Distributions of Job Physical Exposure Data in a Pooled Study of Low Back Pain Prospective Cohorts

Low back pain (LBP) is a common health problem and a major cause of lost productivity in workplaces. Lifting and lowering (LL) activities have traditionally been regarded as risk factor for LBP. In the literature, very little data have been reported describing industrial workers’ exposures to measured job physical demands using comprehensive and quantitative method, such as the revised NIOSH lifting equation (RNLE). This study pooled physical exposure data for the RNLE commonly collected in three independent LBP prospective studies. In total, over one million subtasks (i.e., lifting/lowering activities) were included in this pooled study. Examination of the pooled dataset revealed an increased data distribution of the physical job demands quantified by the RNLE. Research using the pooled dataset will improve the overall statistical power and help address the weaknesses identified in previous studies.