For release April 26, 1994.
Women accounted for two-thirds of the nearly 90,000 repetitive motion injuries and illnesses, double their share of the 2.3 million total cases involving days away from work. Youth and inexperience were not typical of workers sustaining injuries and illnesses from repetitive tasks. Nine-tenths had reached their 25th birthday and seven-tenths reported having at least 1 year of service with their employer when the motion-related incident occurred.
Repetive motion cases can happen in different ways, but they all share a common definition: An injury or illness resulting from bodily motion which imposed stress or strain upon some part of the body due to a task's repetitive nature. The most common repetitive task cited was placing, grasping, or moving objects, except tools, such as scanning groceries at the checkout counter. Other motions for which separate data are available from this survey include typing or key entry and repetitive use of tools.
Carpal tunnel syndrome was the most common disorder among the repetitive motion cases. First described by Sir James Paget in 1865, CTS results from a compression of the median nerve where it passes through he wrist. The BLS redesigned survey reports on this specific disorder for the first time, as well as on tendonitis and other motion related disorders commonly affecting the shoulders, arms, and other upper extremities.
The primary industries and occupations in which repetitive motion cases occur also are avialable from the redesigned survey. Table B shows tat most cases of this type occurred in manufacturing, especially in industries where assembly- line work is common, such as those producing meat products and motor vehicles. The dominant occupational group, by far, was operators, fabricators, and laborers, including for example, textile and other machine operators and assemblers. Other job groups commonly cited in repetitive motion cases were sales workers; secretaries and data-entry keyers; and nonconstruction laborers.
Percent of Percent of
Characteristic total cases Characteristic total cases
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Repetitive motion Repetitive motion
cases (lost worktime) cases (lost worktime)
Number.................89,900 Number.................89,900
Percent................100% Percent................100%
Repetitive motion Worker
Typing or key entry..... 12 Men.................... 34
Repetitive use of tools 18 Women.................. 65
Placing/grasping/moving
objects, except tools... 31 Under 25 yrs........... 11
Other motions.......... 14 25-54.................. 80
Motion not reported.... 25 55 yrs and over........ 7
Workdays lost
1-10.................. 37 Under 1 yr of employer
11-20 days............ 14 service............ 18
21-30.............. 10 1-5 yrs ............. 35
31 days or more....... 39 5 yrs or more........ 36
Data not reported.... 11
Disabling condition Part of body affected
Carpal tunnel syndrome 36 Wrist(s)............ 51
Sprain, strain......... 18 Hand(s), excl finger.. 6
All other conditions... 46 Shoulder(s)........... 6
All other parts... 37
Major industry Major occupation
Manufacturing.......... 56 Technical/sales and administrative
Food products....... 8 support.............. 21
Apparel........... 6 Key entry jobs...... 5
(includes secretaries, typists, and
data-entry operators)
Transportation equip 8 Precision production craft,
Electronic equip... 5 and repair...... 15
Other manufacturing. 29 Operator, fabricator,
Wholesale/retail trade. 15 and laborer.......... 51
Food stores......... 5 Machine operator..... 24
Services............ 15 Sewing machine..... 5
Health services...... 5 Assembler............ 8
All other industries... 14 Laborer, nonconst... 5
All other jobs........ 13
NOTE: Because of rounding and because of nonclassifiable responses, data may not sum to totals.