A staged approach to reducing musculoskeletal disorders (MSD's) in the workplace: A long term follow-up

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) remain the most common form of occupational ill health in Great Britain. Recent research by the authors (Whysall, Haslam and Haslam, 2005) involved the development and evaluation of a new and innovative approach to reducing MSDs. These authors applied a model from health psychology (stage of change model) to develop interventions more closely matched to worker and manager stage of change. Twenty four interventions were monitored within a variety of organisations for up to six months. Tailored interventions (matched to stage of change) were found to be more effective in promoting riskawareness, promoting behaviour change aimed at reducing risks, and in reducing self reported musculoskeletal discomfort in a number of body areas. The study described in this report involved a longer term followup at 15 months postintervention and at 20 months postintervention to ascertain whether the improvements seen at 6 months persist in the longer term. The results show that the benefits in behaviour change and symptom reduction persist over a longer period of followup. Tailored interventions were found to be more effective in promoting behaviour change and reducing selfreported musculoskeletal discomfort over a 20 month followup period. These findings suggest that scope exists for improving the success of interventions by tailoring advice according to stage of change. This approach increases the uptake, implementation, and maintenance of risk reducing measures. This report and the work it describes were funded by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Its contents, including any opinions and/or conclusions expressed, are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect HSE policy

Manual handling training: investigation of current practices and development of guidelines

This report presents findings of a systematic literature review, telephone survey and expert panels undertaken to determine what constitutes effective manual handling training. The results of the systematic review indicate there is very little evidence supporting the effectiveness of both technique and educational based manual handling training. There was evidence that principles learnt during training are not applied in the workplace. Strength and flexibility training appears potentially beneficial, however further research is needed to determine whether it has long term benefits in terms of injury reduction. There was no evidence for the effectiveness of back schools in preventing low back pain. Ergonomics interventions that include risk assessment, observation of workers, tailored training and task/equipment redesign have been shown to be beneficial in the literature. The telephone survey indicated that induction of new staff and statutory requirements are the main drivers for manual handling training. More than 75% of companies surveyed conduct inhouse manual handling training rather than out sourcing training to consultants. Most organisations and consultancies record participant feedback on training courses and sickness absence is regarded as the main outcome measure of effectiveness. Survey respondents felt that manual handling training is mor effective if it is tailored to specific industry and task demands. Practical elements in training were believed to reinforce learning, particularly if tailored to individual job demands. To be effective, manual handling training needs to be embedded as an ongoing process in organisations and reinforced with regular refresher courses. Training should encourage the workforce to assess risk and there needs to be careful monitoring of working practices. The expert panels reviewed the findings and the discussions were used to generate and refine a set of guiding principles for ef fective manual handling training

Manual handling training: an investigation of current practice

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the most common cause of severe long-term pain and physical disability affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide. In industrialised countries, about one third of all health-related absences from work are due to MSDs. In the UK, the 1992 Manual Handling Operations Regulations (UK) set out a hierarchy of measures aimed at reducing the risks presented by manual handling; nevertheless concerns have been raised regarding the suitability of manual handling training and it’s effectiveness in reducing MSDs among employees. The study outlined here investigated current practice in relation to manual handling training within the UK and aimed to establish whether such training was considered by organisations to be effective. One hundred and fifty telephone interviews were conducted in total comprising 120 interviews with representatives from UK organisations and 30 interviews with representatives from UK training consultancies. The findings suggest that manual handling training is considered to be more effective if it is tailored to meet specific task and industry needs. The results from this study have informed new guidelines for effective manual handling training. It is hoped that these guidelines will be useful for other nations

MOESM1 of Evidence-based guideline implementation in low and middle income countries: lessons for mental health care

Additional file 1: Web Appendix. Excluded papers

Life-cycle Impacts of Public Housing Renewal in Victoria - Briefing Paper

The Life-Cycle Impacts of Public Housing Renewal in Victoria report is intended to strengthen the evidence-base for a life-cycle approach to public housing renewal strategies in Victoria. Public housing renewal decisions cannot be made in isolation from other social, environmental and economic objectives. The report promotes a life-cycle approach to Victorian public housing which engages with key considerations (Life Cycle Assessment, Circular Economy, Climate Resilience, and Community Health and Wellbeing) and analyses three basic models of renewal of public housing approaches (Demolish and Rebuild, Retrofit, and Retrofit and Infill).</p

Life-cycle Impacts of Public Housing Renewal in Victoria - Evidence Review

The Life-Cycle Impacts of Public Housing Renewal in Victoria report is intended to strengthen the evidence-base for a life-cycle approach to public housing renewal strategies in Victoria. Public housing renewal decisions cannot be made in isolation from other social, environmental and economic objectives. The report promotes a life-cycle approach to Victorian public housing which engages with key considerations (Life Cycle Assessment, Circular Economy, Climate Resilience, and Community Health and Wellbeing) and analyses three basic models of renewal of public housing approaches (Demolish and Rebuild, Retrofit, and Retrofit and Infill).</p