The effect of a work-conditioning programme on manual labourers in South African industry

Abstract

Despite substantial efforts to reduce the physical demands placed on manual labourers the epidemiology of occupational disability and musculoskeletal disorders indicates that the problem is growing, and this is specifically evident in Industrially Developing Countries such as South Africa. The possible reasons for this increase are: the physical demands of the task being excessive and the poor physical condition of the workers.In 1992 Genaidy and associates proposed an Ergonomic Stress Index (ESI), defined as the ratio of job requirements to employee capabilities. While the primary focus in any physically demanding job must be to reduce the physical demands of the task, it is possible that by improving the physical work capacity of the worker, while at the same time educating and training the individuals how best to execute the task, one may further reduce the ESI and thus lessen the incidence of musculoskeletal disorders.The objective of this project was to investigate the effect of a “Work Conditioning” programme as an intervention strategy to proactively assist in the reduction of occupational disabilities.Twenty-four male labourers engaged in physically demanding tasks in local industries participated in the study. Task analysis (liftRISK – Charteris and Scott, 1990), working heart rate and perceptual responses (RPE – Borg, 1970) were assessed within the work setting prior to other data collection and again after the completion of the final laboratory testing session. Age, stature and mass, resting heart rate, and grip strength and back strength (Cybex 6000), were assessed pre- and post- a ten week Work Conditioning programme. The programme, conducted on the work premises, included general physical conditioning and specific job simulations.The results revealed an outstanding overall amelioration within the various situations with statistically significant improvement in most parameters. These data give a clear indication that in Industrially Developing Countries, where there remains, and is likely to remain for some time, a substantial amount of physically demanding manual materials handling, there is an urgent need to educate and train the workers how best to cope with the demands of the task.Relevance for IndustryDrawing on theoretical scientific knowledge to assist in reducing the high incidence and severity of musculo-skeletal injuries resulting from physically demanding tasks which are an inherent aspect of industrially developing countries. Acknowledging the need for a two-pronged approach viz reduce task demands and improve the workers' physical capacity.