Global Utilities

Centre for Ergonomics and Human Factors

Workplace Injury Prevention

Workplace Injury Prevention – musculoskeletal disorders

Current and Recent Projects

To be added

 

Publications, Reports and Conference Presentations

  • Macdonald, W. (2008). Psychosocial hazards and work-related musculoskeletal disorders: some potential cross-cultural issues. Invited paper to a World Health Organisation Symposium on Psychosocial risks and work-related stress in Asia and beyond, held in association with the XVIII World Congress on Safety and Health at Work, June 20-July 2, Seoul, Korea.
  • Macdonald, W. (2008). Incorporating worker participation within risk management procedures for musculoskeletal disorders. Invited paper to a panel organised by the International Ergonomics Association panel at the XVIII World Congress on Safety and Health at Work, June 20-July 2, Seoul, Korea.
  • Macdonald, W.  (2008) Managing MSD risk for agriculture workers in developing countries. Invited paper to Agriculture Ergonomics Development Conference, AEDeC 2007. Conference co-organised by Damai Sciences and Universiti Putra Malaysia, on behalf of the International Ergonomics Association, 28-29 November 2007, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • Caple, D., & Macdonald, W.  (2008) A participative approach to managing WMSD risks for agriculture workers in developing countries. Invited paper to Agriculture Ergonomics Development Conference, AEDeC 2007. Conference co-organised by Damai Sciences and Universiti Putra Malaysia, on behalf of the International Ergonomics Association, 28-29 November 2007, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • Kunelius, A., Darzins, S., Cromie, J., & Oakman, J. (2007) Development of normative data for hand strength and anthropometric dimensions in a population of automotive workers. Work: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment and Rehabilitation, (28) 267-278.
  • Macdonald, W.  (2007) Beyond ‘Manual Handling’: An evidence-based approach to reducing the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. Invited paper to Allianz Workers’ Compensation (Victoria) Ltd, WorkCover Information Seminar Series 2007, Telstra Dome, Melbourne, 12th July.
  • Macdonald, W. and Evans, O. (2006). Research on the Prevention of Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders: Stage 1 – Literature Review. Report to the Australian Safety and Compensation Council, Commonwealth of Australia, 2006. Downloadable from: http://www.ascc.gov.au/ascc/AboutUs/Publications/ResearchReports/ResearchonthepreventionofworkrelatedmusculoskeletaldisordersStage1LiteratureReview.htm
  • Macdonald, W. (2006). Reducing the risk of musculoskeletal disorders – research evidence on the value of consultation. Invited paper, Proceedings of the Safety in Action Conference, Melbourne, Australia.
  • Macdonald, W. (2006). Workload management guidelines to promote both worker health and effective work performance. (Abstract).  Proceedings, 28th International Congress on Occupational Health, Milan.
  • Macdonald, W.  (2005).  A hierarchy of risk control measures for prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs).  Keynote paper, International Ergonomics Conference on Humanising Work and Work Environment (HWWE-2005), December 10-12, Guwahati, India.
  • Martin, E. & Baggaley, K. (2005). There is evidence that joint protection education and comprehensive occupational therapy enhances functional outcomes in adults with rheumatoid arthritis (Commentary). Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 52(3), 264-265.
  • Macdonald, W. (2004). Workload, stress and psychosocial factors as hazards for musculoskeletal disorders. Journal of Occupational Health and Safety - Australia and New Zealand. 20(1), 37-47.
  • Macdonald, W., Munk, K. & Evans, O. (2003). Ergonomics Approaches to the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders. An Analysis and Critical Review of Existing National, and Regional Standards and Guidelines. Report prepared on behalf of the International Ergonomics Association for the International Labour Organisation, Geneva. December, 2003.
  • Macdonald, W. and Munk, K. (2003). Determinants of work-related stress in physical handling work environments. Issues Paper 6, Review of the National Manual Handling Standard, Codes of Practice and Associated Guidance Materials. National Occupational Health & Safety Commission. (59pp) www.nohsc.gov.au/OHSLegalObligations/NationalStandards/ManualHandling/files/Issuespaper6.pdf
  • Martin, E. (2003). Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Victorian Occupational Therapists. OT Australia, 22nd National Conference. Melbourne.
  • Macdonald, W., Munk, K., and Evans, O. (2003). Summary of current and emerging issues in the physical handling work environment. Issues Paper 1, Review of the National Manual Handling Standard and Codes of Practice. National Occupational Health & Safety Commission. (44pp) (www.nohsc.gov.au/OHSLegalObligations/NationalStandards/ManualHandling/files/Issuespaper1.pdf
  • Rothmore, P, Elix, G, Evans, O & Ben-Tovim, D. (2003) Evaluating postural demand in nursing – the postural demand score tool (PDS). Proc XVth Triennial Congress of the International Ergonomics Association, Seoul, Korea August 24-29, 2003.  (4pp)
  • Michaliades, M and Evans, O (2002) Interpretation of Selected Past Australian Anthropometric Datasets. Proc HF2002Human Factors Conference, Melbourne, 25-27 Nov. 2002 (CD-ROM)
  • Evans, O.M. and Macdonald, W.A. (2001). Manual handling risk factors - more than meets the eye. Safety in Action Conference, Melbourne, Safety Institute of Australia.
  • King, J., Foreman, P.,Murphy, G. and King, N. (2001). Back injuries among nurses: Prevalence, risk factors and prevention. Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling, 7, 106-114.
  • Evans  OM, Patterson K. (2000) Predictors of neck and shoulder pain in non-secretarial computer users. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 26, 357-365.
  • Darzins, S.W., Higginbotham, H.N. (1994).  Factors that influence heavy industry workers to use back protection behaviour, in Newcastle, Australia.  The World Federation of Occupational Therapists Congress, London, England.
  • Addison, M. and Macdonald, W.A. (1993) Use of subjective and objective techniques in identifying injury risk in a light repetitive task - a case study. Conference of the Australia and New Zealand Modapts Association, Melbourne.
  • O'Bryan, S., Macdonald, W.A. and Evans, O.M. (1991) A comparison of some workload analysis techniques. Proceedings of the 27th Annual Conference of the Ergonomics Society of Australia, Coolum, pp.139-148

