Abstract
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are often experienced by welders in the shipyard industry. A study was conducted in one of the shipyards in Malaysia to identify the prevalence of work-related MSDs among welders and the factors attributed to its increase in the workplace. The investigation was carried out using a modified Nordic questionnaire, in which 27 shipyard welders were interviewed. The questions ranged from demographic information to the prevalence of MSDs on parts of body region experiencing discomfort and pain. The results showed that the most affected body regions were neck, upper back, and lower back, which comprised of 74.1%, 70.4%, and 63.0%, respectively, of the respondents being interviewed. A further in-depth study was conducted for the three most affected body regions with respect to work activities such as working posture, repetitive work, and lifting of heavy objects during welding. The frequency of prevalence of work-related MSDs on these body regions experienced by the welders showed that 25.9% of the respondents had frequently encountered neck pain and another 11.1% of them sometimes experienced discomfort while performing repetitive actions. The study also showed that 22.2% of the respondents sometimes experienced shoulder pain whereas 3.7% of them had reported to seldom encountered it when performing welding operation in awkward positions. Almost half of the respondents (i.e., 48.50%) experienced discomfort and pain for both elbow/hand and wrist when lifting objects heavier than 5 kg.
Highlights
In Malaysia, workplace occupational diseases and poisoning have become one of the major issues in occupational safety and health
Ergonomic studies and work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) issues among workers become of great concern for most organisations
The most affected body regions were neck, upper back, and lower back with 74.1%, 70.4%, and 63.0% of the respondents, respectively, experienced discomfort and pain during the past 12 months. These body regions were mostly affected by MSDs among the respondents due to their awkward working postures, heavy lifting of objects, and repetitive nature of welding operation
Summary
In Malaysia, workplace occupational diseases and poisoning have become one of the major issues in occupational safety and health. Repetitive movements, and lifting of heavy objects are very common, and the majority of job activities are characterised by a sitting posture with the worker’s head and trunk are flexed forward, and the shoulders are flexed and abducted. In this situation, the high rates of work-related MSD occurrences are expected to be experienced by the workers [3]. Ergonomic studies and work-related MSDs issues among workers become of great concern for most organisations. In line with the issues mentioned, a case study on the prevalence of MSDs among shipyard welders was carried out. The company offers wide ranges of reliable services and facilities including shipbuilding, ship repair and maintenance, overhaul services for naval and paramilitary vessels, as well as engineering and fabrication of oil and gas facilities
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