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Women Workers Need an Ergo Standard
Women workers suffer a disproportionate number of many types of ergonomic injuries. These injuries are often referred to as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). MSDs often occur in the upper body and most commonly affect the wrists, shoulders, elbows, neck, hands and back. MSDs result from working conditions such as a fast pace, heavy lifting, repetition or working in an awkward and uncomfortable position. These injuries are common in a wide variety of occupations including nursing aides, cashiers, poultry workers and sewing machine operators. Those occupations most affected by MSDs also tend to be lower wage jobs that employ high numbers of minority workers. Here are some facts about women and ergonomic injuries:
- Women make up approximately 44 percent of the workforce, and 33 percent of those injured at work, yet they account for 64 percent of repetitive motion injuries that result in lost worktime (43,671 out of 68,323).
- Women experience 68 percent of the carpal tunnel syndrome injuries that result in lost worktime (18,740 out of 27,697).
- 62 percent of the lost-worktime tendonitis injuries occur among women workers (8,961 out of 14,445).
- In 2000, nearly 155,000 women workers suffered an injury due to overexertion that resulted in time away from work.
- Sprains/strains, carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis together account for more than half of all lost worktime injuries and illnesses among women.
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Ergonomic Injuries Among Women |
| Description of Injury |
Number of LWT Injuries to Women |
% of All Injured |
| Carpal Tunnel Syndrome |
|
68% |
| Tendinitis |
|
62% |
| Injured due to Repetitive Motion |
|
64% |
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due to repetitive typing or keyboard entry |
| |
|
89% |
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due to repetitive placing/grasping |
| |
|
64% |
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due to repetitive use of tools |
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|
46% |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics: Lost-Worktime Injuries and Illnesses, 2000.
Note: LWT = Lost-worktime
Low—Wage Minority Workers at Risk
A number of occupations that are relatively low wage and employ large numbers of women are particularly hard hit by musculoskeletal disorders. The annual pay of the majority of the jobs below fall beneath the U.S. Census Bureau's 2000 median earnings of women who worked full time and year round—$28,823.
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Jobs with the Most Musculoskeletal Disorders for Women |
| Occupation |
Number of Women with LWT Injuries |
Median Hourly Wage |
Median Annual Pay |
| Nursing aides, orderlies, attendants |
41,022 |
$8.89 |
$18,491 |
| Registered nurses |
10,718 |
21.56 |
44,845 |
| Cashiers |
8,551 |
6.95 |
14,456 |
| Assemblers |
6,926 |
10.32 |
21,053 |
| Maids and housemen |
6,739 |
7.41 |
16,190 |
| Misc. machine operators |
6,634 |
N/A |
N/A |
| Laborers (except construction) |
5,574 |
9.04 |
18,803 |
| Licensed practical nurses |
5,232 |
14.15 |
29,432 |
| Sales workers, other commodities |
5,079 |
8.02 |
16,361 |
| Freight, stock and material handlers |
4,530 |
9.04 |
18,810 |
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics: Lost-Worktime Injuries and Illnesses, 2000 and National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, 2000.
Many of these jobs employ large numbers of minority workers. In eight of the 10 jobs above, Hispanic and African American workers account for between 27 and 50 percent of the workforce.
Ergonomic injuries are the nation's number one job safety problem. All workers—women and men—need an OSHA standard to prevent these crippling injuries.
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Effects of MSDs: Workers with carpal tunnel syndrome miss more days away from work (27 days on average) than workers with any other type of major disabling condition, including amputation. Among the leading events and exposures, repetitive motion, such as typing, scanning groceries, and grasping tools result in the longest absences from work—an average of 19 days.
The numbers reported by BLS represent only a part of the total MSD problem. These figures do not include injuries suffered by public sector workers, nor do they reflect underreporting of MSDs by employers. Based on studies and experience, OSHA has estimated that MSDs are underreported by a factor of two—that is for every MSD reported, there is another work-related MSD that is not recorded or reported. |
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Prevention: These injuries can be prevented. Ergonomic solutions might involve changing tools to make them more comfortable, changing work design so workers don't have to work over their heads or reducing the number of motions a worker must perform. Ergonomic programs can prevent MSDs, but to date, only a small number of employers have implemented them. |
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For more information contact: AFL-CIO Department of Occupational Safety and Health (202) 637-5366
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