title: Study on musculoskeletal disorders in a machinery manufacturing plant.
abstract: Musculoskeletal disorders and related risk factors in machinery manufacturing were investigated using interviews, postural analysis, and the revised National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health lifting equation. Sixty-nine workers involved in manual materials handling (Job A) and 51 machinery workers less involved with manual material-handling tasks (Job B) were studied. Low back pain (LBP) (at least one episode lasting for 24 hours or more in past 12 months) prevalence rates were 63.8% and 37.3% for Jobs A and B, respectively. Prevalence rates of LBP every day for a week or more attributed to lifting were 26.09% and 5.88% for Jobs A and B, respectively. Multiple regression analysis revealed that lifting repetitiveness and work age contributed to the occurrence of LBP. The "composite load" (object weight x activity repetitiveness) had a significant adverse effect on LBP.
authors.affiliation: Libery Mutual SafeWork Center at Fudan University, School of Public Health, Shanghai, PR China.
authors.forename: Guo-Bing
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Patrick G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Dempsey
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.forename: Zao-Hua
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: You-Xin
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Liang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D006804:Ergonomics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017770:Lifting / Q000009:adverse effects; D016015:Logistic Models; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors