The effect of occupation-related and worker-related factors on upper limb disorders using strain index among O∗NET jobs

This study aimed to investigate the effect of occupation-related and worker-related factors correlated with possible upper limb disorders (ULDs) among O∗NET jobs. Worker-related factors included basic skills, employees, and education and training and occupation-related factors included automation level, job zone, job hazard, median wage, and industry. The Occupational Information Network (O∗NET) database was utilized to create measures of the strain index (SI) score of each occupation. Results showed that job hazards and basic skills had the greatest influence on ULDs. Negative associations have been found between ULDs and skill, education and training, job zone, and median wage. Conversely, lower annual wages were associated with higher SI scores and a greater risk of ULDs. These findings suggest that future research and practical applications should consider both occupation-level and worker-level factors, as well as their interactions, to effectively understand and mitigate injury risks.