Journal of Health and Safety at Work

---

Background: High prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders have been reported by office workers due to the nature of their work. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in a group of office workers and also to determine the ergonomics risk factors affecting these disorders.
 

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, performed among 174 office workers in Kerman city, Iran. Data collection tools included demographic and organization information form, the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questinnaire (NMQ), and the Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA) method. The gathered data were analyzed by SPSS software version 16 using descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and logistic regression.
 

Findings: The prevalence of symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the past 12 months was reported 60.4 percent. What is more, significant associations were observed between job tenure and hours a day using computer with MSDs (P-value<0.05). In this sense, with  one unit increase in job tenure (years) and duration of computer use (hours per day), the probability of incidence of MSDs gone up 17.2 percent and 15.8 percent, respectively. Based on the statistical chi-square test, a significant relationship was reported between the incidence of MSDs and Rapid Office Strain Assessment method (P-value<0.05).
 

Conclution: According to results, ROSA assessment method is an efficient tool in the classification and identification of factors affecting the incidence of MSDs among office workers. Performing corrective measures in the dangerous work stations (the second level identified by ROSA technique), reducing the duration of computer use per day, and doing regular sport activities can be noted in order to decrease the prevalence of MSDs in the study group (office workers).

---

Introduction: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) have a multifactorial nature. Biomechanical factors are one of the most important factors. Consequently, the precise identification of effective factors plays a significant role in controlling and preventing these disorders. Therefore, the current study aimed to identify the awkward upper body postures and their effect on the prevalence of MSDs in office workers in both women and men groups by objective methods.
Material and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the participants were 36 office workers (18 women and 18 men). The prevalence of musculoskeletal discomfort was evaluated using the Nordic questionnaire. The upper limbs posture, including the back, neck, and wrists, was evaluated continuously with an electronic inclinometer and an electrogoniometer for 30 min, followed by analyzing the collected data.
Results: The results revealed that the highest prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms in both gender groups was in the neck (58.33%), trunk (52.77%), and wrist (47.22%), respectively. The results disclosed that the median trunk and neck flexion in both groups is over 20° and the posture angle in women is higher than that of men (P<0.05). The results showed that pain and discomfort in the trunk and neck in both gender groups have a significant relationship with the median posture angle (P<0.05). Also, the wrist posture in both gender groups during work was in extension and static condition.
Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, the prevalence of disorders in women was higher than in men. Although the tasks performed in both groups were similar, the assessment of postures disclosed that women office workers had more awkward postures in the trunk and neck than men. In both groups, the prevalence of musculoskeletal discomfort had a significant relationship with awkward postures in the trunk and neck. According to the results of the current study, ergonomic interventions are recommended to reduce awkward postures and to prevent MSDs, particularly among women office workers.