This document outlines a research project investigating the effectiveness of a tailored workplace exercise program for preventing work-related upper limb disorders. The project will develop and implement a 12-week program of resistance, eccentric, and stretching exercises for employees at risk of such injuries. Outcome measures will assess subjective reports, physical measures, task data, and injury rates before, during, and after the program to determine if exercises can help reduce upper limb conditions when targeted to individual jobs and abilities. A literature review found prior programs have benefits but need duration of at least 10-12 weeks to be effective.

1. Workplace exercises for preventing
upper limb disorders
Liz Ashby
liz.ashby@aut.ac.nz
Mark Boocock
mark.boocock@aut.ac.nz
Fiona Trevelyan
fiona.trevelyan@aut.ac.nz
Health & Rehabilitation Research Institute /
Centre for Occupational Health & Safety Research
Auckland University of Technology
New Zealand

2. Presentation Overview
Exercise programmes: background and review of
literature
Development and implementation of an exercise
programme

3. Promoting exercise in the workplace
Exercise programmes have been used for many
years, with most early reports being from
manufacturing industries
1928 Japanese
radio “Taisoo”
introduced to
promote exercise
through public
broadcast

4. Benefits of exercise in the workplace
Exercise programmes used for a range of purposes
 general employee
wellness
 increasing aerobic
capacity
 improving strength &
range of movement
 improving workplace
organisational culture.

5. Workplace exercises for preventing
work-related upper limb disorders
Work related upper limb musculoskeletal disorders
(WRULD) contribute significantly to workplace
injury.
Much effort has focussed on physical workplace
and design.
More focus is needed on addressing multifactorial
nature of these types of injuries – exercise
programmes may be useful as part of wider
approach.

6. Literature review: overview
Review papers: MSD interventions and Workplace
Exercise Programmes
Literature Search: Exercise programmes for
prevention of WRULD
Programmes conducted in the workplace
Associated with work-related upper limb disorders
Include injury prevention component

7. Literature review: published reviews
Potential benefits for ‘modifier interventions’ to
prevent and manage neck/ULD
Multimodal interventions show promise for MSD
intervention
Need to include psychosocial factors
Positive effects of exercise reported
Resistance training and stretching can be
beneficial for pain control and injury prevention

8. Literature search: workplace exercise
programmes and preventing WRULD
13 academic databases searched
1197 studies identified
110 abstracts considered
31 papers retrieved
10 studies met inclusion criteria

9. Literature review: results
10 studies identified in literature search:
26 to 549 participants
Healthcare, industry and office environments
Onsite exercises, either daily or one or two times
a week
Outcome measures include: subjective WRULD
reports, grip strength, range of movement
(shoulder), cardiovascular capacity
Randomised and convenience studies

10. Literature review: key findings
Resistance and eccentric exercise useful
Stretching may be beneficial
Tailoring exercises for individual and to suit
task requirements
Programme duration at
least 10-12 weeks
Employee compliance
appears to reduce over
time
Intensity and total work
may be important

11. Upper limb stretch
Overhead

12. Research project:
Workplace exercise programme
Joint AUT University and manufacturing company
research project:
Manufacturer wanting to use an exercise
program to help prevent work-related upper limb
conditions, especially lateral epicondylitis
Workplace has risk factors for upper limb
disorders
This project aims to:
Determine the effectiveness of implementing a
tailored exercise programme to help prevent and
manage work-related upper limb conditions

13. Research project overview
Baseline data
Subjective Company
Task
Exercise programme
Development Training Implementation
Post intervention data
Subjective Company Task

14. Baseline data
Subjective Physical:
Grip strength
BMI
Task data:
Observation
Production data
Physical risk factors
HARM
Subjective Questionnaires:
COPSOQ
QuickDASH
Nordic MSD
Company data:
Product information
Injury data

15. Exercise programme Development
Targeted exercises for individuals
Range of abilities, genders, ethnic groups and
abilities
Easy to learn and
interesting: preferably
different to ‘usual’
exercises, in order to
stimulate compliance
Physiotherapy input to
tailor programme to
individual abilities
Unobtrusive

16. Exercise programme Development
Targeted programme to tasks and muscle groups:
Physical risk factors and task data
Targeted programme to organisational
requirements:
Allocated 3 x 5 minute slots each day, at specific
times
Easy to do near workstation
Equipment cost-effective and accessible

17. Exercise programme Development
Exercise content to include
Eccentric component
Progressive resistance
component
Stretches
Exercise and a stretch for
each 5 minute slot
Range of resistance using
Thera-band elastic and
FlexBar

18. Exercise programme Training
Trained supervisors to encourage and give feedback
to their team
Exercises taught to employees in small groups
aiming to have minimal impact on productivity
Physiotherapist involved
in training: adjusted
techniques where
required

19. Exercise programme Implementation
12 week programme
5 minutes 3 x a day, during work time
Equipment provided near work areas
Complete diary sheet for each session

20. Post intervention data
Subjective Physical:
Grip strength
BMI
Task data:
Observation
Production data
Physical risk factors
Subjective Questionnaires:
COPSOQ
QuickDASH
Nordic MSD
Feedback about exercises
Diaries
Company data:
Product information
Injury data
Management feedback

21. Workplace exercises for preventing
work-related upper limb disorders
Conclusions
Literature indicates benefits of using workplace
exercises for preventing WRULD
Likely to be more effective if targeted to the
individuals and tasks being undertaken
Account for practical workplace requirements as
well as the needs of individual workers
Results of the current exercise programme will be
produced next year.