Journal Article

A multicomponent quasi-experimental ergonomic interventional study: long-term parallel four-groups interventions

Shakerian, Mahnaz, Pouya, Amin Babaei, Esmaeili, Reza, Esmaeili, Sayed Vahid, Karimi, Azim, Jalali, Mahdi

2023

Overview

Background Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are known as one of the main problems affecting the health of industrial workers and can lead to lost working days, functional disability of workers and wasting the financial resources of an organization. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluating the effect of ergonomic interventions on reducing MSDs and improving working posture in the in a foundry industry workers. Methods A field multicomponent cross-interventional study was conducted on workers working in a foundry industry. In this study, 117 male workers were divided into 4 groups, including a control group, a group with specialized ergonomics training, a group with workstation intervention, and a group simultaneously undergoing training and workstation intervention. All 4 groups were evaluated during a period of baseline, 6 and 12-months follow- up. The Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ) and direct observations of working postures by using the Quick Exposure Check (QEC) method were used. Results The results showed that the implemented interventions in the shoulder/arm, back and stress level were effective and the difference in the final score was significant among different groups ( P -value > 0.05). In addition, the interventions led to a significant decrease in the QEC scores and musculoskeletal symptom scores in the neck, shoulder, lower back, knee, and lower leg regions among different groups ( P -value > 0.05). Conclusion The results showed that workstation modification and training and workstation intervention simultaneously had a greater effect on MSDs and improving working posture compared to training alone.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Care and treatment / Diagnosis / Epidemiology / Ergonomics / Ergonomics - methods / Ergonomics training / Foundries / Foundry workers / Health aspects / Humans / Internal Medicine / Intervention / Intervention study / Male / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / Metals / Musculoskeletal diseases / Musculoskeletal Diseases - prevention & control / Musculoskeletal disorder / Neck / Occupational diseases / Occupational Diseases - etiology / Occupational Diseases - prevention & control / Orthopedics / Physiology / Posture / Quasi-experimental methods / Rehabilitation / Rheumatology / Risk factors / Shoulder / Sports Medicine / Training / Work stations / Workers / Working conditions / Workloads / Workstation modification