Frequent Exertion and Frequent Standing Among US Workers

January 16, 2018 by Taylor M. Shockey, MPH

Have you ever wondered if your job involves more standing, bending, or lifting than other jobs? Or if there are ways you could avoid injuries from these movements while on the job?

Last week, NIOSH published an article on frequent exertion and frequent standing among US workers by industry and occupation group. Using data from the Occupational Health Supplement (OHS) to 2015 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), the article focused on currently employed adults who were asked the following two questions related to the physical activities of their current job:

“How often does your job involve repeated lifting, pushing, pulling, or bending?” (exertion)
“How often does your job involve standing or walking around?” (standing).

Responses to these two questions were categorized as either frequent exertion or standing (often/always responses) or infrequent exertion or standing (never/seldom/sometimes responses). A third variable was created to examine those respondents who reported both frequent exertion and frequent standing compared to those respondents who reported only one or neither.

What we found

We found that among 19 major industry groups, the highest prevalence estimates of both frequent exertion and frequent standing occurred within:

Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting (70.9%)
Construction (67.2%)
Accommodation (e.g. hotels) and food services (57.7%)

Among the 22 major occupation groups, the highest prevalence estimates of both frequent exertion and frequent standing occurred within:

- Construction and extraction (76.9%)
- Farming, forestry, and fishing (75.5%)
- Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance (74.0%)

Why This Matters

The first blog of a NIOSH series on musculoskeletal health-related research notes, that in order to reduce the burden of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), ergonomics programs and interventions are needed that are tailored to address the problems specific to various occupation groups. For example, nurses are more likely to injure their backs or necks when they lift and handle patients, while factory assemblers are more likely to overexert muscles in their hands as they work to put together small parts.

Identifying those industries and occupations with frequent exertion and frequent standing can guide prevention efforts to the most at-risk workers. Prior research is consistent with our results and has found that agricultural and construction work often requires heavy manual material handling, repetitive exertions, and awkward body postures. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, overexertion was the leading major event or exposure associated with occupational injuries, resulting in 33% of cases reported in 2015. While some studies suggest that frequent standing at work can cause low back pain and other lower extremity symptoms, more research is needed to understand fully the relationships between time spent standing, time spent sitting, and work-related MSDs. Understanding these relationships will help to improve prevention of work-related MSDs.

Resources for employers and employees to reduce MSD injuries

Check out the NIOSH topic page Ergonomics and Musculoskeletal Disorders for ergonomics programs, guidelines, and demonstrations of effective workplace practices.

Check out the Elements of Ergonomics Programs for information on creating, implementing, and maintaining ergonomics programs to prevent work-related MSDs.