Tompa et al. (2007) conducted a systematic review of workplace occupational health and safety interventions with economic evaluations. The interventions included were undertaken in a number of different industries; in total, 12 industry sectors were listed. In the administrative and support services sector, a cluster of eight intervention evaluations (identified within the category of ergonomics and other musculoskeletal injury prevention interventions) were identified, summarized and ranked by the quality of the study. Two intervention evaluations were considered to be high quality studies, one was of medium quality, and five were of low quality. As a result, Tompal et al. (2007) concluded that there was moderate evidence that such interventions in the administrative and support services sector are worth undertaking on the basis of their financial merits. They may be beneficial due to a reduced frequency or severity of injuries, which ultimately results in savings, and/or productivity improvements that result in savings.

Table 1 lists (by order of study quality) the eight research studies that examined the economic impacts of ergonomics in preventing musculoskeletal disorders in the administrative support sector. A summary of the observed effects and economic analysis results are also included in Table 1.