Conclusion
On balance, the evidence supports an association of higher productivity increases with lower MSD rates and greater reductions in MSD rates. Across all industries for which data were available, lower MSD rates were significantly correlated with higher productivity increases. Since both changes in MSDs and in productivity have many varied causes, the effects of efforts specifically intended to reduce MSDs are difficult to isolate from these data. Nevertheless, in two subsets of industries those effects may be more likely to be discernible: industries with the largest reductions in MSD rates would be more likely to have made changes intended to reduce MSDs, and industries with lower productivity growth may reduce the effects of unrelated productivity gains on MSD/ productivity observations. Statistically significant correlations between reductions in MSDs and increases in productivity were found among both of these groups. In addition, among industries with the highest MSD rates in 1992, the extent of implementation of ergonomic controls was significantly correlated with increases in productivity.
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Reference
Oliner, Stephen D. and Daniel E. Sichel. “The Resurgence of Growth in the Late 1990's: Is Information Technology the Story? Washington, D.C.: Federal Reserve Board, May, 2000.
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A special thank you is extended to William Weber, William McCarthy, and Linda Garris of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Safety, Health and Working Conditions, for providing MSD industry data for 1992 and 1998. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the department or agency with which the writers are affiliated. Jens Svenson is currently on detail to the Office of Management and Budget.
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Conway, H., Svenson, J. Musculoskeletal disorders and productivity. J Labor Res 22, 29–54 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12122-001-1002-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12122-001-1002-2