Table 1.
Physical working conditions as covered in the surveys – number of surveys for each domain and dimension
| Domain | No. of surveys covering | Dimensions | No. of surveys covering | DK | NO | FI | NL | GER | ES/EU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lifting, holding & carrying of loads /pushing & pulling of loads | 6 | ||||||||
| Lifting, holding & carrying of loads | 4 | √ | √ | √ | - | √ | - | ||
| Pushing and pulling of loads | 1 | √ | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Mixture of both | 2 | - | - | - | √ | - | √ | ||
| Manual work processes /repetitive hand-arm movements | 5 | ||||||||
| Repetitive movements | 5 | √ | √ | √ | √ | - | √ | ||
| Working standing / walking | 5 | ||||||||
| Working standing only | 3 | - | √ | - | - | √ | √ | ||
| Working walking only | 1 | - | √ | - | - | - | - | ||
| Mixture of standing and walking | 2 | √ | √ | - | - | - | |||
| Working sitting | 3 | ||||||||
| Working sitting | 3 | √ | √ | √ | - | - | - | ||
| Awkward body postures | 6 | ||||||||
| Work at or above shoulder height | 3 | √ | √ | √ | - | - | - | ||
| Working with back in an awkward position | 3 | √ | √# | √ | - | - | - | ||
| Working squatting or kneeling | 2 | √ | √ | - | - | - | - | ||
| Working with head bent forward | 1 | - | √ | - | - | - | - | ||
| Working in specified awkward body postures (above shoulder height, bended back, kneeling) | 1 | - | - | - | - | √ | - | ||
| Work in uncomfortable and tiring body postures | 2 | - | - | - | √ | - | √ | ||
| Physical work effort | 3 | ||||||||
| Strenuous work | 3 | √ | √ | √ | - | - | - | ||
| Strenuous lifting | 1 | √ | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Vibrations | 6 | ||||||||
| Vibrations unspecified | 4 | √ | - | √ | - | √ | √ | ||
| Arm/hand vibrations | 2 | - | √ | - | √ | - | - | ||
| Whole body vibrations | 1 | - | √ | - | - | - | - | ||
| Work with computer | 4 | ||||||||
| Work with computer/laptop/smartphone | 4 | - | √ | √ | - | √ | √ | ||
| Mixed exposures | 2 | ||||||||
| Strong gripping and turning movements of the hand | 1 | - | - | √ | - | - | - | ||
| Manual work that requires great dexterity, fast sequences of movements or greater strength | 1 | - | - | - | - | √ | - | ||
| Number of domains per survey | 7 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 6 | |||
| Number of dimensions per survey | 11 | 13 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 6 |
√ = item available in this survey; − = item not available in this survey. DK Denmark, NO Norway, FI Finland, NL Netherlands, DE Germany, ES Spain, EU Europe. Spain uses the EWCS questionnaire in an enlarged sample. Hence, the items measuring physical exposures in Spain and in EWCS are identical and therefore presented in one column. # Question asked in NO: “Do you work in positions where you are leaning forward without supporting yourself on your hands or arms?” With two follow up questions; (i) “with back twisted?”; and (ii) “lifting more than 10 k?”