Analysis of social demographic factors and its effect on work-related musculoskeletal disorders in front shovel operators of a mining company

Abstract

Worker comfort is one important factor in the production operation. The attention to comfort in the workplace will be able to reduce the occurrence of complaints. Facilities and workplace conditions that are not ergonomic increase worker’s complaints, such as musculoskeletal disorders are often experienced. Many factors affect the occurrence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. In this research, social demographic factors retrieved and the influence its effect on musculoskeletal experienced by front shovel operators at a mining company in South Sulawesi was analyzed. This research was based on subjective questionnaries and data obtained were processed by using bivariate statistical method. Dependent and independent variables are musculoskeletal disorder, social demography factor, handgrip strength, subjective physical complaint and environmental factors (temperature, noise, vibration, lighting, and dust). Results concluded from 28 front shovel operators, they have a senior high school education background (86%), with over 3 years work (3-5 years 32%,> 5 years 39%), generally slept in a day for 5-8 hours (71%), and most operators are smokers (75%) with the number of cigarettes consumed in an average a day 4-12 sticks (57%), generally operators are having a breakfast (89%) by consuming rice and side dishes (88%). Statistical tests showed no significant relationship between social-demographic factors to muscle complaints. The influence of environmental factors has a significant relationship to subjective physical complaints but the results obtained inconsistent because the number of samples is still limited.