Workplace Injury Prevention – workload and other psychosocial hazards, stress and fatigue

To be updated

  • Macdonald, W. & Miller, P. (2006). Workload, job performance and worker wellbeing. Proceedings IEA2006 Congress, Meeting Diversity in Ergonomics, Edited by R.N. Pikaar, E.A.P. Koningsveld, and P.J.M. Settels, Elsevier (ISSN 0003-6870).
  • Macdonald, W.  (2006). Workload, Performance, Health and Wellbeing: A Conceptual Framework. In W. Karwowski (Ed.) International Encyclopedia of Ergonomics and Human Factors, 2nd Edition, pp.2794-2799. Taylor & Francis.
  • Macdonald, W.  (2006). Managing Workloads to Optimise Performance, Health and Wellbeing. In W. Karwowski (Ed.) International Encyclopedia of Ergonomics and Human Factors, 2nd Edition, pp.2170-2174. Taylor & Francis.
  • Macdonald, W. and Miller, P. (2006). Workload, job performance and worker wellbeing. Proceedings, International Ergonomics Association 16th Triennial Congress, Maastricht, July.
  • Macdonald, W. (2006). Workload management guidelines to promote both worker health and effective work performance. Presentation to the 28th International Congress on Occupational Health (ICOH) Milan, Italy, June 11-16, 2006. 
  • Macdonald, W. and Miller, P.  (2005). Effects of psychosocial factors and self-perceived performance adequacy on various dimensions of wellbeing.  Presentation to the Second ICOH International Conference on Psychosocial Factors at Work, Okayama, Japan, 23-26 August 2005.
  • Peterson, C. L. (2005). Risk associated with stress in the health care industry in C. Mayhew and C. L. Peterson (eds) Guide to managing OHS risk in the health care industry. CCH Australia, Sydney, pp. 193-210.
  • Peterson, C. (2005). The epidemic of stress in C. Peterson and C. Mayhew (eds) Occupational health and safety: International influences and the new epidemics, Baywood publishers, Amityville, 2005, pp. 1-12.Baywood publishers, Amityville, pp. 117-138.
  • Macdonald, W. and Miller, P. (2004). A conceptual framework for workload management, In J. Houdmont & S. McIntyre (eds.), Occupational Health Psychology: Key Papers of the European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology Volume 6, Castelo da Maia: ISMAI Publishers
  • Peterson, C. (2004). Stress amongst palliative care workers International palliative care in nursing conference abstracts.
  • Peterson, C. (2003). The incidence of stress in the Australian healthcare industry International Society for Quality in Healthcare conference abstracts.
  • Macdonald, W.A. (2003). Workload and Workplace Stress. In Work Stress: Studies of the context, content and outcomes of stress. A Book of Readings. Chapter 6 (113-138). Baywood: New York.
  • Macdonald, W.A. (2003). Work Demands and Stress in Repetitive 'Blue-Collar' Work. In Work Stress: Studies of the context, content and outcomes of stress. A Book of Readings. Chapter 7 (139-163). Baywood: New York.
  • Macdonald, W.A. (2003). The impact of job demands and workload on stress and fatigue. Australian Psychologist, 38(2), 102-117.
  • Macdonald, W. & Miller, P. (2003). Relationships between job demands, workload and employee wellbeing. Paper presented to Work, Stress, and Health: New Challenges in a Changing Workplace. The Fifth Interdisciplinary Conference on Occupational Stress & Health. Convened by the American Psychological Association and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Toronto, March.
  • Peterson, C. Ed. (2003). Work stress: Studies of the Content and context of work stress - a book of readings. Baywood, Amityville.
  • Peterson, C. (2003). Workplace changes in Australia and their effects on stress in C. Peterson, (ed) Work stress: Studies of the context, content and outcomes of stress: A book of readings. Baywood Amityville, .pp. 11-32.
  • Peterson, C. (2003). Blue collar stress in C. Peterson, (ed) Work stress: Studies of the context, content and outcomes of stress: A book of readings. Baywood Amityville, pp. 181-202.
  • Peterson, C, W. (2003). Introduction in C. Peterson, (ed) Work stress: Studies of the context, content and outcomes of stress: A book of readings. Baywood Amityville, .pp. 1-10.
  • Peterson, C. (2003). "Stress amongst the healthcare workforce" Journal of Occupational Health and Safety, Australia and New Zealand, 19(1): 49-58.
  • Macdonald, W. and Evans, O. (2002). The Ergonomics of Setting Production Targets or Line Speeds. Invited paper to the Biennial Conference of the Australia and New Zealand Modapts Association, Melbourne, 23rd August.
  • Murphy, G., Athanasou, J. and King. N. (2002). Job satisfaction and organisational citizenship behaviour: A study of Australian human-service workers. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 17, 287-297.
  • Macdonald, W., & Evans, O. (2002). Assessing task demands to improve work design. HF2002 Human Factors Conference, Design for the whole person: Integrating physical, cognitive and social aspects. Melbourne, November 25-27.
  • Hehir, S.W. and Macdonald, W.A. (2002). Cognitive factors in work design: a mail sorting case study. Paper to the Safety in Action Conference, Melbourne, Safety Institute of Australia.
  • Macdonald, W.A. (2002). Effects of job demands and workload on employee stress and well-being. Faculty of Health Sciences Research Conference on Mental Health, Melbourne, December 9, La Trobe University.
  • Macdonald, W.A. (2001). Train controllers, interface design and mental workload. In People in Control, edited by J.M. Noyes and M.L. Bransby, pp.239-258. IEE Press, Stevenage, Herts, U.K.
  • Macdonald, W.A. (2001). Stress, Arousal and Fatigue in Repetitive Assembly Line Work: A Case Study. Proceedings of the NOHSC Symposium on the OH&S Implications of Stress, pp.98-123. National Occupational Health and Safety Commission, December 2001. See www.nohsc.gov.au/pdf/ResearchCoordination/StressSymposium/StressSymposiumBriefingMaterial.pdf
  • Weeks, K, Peterson, C. L, and Stanton, P. (2000) “Stress and the workplace: The medical scientists' experience”. Labor and industry. 11(3):95-120.
  • Macdonald, W.A. (2000). Workload, fatigue and job satisfaction in repetitive blue-collar work. In Human System Interaction: Education, Research and Application in the 21st Century, In De Waard, D., Weikert, C., Hoonhout, J., and Ramaekers, J. (Eds.) Shaker Publishing, The Netherlands.
  • Macdonald, W., and Bendak, S. (2000). Effects of workload level and 8- versus 12-h workday duration on test battery performance. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 26 (3), 399-416
  • Macdonald, W.A., (2000). 'Workload, fatigue and job satisfaction in repetitive blue-collar work.' Invited keynote address to the Annual Meeting of the Europe Chapter of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Maastricht. 1-3 November, 2000.
  • Macdonald, W, Evans, O, Nolan, G. and Pratt, E. (2000). Work-related predictors of fatigue in repetitive blue-collar work. 36th Annual Conference of the Ergonomics Society of Australia Inc, Adelaide, 8-11 October. pp. 46-51
  • Peterson, C. "Work changes and stress: An Australian experience", TASA, Flinders University, Adelaide, 2000.
  • Macdonald, W, Evans, O, Nolan, G, and Pratt, L. (1999). An Evaluation of Current Practice in Setting Work Rates, Report to the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission, Canberra, ACT.
  • Peterson, C. (1999). “Dealing with stress-related disorders in the public sector” in C. Mayhew and C. Peterson (eds) Occupational health and safety in Australia: Industry, public sector and small business Allen and Unwin, St Leonards, pp 174-86
  • Peterson, C.  (1999). Stress at work: A sociological perspective Amityville, Baywood publishers.
  • Macdonald, Wendy A. (1999). Train controller interface design: factors influencing mental workload. Proceedings of an international conference on human interfaces in control rooms, cockpits and command centres, University of Bath, UK 21-23 June. Institution of Electrical Engineers, 31-36.
  • Bendak, S. and Macdonald, W.A. (1998). Concurrent effects of work duration and workload level on workers' performance capacity. In Implementing Change: the role of Standards, Proceedings of the National Conference of the Ergonomics Society of Australia, Melbourne, 5-7 October 1998, Edited by M. Best, M. Di Stefano, O. Evans, Melbourne, Ergonomics Society of Australia, Inc
  • Bendak, S.-E. and Macdonald, W.A. (1997) Effects of workload level and eight versus twelve-hour workday duration on test battery performance Proceedings of the 13th Triennial Congress of the International Ergonomics Association, Tampere, Finland, 536-538.
  • Peterson, C. “Occupational stress amongst blue collar workers” Complete Safety, July, 1997.
  • Macdonald, W.A. and Upsdell, T. (1996) Measuring job-related mental workload - or should that be stress? Proceedings of the '96 National Occupational Stress Conference, March, Brisbane, pp.101-104. Australian Psychological Society, Melbourne.
  • Peterson, C. L. "Work factors and stress: A critical review" in The international journal of health services, 24(3): 495-519, 1994.
  • Peterson, C. L. "Contributions by sociological approaches to physiological and psychological explanations of the stress response", The annual review of health social sciences.4, 79-91, 1994.
  • Peterson, C. “Effects of negative work factors on stress” T.A.S.A. Conference, Deakin University, Geelong, 8-12 Dec, 1994.
  • Hoffmann, E.R., Macdonald, W.A. and Almond, G.C. (1993) Quantification of the cognitive difficulty of mail sorting. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 11, 83-98
  • Sendapperuma, L., Macdonald, W.A. and Hoffmann, E.R. (1991) PMTS: Are they applicable to visual inspection tasks? Proceedings of the 27th Annual Conference of the Ergonomics Society of Australia, Coolum, pp.269-275
  • Peterson, C. “The role of control in stress and health research”, T A S A Conference, December, University of Queensland, 1990

