Exposure
Lower back and -extremities
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Expert rated exposures in 5 domains:

  1. Standing/walking (hours per 8 hours workday)
  2. Kneeling/squatting (hours per 8 hours workday)
  3. Whole body vibration (hours per 8 hours workday)
  4. Total load lifted (kg/day)
  5. Frequency of lifting loads weighing ≥20 kg (times/day)

Experts agreed on rankings of job groups, and rankings based on mean values of the experts’ rating were in accordance with the opinion of external experts.

Name: Lower Body JEM

 

Coverage
Alle 372 occupations in DISCO-88.
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Of the 372 existing DISCO-88 codes, 204 were assessed as minimally exposed on a general level. The remaining 168 DISCO-codes were allocated to 121 homogeneous groups.

Job Classification

The Danish version of The International Standard Classification of Occupations (DISCO-88)

Calendar Period
The JEM was established in 2009 and should cover a time period from around 1990 to the present date.
Uncertainty in Exposure
The exposures were expert assessed.
Demographics
No gender specific estimates.
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References & JEM developer
Key Developer: Esben Meulengracht Flachs

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Affiliation at the time of development: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital, Bispebjerg, Bispebjerg Bakke 23, 2200 Copenhagen NV, Denmark.

Reference: An expert-based job exposure matrix for large scale epidemiologic studies of primary hip and knee osteoarthritis: the Lower Body JEM

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Rubak TS, Svendsen SW, Andersen JH, Haar JP, Kryger A, Jensen LD, Frost P. An expert-based job exposure matrix for large scale epidemiologic studies of primary hip and knee osteoarthritis: the Lower Body JEM. BMC Musculoskelet Disord, 2014 Jun 13;15:204.

Inspiration from research projects on physical workload in DOC*X

Within DOC*X, several research projects investigate the relationship between physical workload and health, using the Lower Body JEM as the exposure measure.

Some of this research aims to improve the prevention of serious lower back disorders caused by physical demands in the workplace. These projects place particular focus on degenerative changes and disc herniations in the lower back. Other studies specifically examine occupational groups such as fishermen, exploring the need for more knowledge about their health in relation to their work. This includes identifying factors in fishermen’s working lives that predict musculoskeletal disorders and exploring ways to reduce the occurrence of such disorders and related symptoms.

These are just a few examples of the research conducted within the DOC*X framework. Here you can find more information on other research projects using DOC*X data.