Ergonomic Risk Factors for Musculoskeletal Disorders among Ethnic Lychee–Longan Harvesting Workers in Northern Thailand

Abstract

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are one of the leading causes of occupational injuries and disabilities. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of MSDs and occupational factors affecting MSDs among ethnic lychee–longan harvesting workers in northern Thailand. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the areas of three upper northern provinces of Thailand. The study areas are located in the highlands and rural plains, where many ethnic minority groups live, including Indigenous, Mien, Karen, and Lua. The majority of them work in a farm of perennial fruit trees, mainly lychee and longan. During the harvest season, 404 participants were recruited for the study using the convenience sampling technique. Data were collected using questionnaires that included general information, an ergonomic risk assessment, and a standardized Nordic questionnaire for assessing MSDs in 10 body parts. The average age of lychee–longan harvesting workers was 48.8 years. Almost all (99.5%) reported MSDs in one or more body regions in the previous seven days of work. The prevalence of MSDs was highest in the hands (82.9%), followed by the shoulders (82.2%) and the neck (79.7%). The total ergonomic risk scores, which included awkward posture, heavy carrying and lifting, repetitive activity, land slope, and equipment, were found to be significantly associated with MSDs in part of the neck (AOR = 1.17, 95%CI = 1.11–1.23), shoulder (AOR = 1.15, 95%CI = 1.10–1.21), elbow (AOR = 1.18, 95%CI = 1.12–1.24), hand (AOR = 1.12, 95%CI = 1.07–1.18), finger (AOR = 1.33, 95%CI = 1.24–1.44), upper back (AOR = 1.14, 95%CI = 1.09–1.20), lower back (AOR = 1.16, 95%CI = 1.11–1.22), hip (AOR = 1.11, 95%CI = 1.06–1.15), knee (AOR = 1.18, 95%CI = 1.12–1.24), and feet (AOR = 1.21, 95%CI = 1.15–1.28) when adjusting for ethnicity, sex, age, BMI, and work experience. Many parts of ethnic workers’ bodies have been affected by occupational injuries, with a high risk of upper extremity injury. As a result, using an ergonomic approach to improving the working environment and appropriate posture movement is very beneficial in preventing MSDs among ethnic harvesting workers.

Development of a new ergonomic risks management algorithm on the example of drivers

“…On the basis of the total load index, ER was calculated taking into account the experience of the drivers according to formula (1), taking into account the data of the matrix shown in Fig. 3.…”

“…Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) of workers rank first in the world among other diseases that are fixed at work [1]. First of all, it is related to uncomfortable working postures, long-term static operations, monotony of work and other dangerous factors of the production environment.…”

Validity and reliability of the Balance Error Score System (BESS) Thai version in patients with chronic non-specific neck pain

“…In China [5], there is a high (86.3%) one-point prevalence of non-specific neck pain (NSNP), where NSNP is defined as a type of NP without a detectable etiology and with no features of red flag conditions such as: malignancy, infection, inflammation, myelopathy, other histories of orthopedics conditions and drop attack during head movement, or symptoms following whiplash [6,7]. In Thailand, NP has similarly been reported to have a high prevalence up to 81.9% and was one of the top three ranked musculoskeletal (MS) conditions in many occupations [8][9][10][11][12][13]. Further, NP is also associated with a significant financial burden for treatment within national healthcare systems in the United States and globally [14,15].…”