Abstract
In this study, the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) was administered to a valid sample of 81 Taiwanese bakery workers to explore their discomfort or symptoms of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and identify the risk factors. Wrist postures were also examined during 3 typical dough operations (kneading, rolling, and rounding) by using an electrogoniometer. The prevalence of musculoskeletal discomfort in any part of the body in the past year among the respondents was 93.0%, with the highest prevalence of 66.3% and 51.8% in the hands/wrists (right and left), followed by the prevalence of 50.6% and 45.8% in the shoulders (right and left) and the lower back (48.2%), respectively. The results also revealed that during the 3 dough processing operations, the workers’ wrist movements in specific operations were close to the recommended limits suggested in previous studies, especially the ulnar deviation and palm flexion of the right wrist during dough kneading and the radial deviation of the left wrist during dough rolling and rounding. The study findings can be used to explain why the bakers self-report a high proportion of wrist and shoulder disorders and can also serve as a reference for task rearrangement and redesign.
Highlights
Studies have described work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) as endemic in a wide spectrum of occupational groups, including industrial workers, people involved in food and meat processing, and clerks [1,2,3]
During the 3 types of operations, the maximum ulnar deviation/dorsiflexion of the right wrist in the workers was close to the movement limits defined in the literature, and the same phenomenon was observed for the left ulnar deviation
This study focused on exploring musculoskeletal disorders symptoms in Taiwanese bakery workers
Summary
Studies have described work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) as endemic in a wide spectrum of occupational groups, including industrial workers, people involved in food and meat processing, and clerks [1,2,3]. WMSDs in the upper limbs are common in people in various professions and industries worldwide, frontline workers, due to awkward postures, overexertion, and repetitive work [5,6,7]. Due to the small scale of most stores and cost considerations, the dough processing operation is still manual, which has long caused musculoskeletal disorders in employees. Most studies on the health of bakery workers have mostly focused on industrial bakeries in high-income countries, with emphasis on the effects of flour dust
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