Archives of environmental & occupational health
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Arch Environ Occup Health · Jan 2012
Work-related musculoskeletal complaints among workers of Iranian aluminum industries.
In developing countries, musculoskeletal complaints are considered as main cause of occupational complications and disability. Economic burden of these complications more than workers has impact on organization and society in general. In Iranian aluminum industries, workers are directly involved in production process and physical activities such as manual material handling and awkward postures are very common. ⋯ Musculoskeletal complaints in past week and year had significant association with job duration and age in these workers. Musculoskeletal complaints in Iranian aluminum industries happened in high rate. Ergonomic intervention strategies in the workplaces must be the focus for elimination of environmental hazards such as apposition on the time of work and manual handling of heavy loads.
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Arch Environ Occup Health · Jan 2012
Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among cashew factory workers.
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) are impairments of the bodily structures, such as muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments, nerves, or the localized blood circulation system, which are caused or aggravated primarily by the performance of work and by the effects of the immediate environment in which work is carried out. Types of work in the cashew factory include cutting, peeling, grading, packing, and boiling. All these activities have risk factors for the musculoskeletal disorders, which include repetition, contact stress, forceful contraction, awkward postures, as well as sustained positions. ⋯ A 68.6% (n = 48) of the workers who reported pain were in the cutting category, followed by the grading (17%; n = 12), boiling (8.6%; n = 6), and peeling (5.7%; n = 4) categories. Prevalence of pain and discomfort among workers was 28.5%, which is a not ignorable and has to be addressed. Self-reported pain and discomfort were more prevalent in knee, followed by back and then shoulder.