in the final HETA report--will be used to assess the utility of our method and determine whether the task attributes of constraint and repetitiveness contribute to the onset of cumulative trauma disorders among clerical workers.