Low back pain in Hispanic residential carpenters.
OBJECTIVE
Low back pain (LBP) is a leading cause of lost work time and has been recognized as America's number one workplace safety challenge. Low back pain is occurring at epidemic proportions among construction workers, and minority populations have been underinvestigated for risk of back injury. This project investigated the multiple potential risk factors for occupational LBP among Hispanic residential carpenters.


METHODS
This investigation evaluated 241 Hispanic residential framing carpenters. Data for this study were collected using a 91-question survey. End points of interest included point, annual, and lifetime prevalence of LBP.


RESULTS
Nineteen percent of respondents reported they had an episode of LBP in their lifetime.


CONCLUSIONS
Hispanic residential carpenters reported less than expected prevalence of LBP compared with non-Hispanic counterparts in the same trade and location. Job tasks and personal and workplace risk factors, including psychological and morphological characteristics, affect the prevalence of LBP among Hispanic framing carpenters.
Gilkey
David P
DP
Assistant Professor, Director of Undergraduate Education, Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523.
Enebo
Brian A
BA
Keefe
Thomas J
TJ
Vela Acosta
Martha Soledad
MS
Hautaluoma
Jacob E
JE
Bigelow
Philip L
PL
Rosecrance
John
J
Herron
Robert E
RE
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