July 20, 2005—Upper-extremity musculoskeletal disorders are significantly under-reported and rates are not decreasing over time, according to a study funded by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in the July issue of the American Journal of Industrial Medicine.
The study’s aim was to examine whether MSDs are on the decline, as suggested by survey data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or if MSDs instead are being under-reported, as other evidence suggests. Researchers noted that the magnitude of MSD under-reporting over time, and its industry distribution, have not been adequately studied.
Researchers examined seven years of state data from Connecticut, utilizing workers’ compensation and physician reporting data. They found only 5.5 percent to 7.9 percent of MSD cases were being reported to workers’ comp annually. The capture-recapture estimated average annual rate for upper-extremity MSDs was 133.1 per 10,000 employees, far above BLS rates. By industry, the study found manufacturing, state government and the finance/real estate sectors all had significantly higher MSD rates than the wholesale/retail trade sector.
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