Towards Management of Physical Stress in Workplaces

Several industrial tasks and workplaces involve sedentary work and/or constrained postures which impart static loads on the neck, back, shoulders and upper extremities. Examples of such tasks are jobs involving bending; holding loads or tools; operations which require arms to be lifted; prolonged standing or sitting; bending the head strongly downwards or upwards; and lifting the shoulders (Grandjean, 1983). These loads in turn cause musculoskeletal (physical) stress on the worker's body, which can be excessive and can result in discomfort and pain (Torner et al., 1991). In recent years, an increasing concern has emerged about such excessive musculoskeletal stress in workplaces (Grandjean et al., 1982; Ostberg and Moss, 1984). This concern has led to research in this area and subsequent recommendations for improving work stations to reduce or alleviate musculoskeletal stress. Other techniques such as using physical exercises — specifically muscular relaxation and stretching — may also be helpful in achieving this goal. It is expected that minimising this stress would result in better morale, reduced injuries and discomfort, lower absenteeism and turnover, and reduced errors, thus leading to better productivity in industry.