Ergonomic evaluation of working conditions using QEC and ART methods and the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in a tile industry

The QEC and ART methods are useful tools to identify risk factors that cause work-related musculoskeletal disorders in industries, so the aim of this research is ergonomics evaluation of working conditions using these methods and determining the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in the tile industry.

In this cross-sectional study, working conditions in a tile industry were evaluated using QEC and ART methods in 2023. Also, the musculoskeletal disorders of 66 workers were recorded using the Nordic questionnaire. The data was analyzed by SPSS software (V.19), and chi-square, independent t-test, Fisher test, and Pearson correlation coefficient were used.

The mean and standard deviation of the age of the studied workers was 30.6±6.11 years, work experience was 5.97±4.95 years, and their body mass index was 23.69±3.42. 68% of workers had at least one musculoskeletal discomfort. The most common discomfort was back pain (50%). There was a significant relationship between shoulder, back, leg, and wrist discomfort with work experience (P<0.05). There was also a significant relationship between discomfort in the shoulders and wrists with age (P<0.05). A positive and significant correlation was obtained between the scores of ART and QEC methods (for QEC with right ART r=0.591 P<0.001 and for QEC with left ART r=0.524 and P<0.001).

 Considering the high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in this industry, it is necessary to modify workstations according to the results of ART and QEC methods.