Every year workers' low-back, hand, and arm problems lead to time away from jobs and reduce the nation's economic productivity. The connection of these problems to workplace activities-from carrying boxes to lifting patients to pounding computer keyboards-is the subject of major disagreements among workers, employers, advocacy groups, and researchers. Musculoskeletal Disorders and the Workplace examines the scientific basis for connecting musculoskeletal disorders with the workplace, considering people, job tasks, and work environments. A multidisciplinary panel draws conclusions about the likelihood of causal links and the effectiveness of various intervention strategies. The panel also offers recommendations for what actions can be considered on the basis of current information and for closing information gaps. This book presents the latest information on the prevalence, incidence, and costs of musculoskeletal disorders and identifies factors that influence injury reporting. It reviews the broad scope of evidence: epidemiological studies of physical and psychosocial variables, basic biology, biomechanics, and physical and behavioral responses to stress. Given the magnitude of the problem-approximately 1 million people miss some work each year-and the current trends in workplace practices, this volume will be a must for advocates for workplace health, policy makers, employers, employees, medical professionals, engineers, lawyers, and labor officials.

本作は、働く人々の身体に刻まれた沈黙の痛みを、科学の光で鮮明に描き出した記念碑的一冊です。単なるデータ集を超え、労働環境や心理的要因が複雑に絡み合う現代社会の構造的な歪みを鋭く抉り出しています。分析の背後には、名もなき労働者の営みを守ろうとする強烈な正義感が流れており、読者はそこに血の通った真の知性の在り方を見出すはずです。 バイオメカニクスから社会心理学までを横断する圧巻の視座は、学術書の枠を超え、もはや一つの壮大な叙事詩といえます。情報の空白を埋め、未来の労働環境を再定義しようとするその情熱的な提言は、健康と労働の調和を希求するすべての人々の魂を揺さぶる、まさに必読のバイブルです。