A Follow-Up Study of Preventive Effects on Low Back Pain at Worksites by Providing a Participatory Occupational Safety and Health Program

• Published in: Industrial Health Vol. 35; no. 2; pp. 243 - 248
• Main Authors: KODA, Shigeki, NAKAGIRI, Shingo, YASUDA, Nobufumi, TOYOTA, Makoto, OHARA, Hiroshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health 01.04.1997
• Subjects: Follow-Up Studies; Health Education - methods; Humans; Improvements; Intervention; Japan; Low back pain; Low Back Pain - prevention & control; Male; Municipal enterprise; Occupational Diseases - prevention & control; Occupational Health; Participatory occupational safety and health program; Refuse Disposal; Task Performance and Analysis; Waste management; Japan
• ISSN: 0019-8366; 1880-8026
• DOI: 10.2486/indhealth.35.243

Low back pain is still a common and serious issue at worksites. In order to evaluate preventive effects on low back pain by providing a participatory occupational safety and health program, we conducted a 10 year follow-up study at the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Waste Management and examined yearly changes in the number of compensated and claimed low back pain. The participatory occupational safety and health program is based on a small-sized group and joint employee-employer involvements. This program includes analysis of occupational accidents, revision of the safety procedure manual, participatory training classes, improving and evaluating working procedures and personal protective equipments, and so on. The number of compensated low back pain from 1984 to 1994 has decreased from 318 to 87, and the number of claimed low back pain has decreased from 343 to 92. These results suggest that the participatory occupational safety and health program is effective in preventin of low back pain.