Affiliations: [a] Department of Occupational Health, Chongqing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chongqing, China
| [b] National Institute of Occupational Health and Poison Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| [c] Department of Occupational Health, Beijing Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| [d] Department of Occupational Health, Tianjin Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Tianjin, China
Correspondence:
[*]
Address for correspondence: Fengqiong Chen, Deputy Chief Physician, Department of Occupational Health, Chongqing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chongqing 400042, China. E-mail: Cqcdczws@163.com. Ning Jia, Associate Researcher, National Institute of Occupational Health and Poison Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing100000, China.E-mail: jianing@niohp.chinacdc.cn.
Note: [1] These authors contributed equally to this work.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:The automotive industry is labor-intensive, and workers are involved in highly repetitive tasks, long hours, and medium to low workloads, resulting in work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), which have become a major health concern for workers in this industry. China is a major automotive country with tens of thousands of auto repair workers, but their conditions of WMSDs have been poorly reported. OBJECTIVE:This work aimed to analyze the current prevalence of WMSDs and their associated risk factors among automobile maintenance workers. METHODS:A total of 539 respondents from 50 automotive repair and maintenance companies in China were selected to investigate the prevalence of WMSDs via the modified Nordic Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaire. Chi-square test and logistic regression models were applied to analyze their associated risk factors. RESULTS:The total prevalence of WMSDs among 539 workers was 32.8%. The top three body parts for prevalence were the lower back (17.1%), neck (16.3%), and shoulders (14.5%). The highest prevalence of WMSDs was found in the neck (23.6%) and lower back (14.3%) for sheet metal workers and mechanics, respectively, whereas painters had the highest prevalence of WMSDs in the lower back and feet (both at 15.4%). Logistic regression analysis showed that females were at higher risk of WMSDs than males (OR 5.027, [95% CI] [1.278–19.772], p < 0.05). Workers subjected to uncomfortable positions were at increased risk of WMSDs (OR 1.79, [95% CI] [1.333–2.410], p < 0.01). CONCLUSION:The prevalence of WMSDs is high among automotive maintenance workers, with the highest prevalence in the lower back (17.1%). Uncomfortable working postures and frequent repetitive movements with lower limbs and ankles at work may be important risk factors.
Keywords: WMSDs, automotive repair and maintenance operations, ergonomic
factors
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-220412
Journal: Work, vol. 76, no. 3, pp. 1219-1231, 2023
