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Back injuries prominent in work-related musculoskeletal disorder cases in 2016
August 28, 2018
Musculoskeletal disorders are injuries or illnesses that result from overexertion or repetitive motion. They include soft-tissue injuries such as sprains, strains, tears, hernias, and carpal tunnel syndrome. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders that result in days away from work most commonly involve the back alone. In 2016, musculoskeletal disorders involving the back accounted for 38.5 percent of all work-related musculoskeletal disorders (134,550 back cases out of 349,050 total cases).
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders resulting in days away from work in selected occupations by part of body, all ownerships, 2016
Occupation
Back
Shoulder
Leg
Arm
Abdomen
Multiple parts
All Other
All occupations
38.5%
14.9%
11.5%
5.1%
5.0%
5.4%
19.7%
Nursing assistants
52.8
12.6
5.9
3.1
1.8
8.2
15.5
Janitors and cleaners
37.5
16.2
13.0
4.9
4.0
8.5
15.8
Stock clerks and order fillers
45.7
16.5
9.5
4.7
4.0
2.6
17.0
Maintenance and repair workers
42.5
11.4
12.9
6.5
5.9
5.1
15.7
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
32.4
19.2
16.3
5.1
5.3
6.3
15.5
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand
43.0
14.8
7.1
4.8
6.5
3.9
19.9
Nursing assistants experienced 10,330 back-related musculoskeletal disorder cases in 2016. Laborers and hand material movers experienced another 10,660 cases. These occupations accounted for 15.6 percent of all the back-related cases in 2016.
The most common body parts affected by musculoskeletal disorders vary by occupation. Among nursing assistants, more than half of their cases in 2016 affected the back. Compared with other occupations, heavy tractor-trailer truck drivers had a greater proportion of injuries that affected the shoulder (19.2 percent) and leg (16.3 percent).
United States Department of Labor
