Research confirms that new guidelines to prevent worker hand, wrist, and elbow musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) better protect workers. MSDs can be debilitating and costly workplace safety and health issues. In Washington state alone, direct costs for hand, wrist, and elbow MSD workers’ compensation claims accounted for over $2 billion and 11.8 million lost work days from 1999-2013.[1] Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is one of the more costly diagnoses and accounted for about half of those costs associated with 28% of the claims.
In 2001, the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH®) published a voluntary threshold limit value (TLV®) for Hand Activity as a guideline to help prevent hand, wrist, and elbow MSDs (including CTS) among workers with hand intensive tasks.[2] A TLV® is a limit where workers can be repeatedly exposed without adverse health effects; if exceeded, the risk of MSD is elevated, and control measures, such as engineering or administrative controls, should be employed to reduce exposure. A lower threshold, the Action Limit, identifies a “moderate” risk exposure and should trigger increased monitoring or surveillance to ensure health. Recent studies from the US and Italy concluded that too many workers were still exposed to harmful hand activity levels under the 2001 limits. The ACGIH® subsequently revised the TLV® for Hand Activity in 2018. A new study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene summarizes the effect of applying the 2018 TLV® vs. the 2001 TLV®.[3]