Ergonomics intervention in an Iranian television manufacturing industry.

OBJECTIVE The primary goal of this study was to use the Strain Index (SI) to assess the risk of developing upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders in a television (TV) manufacturing industry and evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention. METHODS The project was designed and implemented in two stages. In first stage, the SI score was calculated and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) was completed. Following this, hazardous jobs were identified and existing risk factors in these jobs were studied. Based on these data, an educational intervention was designed and implemented. In the second stage, three months after implementing the interventions, the SI score was re-calculated and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) completed again. PARTICIPANTS 80 assembly workers of an Iranian TV manufacturing industry were randomly selected using simple random sampling approach. RESULTS The results showed that the SI score had a good correlation with the symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders. It was also observed that the difference between prevalence of signs and symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders, before and after intervention, was significantly reduced. CONCLUSIONS A well conducted implementation of an interventional program with total participation of all stakeholders can lead to a decrease in musculoskeletal disorders.

[1]  B. Silverstein,et al.  Interventions to reduce work-related musculoskeletal disorders. , 2004, Journal of electromyography and kinesiology : official journal of the International Society of Electrophysiological Kinesiology.

[2]  Kaj Bo Veiersted,et al.  Sustained muscle tension as a risk factor for trapezius myalgia , 1994 .

[3]  Å. Kilbom,et al.  Repetitive work of the upper extremity: Part I—Guidelines for the practitioner , 1994 .

[4]  B. Jonsson,et al.  Standardised Nordic questionnaires for the analysis of musculoskeletal symptoms. , 1987, Applied ergonomics.

[5]  D B Chaffin,et al.  Shoulder disorders and postural stress in automobile assembly work. , 2000, Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health.

[6]  S J Linton,et al.  A review of psychological risk factors in back and neck pain. , 2000, Spine.

[7]  Michelle M Robertson,et al.  Reducing Musculoskeletal Discomfort: Effects of an Office Ergonomics Workplace and Training Intervention , 2003, International journal of occupational safety and ergonomics : JOSE.

[8]  Kurt Landau,et al.  Ergonomic demands in automotive component inspection tasks , 2006 .

[9]  Patrick G Dempsey,et al.  A survey of tools and methods used by certified professional ergonomists. , 2005, Applied ergonomics.

[10]  R. H. Westgaard,et al.  Ergonomic intervention research for improved musculoskeletal health: A critical review , 1997 .

[11]  V. H. Hildebrandt,et al.  Psychosocial factors at work and musculoskeletal disease , 1993 .

[12]  T J Armstrong,et al.  Hand wrist cumulative trauma disorders in industry. , 1986, British journal of industrial medicine.

[13]  Rossi Am,et al.  Video display terminal use and reported health symptoms among Massachusetts clerical workers , 1987 .

[14]  A. Garg,et al.  The Strain Index: a proposed method to analyze jobs for risk of distal upper extremity disorders. , 1995, American Industrial Hygiene Association journal.

[15]  L. Forcier,et al.  Work related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) : a reference book for prevention , 1995 .

[16]  K. Harms-Ringdahl,et al.  Psychosocial job factors and symptoms from the locomotor system--a multicausal analysis. , 2020, Scandinavian journal of rehabilitation medicine.

[17]  Karlheinz Schaub,et al.  Ergonomic Screening of Assembly Tasks in Automotive Industries , 2000 .

[18]  L. Karlqvist,et al.  Physical demands in working life and individual physical capacity , 2003, European Journal of Applied Physiology.

[19]  E. Holmström,et al.  Morning warming-up exercise--effects on musculoskeletal fitness in construction workers. , 2005, Applied ergonomics.

[20]  Alireza Choobineh,et al.  Ergonomic intervention in carpet mending operation. , 2004, Applied ergonomics.

[21]  P A Schulte,et al.  Intervention research in occupational health and safety. , 1994, Journal of occupational medicine. : official publication of the Industrial Medical Association.

[22]  K. Grant,et al.  Ergonomics: Summary of Studies on the Effectiveness of Ergonomic Interventions , 1995 .

[23]  Ben-Tzion Karsh,et al.  The efficacy of workplace ergonomic interventions to control musculoskeletal disorders: A critical analysis of the peer-reviewed literature , 2001 .

[24]  Trong-Neng Wu,et al.  Prevalence of shoulder and upper-limb disorders among workers in the fish-processing industry. , 1993, Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health.

[25]  N Onishi,et al.  Shoulder muscle tenderness and physical features of female industrial workers. , 1976, Journal of human ergology.

[26]  O. Axelson,et al.  Case-control study of risk factors for disease in the neck and shoulder area. , 1994, Occupational and environmental medicine.