Musculoskeletal pain among offshore wind industry workers: a cross-sectional study
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Musculoskeletal pain among offshore wind industry workers: a cross‑sectional study Marcial Velasco Garrido1 · Janika Mette1 · Stefanie Mache1 · Volker Harth1 · Alexandra M. Preisser1 Received: 19 December 2019 / Accepted: 13 April 2020 © The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Objective To assess whether there are differences in musculoskeletal pain among different types of occupations offshore and their relationship to ergonomic demands. Methods We conducted a web-based cross-sectional survey among workers from offshore wind energy companies operating within the German exclusive economic zone. We selected workers with regular offshore commitments and at least 28 days spent offshore in the past year (n = 268). Musculoskeletal pain was assessed using the Subjective Health Complaints inventory (SHC), which considers the past month. Results Of the 268 male participants eligible for analysis, 54% reported back pain 50.4% neck pain, 40.3% lower back pain, 35.5% shoulder, 23.3% arm and 22.1% leg pain, all of them during the past month. Compared to other offshore occupations, technicians reported more frequently arm (OR 3.13; 95% CI 1.58–6.19), back (OR 1.97; 95% CI 1.15–3.39), shoulder (OR 1.94; 95% CI 1.11–3.40) and neck pain (OR 1.89; 95% CI 1.11–3.22). After adjusting for age and nationality, lifting and carrying heavy loads were associated with all types of pain except leg pain. Overhead work, work in awkward postures, and the use of personal protection equipment and heavy tools was associated with shoulder, back and arm pain. Conclusions Our findings suggest that occupational health counselling, health promotion and preventive interventions of offshore wind energy workers needs to consider the specific tasks of the employee and be particularly tailored to the ergonomic needs of technicians. Keywords Offshore · Ergonomics · Musculoskeletal pain · Physical strain
Introduction By the year 2018, the total installed power capacity of offshore wind energy outreached 20 gigawatt (GW) (Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology 2019a), accounting for around 4% of worldwide wind energy capacity (Global Wind Energy Council 2019). The UK with 37% and Germany with 28% lead the share of installed offshore wind energy capacity, although this industry is rapidly growing in other countries, such as China (Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology 2019). The commitment of governments and industry with the installation of offshore wind * Marcial Velasco Garrido m.velasco‑[email protected] 1
Institute for Occupational and Maritime Medicine (ZfAM), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Seewartenstr. 10, 20459 Hamburg, Germany
technology continues to expand worldwide (US Department of Energy and US Department of the Interior 2016; Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy 2015). Accordingly, there is an increasing number of workers involved in the construction and operation of offshore wind installations. Not only is the total capacity growing, but a
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