ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To determine the prevalence of occupational musculoskeletal disorders (OMSD) and its risk factors among workers in three manufacturing industries in Zhongshan, China by cross-sectional epidemiological investigation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 2 035 workers from the industries of metals (1001 persons), electrical appliances (455 persons), and furniture (579 persons), including 1 402 males and 633 females, were selected; the mean age was 32.9 ± 8.2 years, and the mean length of service was 6.4 ± 5.6 years. A revised Northern Europe Standardized Questionnaire was used for cross-sectional epidemiological investigation of OMSD.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The results showed that OMSD in these workers was primarily located in the neck, waist, and shoulder, with annual prevalence rates of 23.1%, 20.1%, and 15.8%, respectively. The overall prevalence of OMSD was 43.1% in metal industry, 44.0% in electrical appliance industry, and 26.6% in furniture industry. OMSD prevalence showed significant differences between different industries (χ(2) = 54.2, P < 0.01). The prevalence of OMSD in the shoulder and back increased with working years (P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that the risk factors for OMSD were working age >10 years, safety behavior such as "bending down when lifting heavy things from the ground", and different types of industries.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>OMSD is mainly manifested by neck pain, waist pain, and shoulder pain among front-line manufacturing workers in Zhongshan, and working age, poor labor posture, and different types of industries were risk factors for waist pain.</p>