In the first study, MSD medical visit rates and the level o f physical ergonomic
exposures were estimated by job titles. MSD medical visit rates were found to represent
the combined outcome o f workplace physical ergonomic hazards, workers’ individual
characteristics, and some work organizational factors (e.g., job control). Medical visits
can be useful as MSD surveillance though they tend to underestimate the true magnitude
of MSD at the workplace, and also as ergonomic hazard surveillance by linking them
with a systematic job identification and ergonomic exposure assessment.