A team of researchers has developed and provisionally validated a new questionnaire among 202 teleworkers in Mexico to measure the ergonomic risks of working from home. The study, carried out among workers in Mexico’s manufacturing industry, was published on 6 October 2026 in the scientific journal Ergonomics and was conducted by researcher Rodríguez-Orona and colleagues from several Mexican academic institutions. The source article does not specify which institutions these are.
Why a new measurement tool?
According to the Spanish-language trade platform Prevencionar, there is a need for reliable instruments to analyze the ergonomics of home workstations. Relatively little is still known about the link between home working conditions and musculoskeletal complaints. In Mexico, the standard NOM-037-STPS-2023 sets out the safety and health conditions for this form of work.
How does the new tool work?
The researchers started with a 58-item questionnaire, based on a literature review of ergonomics and telework. That questionnaire was administered digitally to the 202 participants, all employed in the manufacturing industry. Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, the researchers reduced the answers to a more compact model. The instrument’s psychometric properties were also examined, including internal consistency, reliability, and convergent and discriminant validity. The result is a final model of 12 variables, grouped into four factors. That is considerably shorter than the original 58-item version. The names of the four factors are not mentioned in the source article.
Preliminary results and limitations
The researchers themselves acknowledge a methodological limitation: the sample used for the confirmatory analysis was not independent of the sample used to develop the model. According to Prevencionar, this can lead to overly optimistic estimates of statistical fit, so the results should be read as a preliminary psychometric validation rather than definitive confirmation. The platform also notes that the study does not demonstrate that using the instrument reduces musculoskeletal complaints, and that it provides no figures on national prevalence. A questionnaire, moreover, does not automatically replace a technical assessment of the workplace. Follow-up research with independent samples and workers from other sectors is needed. Prevencionar does regard the research by Rodríguez-Orona and colleagues as a contribution to the field, but stresses that it is only a first step.
Context
These risks are also receiving attention in Europe. The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) identifies static sitting postures, use of display screen equipment, a poor working environment (for example, poor lighting) and psychosocial workload as risk factors in telework. Possible consequences include back complaints, upper-limb disorders and the worsening of existing conditions. According to EU-OSHA, telework belongs in every employer’s risk assessment, and the agency recommends a telework policy with agreements on risk assessment, ergonomic equipment, working hours and expected outcomes.
Source: Study develops new ergonomic questionnaire for Mexican teleworkers, 27 October 2026
Also consulted: EU-OSHA, “Musculoskeletal disorders related to telework – Tips for employers”.
