WRIST INJURIES INCURRED FROM REPETITIVE MOTION.

Between 1978 and 1980, the number of reported wrist injuries increased from a rate of two cases per one hundred employees to sixteen cases per one hundred employees in one department of a paper products manufacturing company. In 1982, a retrospective epidemiological study was conducted to analyze this problem within the department population of forty-eight female employees classified as 'flyers'. Data regarding relevant agent, host and environmental variables were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire. Data analyses including a variety of statistical techniques were conducted through computer application. The results of this study indicate that the younger, shorter, less experienced worker is most susceptible to wrist injuries/problems associated with repetitive motion tasks. Applications of ergonomic principles and formal training are considered as results of these findings.