Preventing Musculoskeletal Disorders: Screening and Workplace Interventions

CME/MOC: 1.0
TRACK: OEM Clinical Practice

Ibraheem (Abe) Al-Tarawneh, PhD, Ohio Center for Occupational Safety and Health, Pickerington, OH
Bradley A. Evanoff, MD, MPH, FACOEM, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
David Rempel, MD, FACOEM, University of California, San Francisco, CA

Post-offer pre-placement (POPP) testing for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), low back pain (LBP), and other musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) is used to prevent workplace injuries. Under this practice, workers with abnormal nerve conduction, radiographs, or other findings are not hired into physically demanding jobs. This presentation will review current evidence on the utility of POPP screening for CTS and LBP. The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation recently expanded the financial resources and reach of its occupational safety and health programs. The impact has been a reduction of injuries by 13.2%. This session will present some of these programs with case studies exploring their impact. The Safety Intervention Grants Program provides matching funds to businesses for engineering controls to prevent MSDs. Participating businesses reduced the frequency and cost of injuries by 66% and 81%, respectively. This model program has components that should be useful to any size company.