An Occupational Mechanical Job Exposure Index based on five Norwegian nationwide Surveys of Living Conditions on work environment

Abstract

Objectives Nordic register data are not collected for research purposes, and various dimensions of working conditions are typically missing in register-based research. One way to address the issue of missing information on the work environment in register data is to utilize a job exposure matrix (JEM). The purpose of this paper is to document and provide access to a Mechanical Job Exposure Matrix (JEM) and a validated Occupational Mechanical Job Exposure Index based on the constructed JEM, allowing researchers to utilize the index in register-based research. The JEM and the Occupational Mechanical Job Exposure Index were created using data from five nationwide Surveys of Living Conditions on work environment conducted in Norway in 2006, 2009, 2013, 2016, and 2019, encompassing a total of 43,977 respondents. The index can be merged to register data using occupational codes (STYRK-98) and gender, which is information collected by the registries. The ultimate aim of constructing the index was to create a comprehensive measure of mechanical job exposures for use in future analyses of Norwegian register data. Data description This paper provides the scripts documenting the construction of the Mechanical Job Exposure Matrix (JEM) and the Occupational Mechanical Job Exposure Index, as well as a data file including the matrix and the index. A script for merging the matrix and index to register data is also provided.