Work posture and risk factors associated with work-related musculoskeletal disorders among cashew workers in Eastern India
by Krishna Chaitanya Mallampalli; Debayan Dhar; Swati Pal
International Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics (IJHFE), Vol. 8, No. 1, 2021

Abstract: This cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), ergonomic risk levels, and associated risk factors (personal and work-related) with WMSDs among 290 cashew workers in small-scale cashew processing units of Eastern India. The data were collected through a questionnaire [including Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire (NMQ)] and direct observation of work posture using rapid entire body assessment (REBA) method. Results showed that 70.3% of cashew workers reported WMSDs during the past 12 months, with shoulders (52.4%), lower back (51.4%), and hands/wrists (43.4%) regions being the highest. Work-related factors, including work experience, daily working time, work fatigue, job stress, and personal factors (gender, age, material status, educational level, and type of work), were independently associated with WMSDs. Further, REBA final score (8-10) indicated that cashew workers' postures were at a high-risk level. Finally, it is concluded that WMSDs among cashew workers are a significant problem, which needs ergonomic work improvements.

Online publication date: Fri, 14-May-2021

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