Assessment of work postures and prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among porcelain industry workers

Introduction: Today, the prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) is considered as a vital issue and one of the highest national priorities. This study was conducted with the aim of evaluating occupational postures and the prevalence of MSDs among porcelain industry workers of the city of Rasht, Iran. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was done in 2015 on 66 workers, active in different factory units and chosen through stratified random sampling. To determine the frequency of MSDs symptoms in different body parts of the workers, the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) and Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) were used. To evaluate the risk of MSDs, the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) method was utilized. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test, independent t-test, and logistic regression were used for data analysis. Results: Based on the data obtained through the questionnaires, 36% of the studied population had experienced pain at least in one body part in the last 12 months. The frequency of pain in the waist, hand and wrists, and neck was the most. According to the data collected through JCQ, the total score of job content had a statistically significant relationship with subjects’ age and their occupational background (P < 0.001, r = -0.549, and r = -0.704, respectively). Mean REBA scores of workers suggested that printing, carpentry, engineering, and material supplement units (scores: 6-6.5) were the most dangerous units, and the enameling unit (score: 4) had the least amount of risk in the porcelain industry. Conclusions: The present study indicated that, in the studied industry, work posture correction with the help of correction stations and appropriate training is absolutely necessary.