BACKGROUND: Rope access technique is an alternative method for gaining access to challenging work locations. There is limited knowledge about possible adverse effects of this technique on the workers’ health.
OBJECTIVE: To compare the frequency of bodily regions with pain in rope access technicians with craft workers and the working population in general.
METHODS: The one-month prevalence of pain in the head, neck, distal upper extremities, lower back and lower extremities was recorded in rope access technicians (n = 95), “craft workers” (n = 289) and “all occupations” (n = 1563).
RESULTS: An increased prevalence of pain in the neck, distal upper extremities and lower extremities was found for the rope access technicians compared with all occupations (p-values <0.01). Compared with the craft workers, relatively more rope access technicians reported pain in the lower extremity region (p <0.01) while the groups were similar for the other body regions.
CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of pain in the lower extremities was higher in rope access technicians compared with craft workers, while no differences were found for other body regions. The increased prevalence of pain in the neck and distal upper extremities in the technicians compared with all occupations may therefore be related to the work tasks and not the access technique.
IRATA. History of IRATA Ashford, Kent; England: Industrial Rope Access Trade Association; 2016 [Available from: http://www.irata.org/irata_history.php.
2.
SOFT. Arbeid i tau. (Book in Norwegian). 1 ed: Samarbeidsorganet for tilkomstteknikk (SOFT); 2011.
3.
RobbinsCH. IRATA work and safety analysis for 2012. Ashford, Kent, England: Industrial Rope Access Trade Association, 2013.
4.
IRATA. Where rope access is used Ashford, Kent; England: Industrial Rope Access Trade Association; 2016 [Available from: http://www.irata.org/where_rope_access_is_used.php.
5.
SchreuderKJ, RoelenCA, KoopmansPC, GroothoffJW. Job demands and health complaints in white and blue collar workers. Work (Reading, Mass)2008;31(4):425–32.
6.
MontanoD. Upper body and lower limbs musculoskeletal symptoms and health inequalities in Europe: An analysis of cross-sectional data. BMC Musculoskelet Disord2014;15:285.
7.
StewartR, MurrayC, MacIntyreM, LarsonH, de la MataI, Leach-KemonK, HeiselW. The Global Burden of Disease: Generating Evidence, Guiding Policy – European Union and European Free Trade Association Regional Edition. Seattle, WA: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, 2013.
8.
JacobsJJ, KingTR, KlippelJH, BervenSH, BurrDB, CaskeyPM, et al. Beyond the decade: Strategic priorities to reduce the burden of musculoskeletal disease. The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery American Volume2013;95(17):e1251–6.
9.
NRC. Musculoskeletal Disorders and the Workplace: Low Back and Upper Extremities. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; 2001. p. 512.
10.
TurnerNL, WassellJT, WhislerR, ZwienerJ. Suspension tolerance in a full-body safety harness, and a prototype harness accessory. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene2008;5(4):227–31.
11.
HsiaoH, TurnerN, WhislerR, ZwienerJ. Impact of harness fit on suspension tolerance. Human Factors2012;54(3):346–57.
12.
HustedH, NielsenRE, LinnetJA. Bilateral necrosis of the femoral head after use of working harness. Ugeskrift for Laeger2002;164(27):3546–7.
13.
PisatiG, CerriS, AchilleG, RossiG, LorenziG. Vascular thrombosis and pulmonary thrombo-embolism due to harness suspension. La Medicina del Lavoro2007;98(5):415–21.
Statistics Norway. Standard Classification of Occupations. Kongsvinger: Statistics Norway; 1998.
16.
HolleyAL, LawEF, ThamSW, MyaingM, NoonanC, StrachanE, et al. Current smoking as a predictor of chronic musculoskeletal pain in young adult twins. The Journal of Pain: Official Journal of the American Pain Society2013;14(10):1131–9.
17.
KvalheimS, SandvenI, HagenK, ZwartJA. Smoking as a risk factor for chronic musculoskeletal complaints is influenced by age. The HUNT study. Pain2013;154(7):1073–9.
18.
McMichaelAJ, SpirtasR, KupperLL. An epidemiologic study of mortality within a cohort of rubber workers, 1964-72. Journal of Occupational Medicine: Official Publication of the Industrial Medical Association1974;16(7):458–64.
