Ergonomic Evaluation in Rice Mills Workers in Sari in 2014

Introduction and The occupational musculoskeletal disorders are the most prevalent work-related diseases and injuries and a leading cause of disability of the workers. The lumbar and cervical regions of spine and the upper extremities are the most affected parts. They might happen due to long-term exposure to the causative agents or acute trauma to the musculoskeletal system, but are usually multi-factorial. In this study, all of the rice-mill workers in Sari were evaluated for musculoskeletal disorders and posture analysis. In this descriptive study, all of the rice-mill workers in Sari were evaluated (32 persons). Nordic questionnaire was used for evaluation of musculoskeletal disorders and the OWAS method for posture analysis. The data were analyzed using OWAS and SPSS version 17. The mean of workers age was 42.82±9.42 and the mean of work experience was 12.68±5.39 years. The results of Nordic questionnaire showed that 74% of the workers have experienced the musculoskeletal disorders in at least one region of the nine regions of their body. The most complaints were in low back (50%), knees(40%) and ankle and foots(28%).85 postures were recognized,32posture were in level 1,16 postures were in level 2,26 postures were in level 3 and 11 postures were in level 4 of modification. The rate of musculoskeletal disorders and the inappropriate postures are very high in rice mills workers of Sari. The interventional ergonomic programs including the engineering controls and workers education are recommended.