In the period from 2018 to 2021, musculoskeletal disorders, which include conditions affecting the arms, neck, shoulders, and occupational lower back pain, constituted an average of 60% of occupational disease compensation claims based on statistics from the Bureau of Labor Insurance. Statistics from the past 3 years (up to May 2023) indicate that musculoskeletal disorders remain the most common occupational disease besides COVID-19, accounting for approximately 70%. This shows that musculoskeletal disorders are still the greatest threat to workers' health. COAPRE is actively revising relevant evaluation tools including the new online version of the Key Indicator Method (KIM) checklist. This aims to identify potential high-risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders in the workplace, apply targeted solutions, and enhance workers' self-protection capabilities to minimize the risk of occupational accidents.

Musculoskeletal disorders not only pose a health risk to workers but also lead to lost work hours, decreased productivity, and increased insurance compensation costs for businesses. For society in general, these injuries impose a heavy burden on medical and relief systems, thus it is imperative to minimize musculoskeletal disorders. Identifying the risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders in work operations, evaluating their severity, and making improvements are key preventive measures for the Occupational Health Service Division (OHSD) of the center since its establishment.

According to Article 6-2 of the “Occupational Safety and Health Act”: "The employers shall adequately plan and adopt the necessary safety and health measures for the following items: 1. To prevent musculoskeletal disorders induced by repetitive operations and related works." Article 9 of the enforcement rule of the same act states: “The planning for the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders induced by repetitive tasks as defined in Article 6-2-1 of the Act shall include the following items: 1. Analysis of the operation process, details, and movements. 2. Confirmation of ergonomic risk factors.” Preventing ergonomic hazards and repetitive musculoskeletal disorders has become paramount in legal and welfare goals for protecting workers’ health.

OHSD Manager Lin Ya-Hui commented that due to the complexity of the causes of musculoskeletal disorders, the KIM checklist, which is simplified and offers real-time assessment features, has become a widely used evaluation tool. This checklist serves as a reminder for workers to consider the amount of weight their bodies can handle, identify potential high-risk factors for musculoskeletal hazards in the workplace, and take specific measures to address them. It can also help improve workers’ self-protection capabilities and lower the risk of musculoskeletal disorders.

For this purpose, the Ministry of Labor, authorized by the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) in Germany, has initiated the development of a Chinese KIM online assessment tool. Additionally, following the establishment of the center’s OHSD, it is tasked with the revision of the new version of KIM. Meanwhile, through 3 introductory education and training sessions held in June, occupational health and labor health services professionals responsible for occupational accident prevention offered their initial feedback on using the tool. The feedback is used to conduct preliminary and simple risk assessments in a bid to refine and optimize the functionality of the tool. According to statistics, a total of 13 professional training sessions were conducted with 559 participants in 2022, with an average satisfaction rate of 93.1%. The tool is expected to be available for public use on the center’s official website in November.