A Comparison of the Effects of Ergonomic, Organization, and Education Interventions on Reducing Musculoskeletal Disorders in Office Workers

One of the most important and the most common health problems among office workers and computer users is the risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). This study aimed at evaluating risk factors of MSDs and determining the effectiveness of the ergonomic, organization, education interventions on reducing MSDs in the office workers of university offices of Tehran, Iran. This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 221 employees during spring 2015 to summer 2016. Participants were categorized to four groups by simple random sampling: control group (n = 55), recipients of education interventions (n = 57), recipients of organization interventions including job enrichment, job enlargement and job rotation (n = 54), and recipients of ergonomics interventions (n = 55). Rapid office strain assessment (ROSA) and Cornell musculoskeletal discomfort questionnaires (CMDQ) were used for data gathering. Data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and paired-samples t-test using the SPSS version 16 software. After the intervention, a significant difference was revealed in the final mean score for ROSA in the two groups of recipients of education and ergonomic interventions (P < 0.05). Also, data revealed a significant difference in MSDs, including neck, shoulders, and hand/wrist, among ergonomics and education groups. Educational and ergonomic interventions may reduce ergonomics risk factors of MSDs and prevalence of discomfort. However, according to the results, organizational interventions alone may not be more effective in reducing risk factors of MSDs and their discomforts. The effectiveness of multilayered interventions should be investigated in the future.