American journal of industrial medicine
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The purpose of the present study was to identify associations between a work posture with elevated arm position, duration of active playing time, and neck-shoulder pain among orchestra musicians. ⋯ Musicians working in an elevated arm position (e.g., violinists, violists, flutists, and trumpet players) had a higher prevalence of neck-shoulder pain than those working in a more neutral position.
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Every year in the State of Washington more than 50,000 workers experience a work related musculoskeletal disorder (WMSD), making up more than 30% of all worker compensation cases. In 2000, the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) adopted a workplace ergonomics rule requiring employers to reduce worker exposure to hazards that cause or contribute to WMSDs. In 2003, the ergonomics rule was repealed by a margin of 53.5-46.5 in a statewide voter initiative. ⋯ The ergonomics rule was successful in the regulatory and legal arenas where the process was most transparent and open to public involvement, differing views could be presented fully, and decision makers were expected to explain their decisions in light of the record. The rule fared most poorly in the legislature and at the ballot box when these features were lost and where considered deliberation was replaced by unconstrained political conflict. Additional checks and balances are needed.