Abstract
Introduction:Ergonomic risks are a major health hazard for teachers, causing musculoskeletal pain and decreasing both their quality of life and the quality of the education offered to students.Objectives:To evaluate musculoskeletal pain and ergonomic risk factors in the workplace of teachers at the São Bento do Sul Campus of the Instituto Federal Catarinense.Methods:Twenty-five teachers completed sociodemographic and ergonomic risk questionnaires, as well as the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. The furniture and equipment at their workstations were also evaluated using a checklist.Results:Seventy two percent of teachers were male, and the mean age of the sample was 37.08±7.14 years. In response to the questionnaires, 72% of participants reported little knowledge of ergonomics and 68% said they did not apply these principles in their daily life. The main ergonomic risks to which teachers were exposed were prolonged sitting and standing, sharp corners on desks, use of laptop touchpads and inadequate monitor height. All teachers reported pain in the past 12 months, with the most frequently affected areas being the low back (60%), neck (56%) and shoulders (48%).Conclusions:These findings highlight the importance of ergonomic adaptations and changes in the work habits of teachers in order to improve their health and quality of life, while also allowing them to deliver higher-quality education to their students.
Highlights
The sample consisted of 25 teachers, 18 of whom (72%) were male while 7 (28%) were female
Our results showed that 75 to 100% of teachers who reported shoulder pain taught 10 to 15 hours a week and used a computer for 60 to 100% of work hours spent outside the classroom
The present study found that federal institute teachers were exposed to a series of ergonomic risk factors, the most prevalent of which consisted of prolonged sitting and standing, sharp edges on work desks, use of a laptop touchpad instead of a mouse and improper screen height
Summary
The occupational characteristics of some workers may render them especially susceptible to work-related musculoskeletal pain.[1] These issues affect workers across several occupations and are among the main causes of work-related disability.[2]. Risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders include occupational factors such as mechanical compression, excessive force, repetitive movements, long hours and inadequate posture, as well as individual characteristics such as smoking, obesity, organizational features and psychosocial issues.[3] Some of these risk factors may be hazardous to the health of teachers, whose work involves repetitive movements such as writing, in addition to prolonged standing, repetitive tasks like grading, as well as daily computer use.[4,5] Teachers often use computers to perform administrative tasks, prepare classes, develop teaching strategies, write up research and extension projects, and develop curriculum plans. The main causes of illness and disability among teachers include mental and behavioral conditions, respiratory diseases and musculoskeletal disorders.[5,6]
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