It's a pain in the deck: Workspace discomfort and health risks across Navy ship-classes

Musculoskeletal disorders are a major concern in military environments, particularly in confined shipboard workspaces. Limited research has explored how physical discomfort due to workspace design contributes to physical and mental health risks (PHR and MHR, respectively) across Navy ship-classes. Using a brief measure of workspace discomfort, we examined its association with health risks among U.S. Navy sailors aboard three ship-classes. Exploratory factor analysis identified three factors: upper extremity, upper body, and head/visual discomfort. All three factors were positively linked to PHR. Upper body and head/visual discomfort were positively associated with MHR. Ship-class may serve as a moderator of the discomfort-PHR and discomfort-MHR relationships. These findings suggest the need for ergonomic interventions tailored to ship-classes to reduce health risk. This novel measure provides a practical tool for assessing discomfort across body regions and guiding improvements in workspace design.