Preventing work-related musculoskeletal disorders in Cuba, an industrially developing country

Torres, Yaniel; Rodríguez, Yordán; Viña, Silvio

doi:10.3233/wor-2011-1133

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Other authors 93 ) undertook a study seeking to diminish the MSD of workers in the automotive industry of South Korea (complying with the regulations of the country on work health and safety). A similar study was made in Cuba, in the tourist sector, tobacco industry, pharmaceutical industry, and biotechnology 94 ) . In turn, Lu et al 95 ) made a comparable study in Taiwan in the industrial electronics sector (manufacture of liquid-crystal displays).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 76%

“… 3.1.3.2 92 ) United States 2009 Application of the OWAS in obese maintenance workers. 3.1.3.7 94 ) Cuba 2011 Use of several methods, including the OWAS, for an ergonomic analysis in several sectors of industry and tourism. 3.1.3.7 93 ) South Korea 2011 Study of the introduction of safety and health regulations in the workplace in the motor industry by ergonomic evaluations.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Musculoskeletal disorders: OWAS review

et al. 2017

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The prevention of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) is very important in the world. Governments and companies are the most interested. The objective of the present work is to review the literature on the applications of the OWAS method in the diverse sectors or fields of knowledge and countries from its publication to March 2017. The use of OWAS method has been classified by categories of knowledge, by country and by year. The search was made by selecting only the main collection of the Web of Science. This was selected by the option “Advanced search” using the term OWAS (ts=OWAS) for the time period of 1900 to 2017. A total of 166 results were found, consisting of conference papers and articles in scientific journals. In conclusion, the OWAS has been applied mainly in two sectors: “Manufacturing industries” and “Healthcare and Social assistance activities”. This method needs to be complemented with other indirect or direct methods. Also, whenever the OWAS has been used, whether individually or together with other methods, musculoskeletal disorders risks have been detected, this perhaps being an indicator to review the evaluation parameters because overestimating the risk.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 76%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Musculoskeletal disorders: OWAS review

et al. 2017

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“…The current plant layout was sketched and analyzed to find possible targets for improvement trough the application of general principles for designing work spaces and ergonomics view points. This approach seems to offer a broader base of information than those frequently used during ergonomics interventions in our context [8][9][10].…”

Section: Practice Innovationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) represent the second highest rate of total permanent disability in the Cuban work force, with an incidence rate of 180 cases for every 10 000 workers; this rate is exceeded only by vascular-brain diseases and represents only the tip of the iceberg [9]. It is well known that MSDs are associated with jobs and tasks involving repetitive movements and exertion, including such specific risk factors as use of force, awkward posture and lack of recovery periods [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation and redesign of manual material handling in a vaccine production centre’s warehouse

Torres¹,

Viña

2012

Work

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This study was conducted in a warehouse at a vaccine production centre where improvement to existing storage and working conditions were sought through the construction of a new refrigerated store section (2-8C°). Warehousing tasks were videotaped and ergonomics analysis tools were used to assess the risk of developing MSDs. Specifically, these tools were the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) and the NIOSH equation. The current plant layout was sketched and analyzed to find possible targets for improvement trough the application of general work space design and ergonomics principles. Seven of the eight postures evaluated with REBA had a total score between 8 and 10, meaning a high risk, and only one was at a medium risk level. Nine of the eleven manual material handling tasks analyzed with the NIOSH equation had a Lifting Index between 1.14 and 1.80 and two had a recommended weight limit of 0kg, indicating a need for job redesign. Solutions included the redesign of shelves, the design of a two-step stair and a trolley with adjustable height; also, changes in work methods were proposed by introducing a two-workers lifting strategy and job rotation, and, finally, a restructuring of plant layout was completed.

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“…The problem of MSDs has been a major concern in recent years because of the negative impact of these diseases on the working population [19]. MSDs represent the second-highest rate of total permanent disability in the Cuban work force, with a rate of 180 cases for every 10,000 workers (exceeded only by vascular brain diseases) [20].…”

Section: Musculoskeletal Disordersmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Discipline of Ergonomics in Cuba within the Occupational Health Framework: Background and Trends

Torres¹,

Rodríguez²,

Viña³

2014

New Solut

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The concept of ergonomics was introduced in Cuba at the beginning of the 1970s. More than 40 years later, the prevailing approach to workers' health is still generally reactive rather than proactive, despite the commitment of the government to the subject. A factor influencing this issue is, generally, lack of recognition of the benefits of establishing ergonomic principles within most occupational activities. Recent progress to move occupational health practice toward a more preventive approach has been conducted, frequently with international support. The introduction of a set of Cuban standards proposing the necessity of ergonomic evaluations is an example of this progress. The main challenge for Cuban ergonomists is to transfer knowledge to occupational health practitioners in order to be in concordance with basic standards and regulations regarding ergonomics. The article offers a short description of the history of ergonomics and an overview of ergonomics practice in Cuba.

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Preventing work-related musculoskeletal disorders in Cuba, an industrially developing country

Cited by 10 publications

References 11 publications

Musculoskeletal disorders: OWAS review

Musculoskeletal disorders: OWAS review

Evaluation and redesign of manual material handling in a vaccine production centre’s warehouse

The Discipline of Ergonomics in Cuba within the Occupational Health Framework: Background and Trends

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