Concept, identification and evaluation of high frequency repetitive movements

The INSST has recently published the technical document:"High frequency repetitive movements: concept, identification and evaluation" that Its objective is to address the identification of the risks that arise from carrying out work with the presence of high-frequency repetitive movements, as well as to present some evaluation methods, in order to propose preventive measures in accordance with the results of said evaluation.

There are many and varied jobs in a wide range of productive sectors in which exposure to the risk of suffering MSDs derived from performing tasks that involve repetitive movements could occur. In some cases, such as, for example, when working on production lines (canning, automobile industry, food industry, among others), it can be easy to identify actions or gestures that affect the same muscle group and that are constantly repeated. In other jobs, such as, for example, at supermarket checkouts or in mechanical workshops, although many similar actions are repeated throughout the day and variations in frequency and intensity make it difficult to analyze the biomechanical overload that would reveal the risk of suffering from MSDs.

Risk factors that determine the onset and development of an MSD when performing repetitive tasks include not only the movements of the body segments, but also the frequency and duration of the actions, the postures adopted, and the force applied during the task. In addition, risk factors related to the organization of work, and associated environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, noise, vibrations or lighting of the workplace, must be taken into account.