Ergonomics risk assessment in musculoskeletal disorders among agricultural workers in Selangor agricultural development corporation, Sg Tengi Selatan, Kuala Kubu Bahru, Selangor, Malaysia: article

This cross-sectional study was conducted among 50 agricultural workers to determine the effects of the awkward posture on musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The selection of participants was chosen based on inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria. Standardized Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (SNMQ) was used to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and Workplace Ergonomics Risk Assessment (WERA) was used to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and identify the risk of musculoskeletal disorders among participants respectively. Descriptive statistics and multivariable analyses were used to characterize the data and identify factors associated with work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The most prevalent musculoskeletal disorders recorded were the neck (30%) followed by the shoulder (24%) and upper back (20%). There was a significant relationship between working posture (bending and twisting) and shoulder pain (χ2=6.07, p=0.01), upper back pain (χ2=3.67, p=0.05), and elbow pain (χ2=6.29,p=0.01). According to the WERA score, a majority (96%) of participants are classified under medium risk (28 to 44) of getting musculoskeletal disorders. An immediate investigation is required to solve this problem which required the importance of ergonomics intervention to improve working condition for this population