Low back pain as an occupational risk among supermarket cashiers in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Background: Work-related low back pain (LBP) has received growing attention, especially regarding the effect it has on work productivity and activities of daily living (ADL). Supermarket cashiers are at high risk of LBP due to maintaining awkward postures for prolonged periods. Objectives: To investigate the prevalence and intensity of LBP among supermarket cashiers in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and to identify occupational and non-occupational risk factors for LBP. Methods: Supermarket cashiers from 12 conveniently selected stores of a major South African supermarket franchise were included in this cross-sectional study. Questionnaires were administered in October and November 2018. Mean LBP disability scores were used as a measure of pain intensity experienced during various activities. Univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to measure the effect size of different variables on the LBP intensity score. The associations between LBP and both occupational and non-occupational factors were assessed using Fischer's exact test and forward stepwise logistic regression analysis. Results: One hundred and forty-six cashiers participated in the study. Most of the participants reported having minimal LBP (n = 132, 90.4%), indicating that they could cope with most living activities. Based on the mean disability scores, only the effect size of age was large. The odds of having LBP were associated with age 30 years and older (p = 0.001), race other than black African (p = 0.037), and working for more than 10 hours a day (p = 0.039). Conclusion: Reporting of LBP was common among the supermarket cashiers in this study. Older workers are at a higher risk of having LBP, which may be exacerbated by long working hours. Workplace interventions such as ergonomic programmes, structured and defined working hours, and home-based interventions such as exercise therapy, should be implemented.

Accessing Driving Posture Among Elderly Taxi Drivers In Malaysian Using RULA And QEC Approach

@#An elderly community may continue to serve their services to other jobs after retirement particularly in light works in accordance to their ability which can support the household income in such a challenging world. One of the professions that they could alternatively get involved is by being a taxi driver. Hence, the characteristic of elderly taxi driver is crucial to understand, primarily due to the ageing process which makes them more vulnerable towards injury. Sitting which is the working posture of a taxi driver should be properly done to avoid injuries among the elders. Improper seating posture is potentially unhealthy and considered as one of the major contributing factors for several musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) such as pain in the lower back part and shoulder. Due to increased exposures to seating posture inside the car, the proper sitting adjustment has become an important issue that demands adequate ergonomic interventions. A cross-sectional study was conducted with elderly taxi drivers using a self-administered questionnaire. It included questions on social-demographic data, Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) and Quick Exposure Check (QEC). Purposive method sampling is used according to these inclusive criteria; age 60 years old and above, self-driving taxi more than 1 year, no disabilities and registered with Ministry of Transport (MOT). Total of 443 respondents participated in the study. SPSS software version 20.0 to analyze data and RULA and QEC form was used. More than half elderly taxi driver used budget car (57.6%) type of taxi and most of elderly taxi drivers were smoking (66.0%). More than half respondents (70.0%) having felt back pain for the past 12 months and 75.4% feeling back pain the last seven days. 94.8% elderly taxi drivers complained of feeling low back pain. QEC showed higher score - neck (20.8%) and back body part (6.5%) and other factors at high score - driving (86.4%) and vibration (45.6%). RULA analysis body score at value score 7 (23.5%)- required immediate improvement and value score 5/6 (61.9%) - required investigation and needed to improve soon. Inappropriate seating posture among elderly taxi drivers may cause discomfort towards developing MSD. The implication of low awareness on ergonomics education could reflect quality lifestyle and health among elderly taxi drivers in Malaysia.

Vibration and Ergonomic Exposures Associated With Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Shoulder and Neck

BACKGROUND: According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) accounted for 32% of all nonfatal injury and illness cases in 2014 among full-time workers. Our objective was to review and summarize the evidence linking occupational exposures to vibration and awkward posture with MSDs of the shoulder and neck. METHODS: A literature search was conducted using the terms musculoskeletal disorders, vibration, and awkward posture. All types of observational epidemiologic studies, with the exception of case reports, published during 1998–2015 were included. Databases searched were MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), Scopus, Ergonomic Abstracts, NIOSHTIC-2, and Health and Safety Science Abstracts. RESULTS: Occupational exposures to whole-body or hand–arm vibration were significantly associated with or resulted in MSDs of the shoulder and neck. Awkward postures while working were also associated with MSDs in these locations. These findings were consistent across study designs, populations, and countries. CONCLUSION: Occupational exposure to vibration and awkward posture are associated with shoulder and neck MSDs. Longitudinal studies are required to elucidate the mechanisms responsible for these associations, and intervention studies are warranted.

Job Hazard Analyses for Musculoskeletal Disorder Risk Factors in Pressing Operations of Dry-cleaning Establishments

Job hazard analyses were conducted to assess exposure to musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) risk factors in seven workers of three dry-cleaning establishments. In accordance with the Washington State Ergonomics Rule, the analyses were performed in two separate steps: (1) observation and checklist approaches were made to identify a “caution zone job” in the seven workers' pressing operations across the three shops; and (2) detailed posture and motion analyses were undertaken to determine a “MSD hazard” in one worker's operation using a video technique. One “caution zone job” was identified and it was the pressing operation job in which five physical risk factors were found in the pressing operations. The detailed analyses confirmed that one “MSD hazard”, i.e., awkward posture in shoulders, was prevalent in the pressing operations of the three dry-cleaning facilities. It would be desirable to reduce MSD risk factors including awkward shoulder posture in the dry-cleaning industry.

Association between Awkward Posture and Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD) among Assembly Line Workers in an Automotive Industry

Automotive industry in Malaysia is one of the booming industries which encompass the design, development and manufacturing of motor vehicles. However, it has its own setback as the interaction between complex tools, machines, and instruments, coupled with humans as workers pose several health hazards. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) and the association with awkward posture among automotive assembly line workers. A simple random sampling method was adopted and data were collected based on Standardized Nordic Questionnaire (SNQ) and Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) method for analysing awkward posture. With a response rate of 83%, a total of 232 assembly line workers with at least one year job tenure participated in this study. The fi ndings revealed that 78.4% of workers reported MSD while the highest percentage of complaints concerned the lower back (50.9%). Three factors were found to be signifi cantly associated with MSD: age (χ2 =5.61, p=0.018), job tenure (χ2 = 8.26, p=0.004) and awkward posture (χ2 = 65.37, p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis indicated that signifi cant risk factors for MSD symptoms were workers aged ≥ 25 years old (OR= 2.25, 95%CI 1.14-4.46) and those workers with equal and more than three years job tenure (OR= 2.44, 95%CI 1.04-5.63). In addition, workers in the very high and high RULA action level who were 69 times (OR = 69.38, 95%CI 14.51- 331.73) and 12 times (OR = 12.42, 95%CI 5.21-29.58), respectively, also had higher odds of complaints of MSD. The high prevalence of MSD shows that MSD symptoms is a signifi cant problem among automotive assembly line workers while age, job tenure and awkward posture based on RULA action level are the signifi cant factors for MSD. In particular, this study proves that the prevalence of MSD increases as the RULA action level and job tenure increases. Thus, this problem could be reduced by decreasing RULA action level through appropriate ergonomic workstation design and ergonomic training for workers.