Risk factors of musculoskeletal disorders among oil palm fruit harvesters during early harvesting stage
Journal Title: Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine - Year 2015, Vol 22, Issue 2
Abstract
This cross-sectional study intends to investigate the associations of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among foreign labourers on a socio-economic background, occupational exposure, social lifestyle, and postures adopted during harvesting tasks. A total of 446 male respondents (263 FFB cutters; 183 FFB collectors) were studied using an interview-assisted questionnaire. OWAS was used to determine the severity of awkward posture based on videos of harvesting tasks recorded for each respondent. Analysis found that increasingly educated respondents had higher risk of developing MSDs. Shorter daily work duration and longer resting duration appear to increase the risk of neck and shoulder disorders among harvesters, which may be attributable to organizational work design. Awkward posture was a particularly significant risk factor of MSDs among FFB collectors. Among the results of the study, occupational exposure, postures and certain socio-demographic backgrounds explained some, but not all, the risk factor of MSDs among harvesters. An in-depth investigation, preferably a longitudinal study investigating the dynamic of work activities and other risk factors, such as psychosocial risk factors, are recommended.
Authors and Affiliations
Yee Guan Ng, Shamsul Bahri Mohd Tamrin , Irwan Syah Mohd Yusoff, Zailina Hashim, Baba MD Deros, Shahriman Abu Bakar, Vivien How
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP80960
- DOI -
- Views 172
- Downloads 0
Engagement in risky behaviours by 15-19-year-olds from Polish urban and rural areas
Introduction. Anti-health behaviours pose a threat to the health status of the adolescent population in Poland. Among other things, the use and abuse of tobacco, alcohol and psychoactive substances are very dangerous as...
Bioaerosol assessment in naturally ventilated historical library building with restricted personnel access
The aim of this study was to check the degree and identify the sources of microbial contamination of the Jasna Góra (Bright Hill) monastery library 10 years after disinfection of the incunabula collection. The registered...
Correlation between atherogenic risk and adiponectin in gestational diabetes mellitus
Introduction and objective. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a pregnancy complication which increases the risk for maternal and foetal complications during pregnancy, and also significantly increases the cardiovasc...
Pro-inflammatory cytokines in saliva of adolescents with dental caries disease
Introduction and Objective: Dental caries is an inflammatory disease with multifactorial etiology. The presented study was conducted to test the hypothesis that the elevation of salivary cytokines – interleukin-6 (IL-6),...
Microbiological contamination of water in fountains located in the city of Toruń, Poland
Objective: The aim of this study was determination of the level of water contamination in fountains in Toruń, Poland. Methods: The studies were conducted at monthly intervals from May – September 2009, and consisted in...