Musculoskeletal health problems and relationship of risk factors among manual clay brick sector workers

Abstract

Adverse working conditions with prolonged awkward postures and traditionally designed hand tools result in musculoskeletal health problems among brick kiln workers. The occurrence of musculoskeletal problems depends on various physiological and work-related factors. The present cross-sectional study aims to determine the prevalent musculoskeletal health issues among 150 manual clay brick sector workers and the relationship of risk factors with these issues. Random sampling survey using modified Nordic questionnaire and postural assessment methods, rapid entire body assessment (REBA) and rapid upper limb assessment (RULA) were used for data collection. The association between prevalence of MSDs and risk factors was determined by binary logistic regression. Most prevalent musculoskeletal issues were found in shoulder (56.15%), wrist (50.77%) and lower back (50%) regions. Musculoskeletal issues were found to be associated with personal and work-related factors. The average REBA and RULA scores for all tasks indicated high postural risk. The outcomes of the study pointed out the need for ergonomic interventions to reduce the issues among kiln sector workers.