Musculoskeletal Injuries in the Workplace: Perceptions of Swedish Police

Swedish police officers experience an increased incidence of musculoskeletal injury, but little is known of the underlying cause. This paper explores police officers' own perceptions of the most common types of musculoskeletal injury sustained in the workplace and explores what police themselves feel are the major causes of such injuries. A nominal group process technique was used because of its benefits in generating and prioritising ideas. Six focus group sessions were conducted involving 33 police from three different regions in Sweden. Police perceived lower back pain as the most common musculoskeletal injury sustained in the workplace. Seven specific areas were perceived as contributing to an increased risk of musculoskeletal injury; duty belt, clothing, shoes, working hours, safety vests, physical condition and patrol vehicles.