Gender Differences in Prevalence of Ergonomic Stressors and Upper Extremities Musculoskeletal Problems in Sugar Industry Workers

Author : Rohit Sharma, Ranjit Singh

Abstract

Nowadays, occupational accidents are one of the most important problems in developing countries. Ergonomic stressors have been recognized as an effective factor in increasing the risk of musculoskeletal problems among industry workers. So, the main goal of this study was to evaluate the Ergonomic stressors and UE musculoskeletal problems and their associations with the genders. The study was performed on 225 blue collar sugar industry workers. Physical and psychosocial stresses of work, job diagnostics, hazards of workplace, working environment and MSDs prevalence were assessed. The data for this research was obtained by ergonomics checklist using Likert’s scale. Results of the statistical analysis indicated that working posture (OR 4.6, p<0.05), Exhaustion and workload (OR 3, p<0.05), job duration >10 yr (OR 3.6, p<0.05), manual material handling (OR 2.8, p<0.05) were the main cause of musculoskeletal problems among the workers. Male workers were more prone to the developing pain in the neck (OR 2.7; p<0.001) in comparison female workers were more prone of developing pain in upper back (OR 1.9; p<0.05) and shoulder (OR 1.8; p<0.05). Correlation analysis indicated that a significant relationship exist between the work aspects and musculoskeletal problems and were the result of the ergonomic stressors. It was concluded from the study that ergonomic stressors should be recognized as an important factor causing UE musculoskeletal problems and differed significantly between male and female workers.

Keywords: Ergonomic stressors, gender differences, musculoskeletal problems, work aspects, Likert’s scale