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      Musculoskeletal problems among workers of an Iranian communication company

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          Abstract

          Introduction:

          Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are a common health problem throughout the world and a major cause of disability in the workplace. Awkward working posture is a main risk factor for developing WMSDs. Assessment of exposure level to WMSDs risks can be an appropriate base for planning and implementing interventional ergonomics program in the workplace. This study was conducted among workers of an Iranian communication company with the objectives of a) determination of WMSDs prevalence and b) assessment of exposure level to WMSDs risks.

          Materials and Methods:

          In this cross-sectional study, 85 randomly selected workers from assembly line and closed circuit TV (CCTV) participated. Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire (NMQ) was used to study prevalence of WMSDs and rapid upper limb assessment (RULA) technique was applied to assess physical exposure to the risks.

          Results:

          The results of NMQ revealed that WMSDs occurred at an high rate. The highest rates of WMSDs prevalence were reported in shoulders (73%), knees (67.1%) and back (66.7%). RULA showed that the Grand Score of 88.1% of cases were high and very high (action levels 3 and 4). Significant association was found between risk level and musculoskeletal symptoms in lower back ( P < 0.05).

          Conclusion:

          Given the association between RULA score and the prevalence of the problems, reducing RULA score by designing ergonomic workstation may reduce the prevalence of WMSDs among the workers.

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          Most cited references34

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          RULA: a survey method for the investigation of work-related upper limb disorders.

          RULA (rapid upper limb assessment) is a survey method developed for use in ergonomics investigations of workplaces where work-related upper limb disorders are reported. This tool requires no special equipment in providing a quick assessment of the postures of the neck, trunk and upper limbs along with muscle function and the external loads experienced by the body. A coding system is used to generate an action list which indicates the level of intervention required to reduce the risks of injury due to physical loading on the operator. It is of particular assistance in fulfilling the assessment requirements of both the European Community Directive (90/270/EEC) on the minimum safety and health requirements for work with display screen equipment and the UK Guidelines on the prevention of work-related upper limb disorders.
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            Job task and psychosocial risk factors for work-related musculoskeletal disorders among newspaper employees.

            A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the association of upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders and work-related factors among employees using video display terminals at a large metropolitan newspaper. The study included 1050 randomly selected workers from four departments. The workers were asked to complete questionnaires on symptoms, job tasks, and psychosocial and work organization conditions. Musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremities were defined by frequency, duration, and intensity of symptoms not attributable to acute injury. Data were analyzed with the use of logistic regression. A total of 973 workers completed the survey. The one-year period prevalence rate for any musculoskeletal disorder of the upper extremities was 41%. Neck symptoms (26%) were the most frequently reported, followed by hand or wrist (22%), shoulder (17%), and elbow (10%) symptoms. Greater time working at the video display station was associated with increased hand or wrist symptoms in a dose-response relationship. In addition, variables corresponding to increased work-load demands (eg, increased time working under deadline and increased job pressure) were associated with increased neck, shoulder, and hand or wrist disorders. Women were more likely to report symptoms in several areas, but this finding may reflect the concentration of women in jobs involving more risk factors. The results suggest a high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremities among newspaper employees, and they provide additional evidence that increased work load, time pressure, and greater hours of computer use are related to the occurrence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among these workers, particularly for disorders in the hand or wrist area.
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              Comparison of self-report, video observation and direct measurement methods for upper extremity musculoskeletal disorder physical risk factors.

              The prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders has become a national priority in many countries. Increasingly, attempts are made to quantify those exposures that increase risk in order to set exposure limit values. This study used commonly employed field measurement methods and tools in order to perform an inter-method comparison between three primary methods of risk factor exposure assessment: self-report questionnaires, observational video analysis and direct measurement. Extreme posture duration, repetition, hand force (estimated from electromyography) and movement velocity were assessed for 18 subjects while performing each of three jobs processing tree seedlings. Results indicated that self-reports were the least precise assessment method, which consistently overestimated exposures for each of the measured risk factors. However, adjustment of the reports as psychophysical scales may increase agreement on a group level. Wrist flexion/extension duration and repetition were best measured by electrogoniometer. Electrogoniometric measures of wrist deviation duration and frequency were less precise than video analysis. Forearm rotation duration and repetition, grip force and velocity appeared to be best quantified by direct measurement as measured by electrogoniometer and electromyography (EMG) (as root-mean-square amplitude). The results highlight the fact that it is as important to consider and report estimated measurement error in order to reduce potential exposure misclassification in epidemiologic studies.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Indian J Occup Environ Med
                IJOEM
                Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
                Medknow Publications (India )
                0973-2284
                1998-3670
                Jan-Apr 2007
                : 11
                : 1
                : 32-36
                Affiliations
                [1]Dept. of Occupational Health, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box: 71645-111, Shiraz, Iran
                [* ]Epidemiology Dept., School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box: 71645-111, Shiraz, Iran
                Author notes
                For correspondence: Dr. Alireza Choobineh, Dept. of Occupational Health, School of Health, Shiraz Univ. Med. Sci, P.O. Box: 71645-111, Shiraz, Iran. E-mail: alrchoobin@ 123456sums.ac.ir
                Article
                IJOEM-11-32
                10.4103/0019-5278.32462
                3168110
                21957370
                54860cf1-a751-48c0-bd02-b91790aea0ad
                © Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

                This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

                History
                Categories
                Original Article

                Occupational & Environmental medicine
                assembly workers,communication industry,rapid upper limb assessment technique,work-related musculoskeletal disorders

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