Investigation on musculoskeletal discomfort and ergonomics risk factors among production team members at an automotive component assembly plant

Using a national population survey, this article examines how high-involvement work processes affect employee well-being. The analysis shows that greater experiences of autonomy and participation in decision-making have positive or neutral effects. Higher involvement is a key factor predicting higher job satisfaction and better work–life balance while it has no relationship to stress or fatigue. In contrast, higher levels of work intensity increase fatigue and stress and undermine work–life balance. If the quality of working life is a key objective in a reform based on greater employee involvement, close attention needs to be paid to the balance between processes that release human potential and those that increase the intensity of work.

The prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in European countries varies considerably. We analyzed data from the fifth European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) to explore the role of personal, occupational, and social risk factors in determining the national prevalence of musculoskeletal pain. Over the course of 2010, 43 816 subjects from 34 countries were interviewed. We analyzed the one-year prevalence of back and neck/upper-limb pain. Individual-level risk factors studied included: sex; age; educational level; socioeconomic status; housework or cooking; gardening and repairs; somatizing tendency; job demand-control; six physical occupational exposures; and occupational group. Data on national socioeconomic variables were obtained from Eurostat and were available for 28 countries. We fitted Poisson regression models with random intercept by country. The main analysis comprised 35 550 workers. Among individual-level risk factors, somatizing tendency was the strongest predictor of the symptoms. Major differences were observed by country with back pain more than twice as common in Portugal (63.8%) than Ireland (25.7%), and prevalence rates of neck/upper-limb pain ranging from 26.6% in Ireland to 67.7% in Finland. Adjustment for individual-level risk factors slightly reduced the large variation in prevalence between countries. For back pain, the rates were more homogenous after adjustment for national socioeconomic variables. Our analysis indicates substantial variation between European countries in the prevalence of back and neck/upper-limb pain. This variation is unexplained by established individual risk factors. It may be attributable in part to socioeconomic differences between countries, with higher prevalence where there is less risk of poverty or social exclusion.

This paper describes the development and evaluation of the Quick Exposure Check (QEC), which is an observational tool developed for Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) practitioners to assess exposure to risks for work-related musculoskeletal disorders and provide a basis for ergonomic interventions. The tool is based on epidemiological evidence and investigations of OSH practitioners' aptitudes for undertaking assessments. It has been tested, modified and validated using simulated and workplace tasks, in two phases of development, with participation of 206 practitioners. The QEC allows the four main body areas to be assessed and involves practitioners and workers in the assessment. Trials have determined its usability, intra- and inter-observer reliability, and validity which show it is applicable to a wide range of working activities. The tool focuses primarily on physical workplace factors, but also includes the evaluation of psychosocial factors. Tasks can normally be assessed within 10min. It has a scoring system, and exposure levels have been proposed to guide priorities for intervention. Subsequently it should be used to evaluate the effectiveness of any interventions made. The QEC can contribute to a holistic assessment of all the elements of a work system.