Understanding the risk factors of MSDs

Musculoskeletal disorders (commonly referred to as MSDs) are multifactorial diseases that encompass a wide range of conditions affecting joints, muscles, tendons, nerves, blood vessels, and cartilage. Their onset is attributed to a combination of risk factors. 

What are these factors? Will they affect your operators? We’ll tell you everything.

Individual factors

Individual factors are related to the intrinsic characteristics of individuals and their lifestyle. This can include age, gender, the person’s health status, or their medical history. 

For example, an overweight person, someone suffering from diabetes, or inflammatory rheumatism will be more prone to a higher risk. 

However, interindividual variabilities can also be related to the lack of task-specific training or ignorance of how tasks should be performed. Since everyone is unique, there is an “individual sensitivity” that, for the same task performed, may cause tendonitis in some people but not others. 

Environmental factors 

Environmental factors are indirect aggravating risk factors. When a person is exposed to them, they are more susceptible to MSD risk. Among environmental factors, we can mention noise level, space, work tools, but also… 

🔹 Exposure to cold. It disrupts manual activity and causes imprecise movements, frostbite, numbness, cramps, hypothermia, decreased blood flow to the fingers (Raynaud’s syndrome), etc. 

🔹 Vibrations. They can affect the vascular system, the musculoskeletal system, and cause microtraumas on the joints, disc herniation, etc. 

🔹 Inadequate lighting. It forces the person to adopt uncomfortable and inappropriate postures. 

Organizational factors 
 

Work organization greatly impacts the occurrence, persistence, or worsening of MSDs. Indeed, it largely determines the intensity of other MSD risk factors such as posture, exertion, repetition, and can also generate stress in case of inappropriate organization. 

• Lack of breaks; 

• excessive working hours; 

• high workload; 

• lack of flexibility; 

• fast-paced work; 

• inappropriate workstation; 

• standardization of operating procedures; 

• or time pressure… 

… are examples of organizational factors that increase the risk of MSDs. 

Psychosocial factors 

Job dissatisfaction, work-related stress, lack of recognition, monotony, time pressure, and poor relationships with colleagues or with management are psychosocial risks that can lead to the development of MSDs. Indeed, they cause a negative perception in the employee and silent suffering. Consequently, muscle tension increases, and the perception of pain is heightened. 

For example, when an employee is under stress, their muscle tone is increased, and they secrete substances that can promote edema or inflammation (Aptel, 2001). Moreover, this is why pathologies related to repeated stress predispose individuals to inflammatory conditions. 

Biomechanical factors 

Finally, biomechanical factors also play a significant role. Associated with the repetitive nature of work, postures, and exertion, they are also a risk factor for developing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). 

🔹 Repetitiveness: When performing tasks with minimal variation, the same musculoskeletal areas are continuously engaged. If combined with a high work pace and inadequate rest between movements, the risk of MSDs is greatly increased. 

🔹 Effort and force: Intensity is assessed based on the load and its dynamics – whether static or repeated and intermittent. When the effort required by a heavy load is too intense, it can result in injuries to ligaments, tendons, or muscles. Various methods and tools exist to evaluate the impact of load on the risk of MSDs. In our KIMEA solution, this component is easily accounted for directly in the software, or the health and safety practitioner can input the weight of the load. 

🔹 Postures: Uncomfortable or sustained postures over long periods can lead to MSDs. This is particularly the case when work requires lifting the arms above shoulder level.