Table 1.
Cohort characteristics on the 30 different jobs (eight with both sexes represented). Jobs are arranged according to angular wrist velocity. Number of persons (N) and age at entry are based on the total cohort. Total risk time and number of carpal tunnel syndrome cases are based on the dataset used in the analyses. Exposure intensities of wrist angular velocity, mean power frequency and range of motion are based on the electro-goniometric measurements
| Job | Sex | N, at entry | Age at entry, mean (SD) | Total risk time, person years | CTS cases, N | N, measured | Angular velocity, °/s mean (SD) |
MPF, Hz mean (SD) |
ROM, ° Mean* |
| Office worker | Men | 66 741 | 33.2 (12.6) | 148 535 | 50 | 18 | 3.55 (1.89) | 0.20 (0.03) | 50.30 |
| Bank assistant | Men | 15 391 | 29.9 (9.9) | 35 074 | 4 | 10 | 4.31 (1.05) | 0.24 (0.03) | 43.43 |
| Truck/fork-lift operator | Men | 23 379 | 33.8 (11.2) | 74 740 | 65 | 10 | 5.60 (2.55) | 0.25 (0.06) | 29.79 |
| Office worker | Women | 254 224 | 34.8 (11.1) | 1 182 381 | 1154 | 25 | 6.09 (3.51) | 0.23 (0.05) | 48.70 |
| Truck driver | Men | 29 800 | 36.7 (11.0) | 89 059 | 92 | 11 | 6.41 (3.76) | 0.24 (0.04) | 50.62 |
| Dental hygienist | Women | 6815 | 30.5 (9.5) | 27 146 | 27 | 12 | 7.28 (1.61) | 0.24 (0.02) | 57.53 |
| Electronical worker | Men | 6437 | 35.2 (12.8) | 13 229 | 18 | 10 | 8.04 (4.03) | 0.24 (0.03) | 48.01 |
| Plumber | Men | 6941 | 28.6 (7.7) | 51 904 | 90 | 11 | 9.32 (2.22) | 0.25 (0.01) | 52.77 |
| Smith | Men | 42 743 | 32.1 (13.0) | 108 399 | 129 | 12 | 10.21 (2.22) | 0.25 (0.03) | 51.22 |
| Wood processing industry worker | Men | 15 568 | 31.3 (11.5) | 37 511 | 42 | 10 | 10.39 (2.97) | 0.26 (0.04) | 50.64 |
| Childcare worker | Women | 72 414 | 33.0 (8.8) | 402 829 | 554 | 11 | 10.72 (2.46) | 0.27 (0.03) | 63.71 |
| Nurse, aide | Women | 75 901 | 35.1 (10.4) | 325 239 | 688 | 10 | 11.14 (3.41) | 0.27 (0.03) | 59.63 |
| Carpenter | Men | 34 992 | 29.9 (9.7) | 184 069 | 243 | 10 | 11.60 (2.29) | 0.25 (0.04) | 54.65 |
| Gardener | Men | 4348 | 30.5 (12.2) | 10 869 | 11 | 11 | 11.63 (2.43) | 0.28 (0.04) | 53.36 |
| Cardboard worker | Women | 513 | 30.3 (11.8) | 1176 | 4 | 10 | 11.71 (3.85) | 0.25 (0.04) | 57.45 |
| Electronical worker | Women | 10 678 | 34.3 (10.1) | 37 155 | 78 | 11 | 12.48 (4.93) | 0.27 (0.04) | 56.93 |
| Scaffolder | Men | 2209 | 30.4 (8.6) | 5913 | 9 | 10 | 12.88 (1.64) | 0.30 (0.05) | 56.93 |
| Car mechanic | Men | 37 020 | 27.5 (10.6) | 175 281 | 188 | 10 | 13.77 (2.82) | 0.27 (0.04) | 51.43 |
| Cardboard worker | Men | 1581 | 33.8 (11.3) | 6738 | 11 | 10 | 13.97 (3.59) | 0.29 (0.04) | 50.97 |
| Construction worker | Men | 20 146 | 35.2 (11.4) | 41 284 | 51 | 10 | 14.03 (3.76) | 0.29 (0.03) | 49.63 |
| Bricklayer | Men | 16 848 | 33.0 (10.5) | 1 03 240 | 142 | 10 | 14.18 (4.75) | 0.29 (0.04) | 50.88 |
| Garbage collector | Men | 2278 | 38.8 (11.2) | 5747 | 5 | 11 | 14.31 (2.39) | 0.34 (0.03) | 51.30 |
| House painter | Men | 9905 | 33.3 (10.8) | 73 044 | 66 | 25 | 14.51 (4.77) | 0.27 (0.04) | 55.24 |
| House painter | Women | 4095 | 27.1 (6.8) | 20 708 | 83 | 25 | 14.58 (4.47) | 0.27 (0.04) | 57.62 |
| Farmer | Men | 14 375 | 42.8 (11.8) | 63 005 | 76 | 10 | 14.64 (4.84) | 0.28 (0.03) | 57.00 |
| Insulation worker | Men | 2151 | 34.5 (10.6) | 7268 | 4 | 10 | 15.98 (10.02) | 0.35 (0.11) | 57.22 |
| Storage worker | Men | 12 973 | 21.9 (9.3) | 8038 | 7 | 10 | 17.14 (8.28) | 0.34 (0.07) | 48.57 |
| Gardener | Women | 801 | 28.8 (10.1) | 1613 | 4 | 9 | 18.39 (7.19) | 0.33 (0.07) | 55.84 |
| Storage worker | Women | 8237 | 18.8 (5.9) | 2047 | 6 | 10 | 18.92 (7.53) | 0.35 (0.08) | 50.24 |
| Hairdresser | Women | 16 363 | 24.8 (9.3) | 95 963 | 96 | 10 | 19.63 (4.76) | 0.29 (0.05) | 65.14 |
| Postal worker | Men | 42 345 | 27.5 (10.3) | 151 636 | 88 | 10 | 20.81 (6.25) | 0.34 (0.05) | 60.61 |
| Kitchen assistant | Women | 84 528 | 29.2 (12,0) | 200 263 | 501 | 10 | 21.45 (4.00) | 0.33 (0.03) | 55.35 |
| Postal worker | Women | 22 000 | 26.4 (9.0) | 74 035 | 170 | 10 | 23.28 (5.52) | 0.35 (0.04) | 62.43 |
| Fish industry worker | Men | 2516 | 34.0 (12.1) | 4408 | 4 | 8 | 24.69 (17.50) | 0.41 (0.20) | 47.00 |
| Cleaners | Women | 22 526 | 35.6 (12.8) | 22 381 | 101 | 24 | 27.93 (6.49) | 0.38 (0.05) | 59.51 |
| Laundry worker | Men | 1522 | 30.8 (12.4) | 3119 | 4 | 10 | 30.05 (8.49) | 0.45 (0.10) | 54.71 |
| Laundry worker | Women | 4275 | 34.3 (12.1) | 12 625 | 36 | 13 | 31.76 (6.99) | 0.42 (0.06) | 56.40 |
| Slaughterhouse worker | Men | 19 839 | 31.5 (10.9) | 101 367 | 278 | 10 | 37.59 (4.86) | 0.45 (0.05) | 52.54 |
| Not in one of the jobs above | 0 | 1 467 886 | 1655 | ||||||
| Total | 1 015 418 | 5 376 927 | 6834 |
*SD could not be measured for ROM, as we did not have access to the individual measurements.
CTS, carpal tunnel syndrome; MPF, mean power frequency; ROM, range of motion.