 

Workplace Injury Prevention – ageing workforce issues

    • Munk, K., Congdon, P., & Macdonald, W. (2008, in press) Age-related differences in patterns of return to work and compensation costs following work-related injury or illness.
    • Munk, K., Congdon, P., & Macdonald, W. (2008, in press) Age-related differences in insurance claim rates for work-related injuries and disease for different occupations and industry sectors.
    • Oakman, J. & Wells, Y. (2008, in press) Can organisations influence employees’ intentions to retire?
    • Oakman J & Wells, Y (2008, in press) Organisational influences and retirement intentions. In C Peterson. (Ed). Older Workers and Transitions to Retirement. Baywood Publishing Inc. Amityville. New York.
    • Macdonald, W., Munk, K., & Congdon, P. (2008) Age and gender-related differences in insurance claim rates for work-related injuries and diseases. 58th Conference of Indian Association of Occupational Health, Mumbai, 22-25 January.
    • Macdonald, W., Munk, K., and Evans, O. (2003). Maintaining productive and safe workplaces for an ageing workforce. Report to Comcare Australia. (20pp) Basis for report available at: www.apsc.gov.au/publications03/maturecomcare.htm
    • Kelty, S, Brooke, L, Foreman, P and Peterson, C. (2000). “Older workers: Analysis of data from the AWIRS study” Report 3 for the Older Worker’s SPIRT Grant (La Trobe University and Jobs East), May.
    • Kelty, S, and Peterson, C. (2000). “Occupational analysis of older workers job experience”: AWIRS95 database Report 2 for the Older Worker’s SPIRT Grant (La Trobe University and Jobs East), March.
    • Kelty, S and Peterson, C. (2000). “Preliminary data from AWIRS95 on older workers” Report 1 for the Older Worker’s SPIRT Grant (La Trobe University and Jobs East), March.
    • Peterson, C, Brooke, L, and Foreman, P. (2000). "Older workers: Work changes and their effects". TASA, Flinders University, Adelaide.

    Content approved by: Director of the Centre for Ergonomics and Human Factors
    Page maintained by: C.E.H.F.
    Last Updated: 7 October, 2009