Sei sulla pagina 1di 11

Original Article

This work is licensed


under a Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial
4.0 International License.

Musculoskeletal Problems in To review this article online, scan this


QR code with your Smartphone

Iranian Hand-Woven Shoe-


Sole Making Operation and
Developing Guidelines for
Workstation Design
H Veisi1, AR Choobineh2,
H Ghaem3
Abstract

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are among important health problems in 1


Student Research
Committee, Depart-
working population. Because of performing difficult physical activities, hand-woven shoe-sole ment of Occupational
makers are at risk of developing various types of MSDs. Health Engineering,
School of Health,
Shiraz University of
Objective: To determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms in different body Medical Sciences,
areas of hand-woven shoe-sole makers, assess workers′ postures and workstations, evaluate Shiraz, Iran
ergonomic and individual factors associated with MSDs, and develop guidelines for designing
2
Research Center
for Health Sciences,
hand-woven shoe-sole making workstation. Shiraz University of
Medical Sciences,
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the prevalence of MSDs symptoms and their risk fac- Shiraz, Iran
3
Research Center for
tors were studied among 240 hand-woven shoe-sole makers. Working posture and worksta- Health Sciences, De-
tions were ergonomically assessed as well. The data were collected through interviewing and partment of Epidemiol-
using Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire and by direct observation of posture using RULA ogy, School of Health,
Shiraz University of
method. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine risk factors associated with MSDs Medical Sciences,
symptoms. Shiraz, Iran

Results: The prevalence and severity of MSDs symptoms were high among the study popu-
lation. Ergonomic factors including daily working time, working posture, and force exertion,
as well as individual factors, such as age, job tenure, and education were significantly associ-
ated with MSDs symptoms.

Conclusion: It seems that the majority of ergonomics shortcomings originate from poorly
designed workstation. Some general guidelines for designing shoe-sole making workstation
are presented.

Keywords: Musculoskeletal diseases; Human engineering; Occupational diseases; Equip-


ment design
Introduction ing population,1 constitute a major cause
of occupational injury and physical dis-

M
usculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), ability in both developed and developing Correspondence to
Alireza Choobineh,
a highly prevalent and costly countries.2-5 It is also accounted as a main PhD, Research Center
for Health Sciences,
health problem among work- cause of sickness and absence from work Shiraz University of
Medical Sciences,
Shiraz, Iran
Cite this article as: Veisi H, Choobineh AR, Ghaem H. Musculoskeletal problems in Iranian hand-woven shoe- E-mail: alrchoobin@
sole making operation and developing guidelines for workstation design. Int J Occup Environ Med 2016;7:87- sums.ac.ir
97. doi: 10.15171/ijoem.2016.725 Received: Nov 27, 2015
Accepted: Dec 30, 2015

www.theijoem.com  Vol 7, Num 2; April, 2016 87


article

Musculoskeletal Problems in Hand-Woven Shoe-Sole Makers

in developed world, ie, Western European tries usually benefit from low-quality oc-
countries, USA, and Canada.6 MSDs have cupational health services and have poorer
substantial effects on millions of people health conditions compared to those in
throughout the world, and are one of the large-scale enterprises.15 Informal sectors
most prevalent causes of severe long-term are in fact unrecorded enterprises with
pains and physical disability.7,8 Epidemio- less than 10 workers,13 which are not sup-
logical studies have shown evidence of a ported by formal employment contracts.16
causal relationship between occupational In addition, in many countries occupa-
physical activity and work-related MSDs tional health services either do not exist or
that are associated with repetitive mo- are presented at a low level to this sector.17
tions, excessive force, sustained and/or Iran's hand-woven shoe industry, which
poor postures, and prolonged sitting and is categorized as a home-based workshop
standing.9 and small-scale industry, has seldom been
In recent decades, prevention of work- studied profoundly and scientifically and
related MSDs has become a necessity and has been neglected from occupational
a national priority in many countries.10 In health point of view. Reduction in MSDs
developing countries, the large number of and improvement in working conditions of
workers in small-scale industries, espe- small-scale industries in developing coun-
cially in the informal sector, has caused tries will have a considerable effect on pro-
occupational health programs and safety moting and sustaining the quality of life of
issues to become a prerequisite.11 Home- workers and will result in higher produc-
based workshops are a subset of the in- tivity.18
formal sector of small-scale industries.12-14 Hand-woven shoe (which is called
Workers employed in small-scale indus- Giveh in Persian, and Kelash in Kurdish
language) is a kind of soft, comfortable,
and durable hand-woven shoe that is pro-
TAKE-HOME MESSAGE
duced in many districts of Iran, especially
●● Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) constitute a major cause
in Kermanshah and Kurdistan provinces,
of occupational injury and physical disability in both devel- West of Iran.19 Hand-woven shoe mak-
oped and developing countries. ing is a kind of handicraft industry where
large number of weavers are employed;
●● Hand-woven shoe making is a kind of handicraft industry it comprises a high percentage of handi-
where large number of weavers are employed. craft export in these two provinces. Hand-
woven shoe making is mainly performed
●● In hand-woven shoe-making industry, the risk of MSDs is in home-based workshops and, in a few
predicted to be high because of awkward posture, working cases, in shoe-weaving complexes where
with poorly designed hand tools, non-ergonomic and repeti- a number of weavers work. Giveh consists
tive motions, contact pressure, long working time, and no of two parts—sole and the upper part. The
rest pauses.
sole is usually made of cloth and leather,
●● The prevalence of MSDs was high among the study popu-
while the upper part is made of woven
lation. The mean severity of low back, shoulder and upper threads.19 The sole of the shoes is made us-
back pain was higher than in other parts of the body. ing different hand tools by male workers.
This is a physically demanding task requir-
●● Lower back, knees, shoulders, neck, wrists, and upper back ing too much force and sufficient skills and
were at a higher risk of musculoskeletal symptoms com- experience. The upper part of the shoe is
pared to other body areas. made by hand in workshops where it then
is adjoined to the sole.

88 www.theijoem.com  Vol 7, Num 2; April, 2016


article

H. Veisi, A. R. Choobineh, H. Ghaem

Figure 1: Common postures of hand-woven shoe-sole makers during the preparation of the sole

Making the shoe sole, which was inves- for designing hand-woven shoe-sole mak-
tigated in the present study, is among the ing workstations. We believe that the re-
most wearying and tiresome occupations sults of the present study can be used for
and requires long hours of static work. planning and implementing ergonomic
Hand-woven shoe-sole makers sit on the interventional programs in hand-woven
ground in cross-legged or folded-knee po- shoe weaving industry.
sition behind a wooden chump to produce
or prepare the shoe sole (Fig 1). In hand- Materials and Methods
woven shoe-making industry, the risk of
MSDs is predicted to be high because of This cross-sectional study was conduct-
awkward posture, working with poorly de- ed in active rural and urban hand-woven
signed hand tools, non-ergonomic and re- shoe-making workshops in Kurdistan and
petitive motions, contact pressure, long Kermanshah provinces, western Iran.
working time, and no rest pauses.19 Based on the official records of Iranian
To the best of our knowledge, a few Cultural Heritage Organization, in these
studies have so far been conducted on provinces there were 145 active workshops
MSDs and their related risk factors among with 300 hand-woven shoe-sole making
the workers making shoe sole.19 Therefore, male workers. To determine the minimum
the present study was carried out with the sample size, a pilot study was conducted
following objectives: (1) to determine the on 50 randomly selected shoe-sole mak-
prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms ers. Based on the results of the pilot study,
in different body areas of hand-woven with a confidence level of 95%, accuracy of
shoe-sole makers, (2) to assess working 2.5%, MSDs prevalence of 25%, and a pop-
postures and hand-woven shoe-sole mak- ulation size of 300, the minimum sample
ing workstations, (3) to determine the size was calculated to be 239.
ergonomic and individual risk factors as- In total, 240 hand-woven shoe-sole
sociated with MSDs, (4) to determine the makers with at least one year of job tenure
severity and frequency of MSDs in shoe- were randomly selected. The required data
sole makers, and (5) to develop guidelines related to personal details of studied work-

www.theijoem.com  Vol 7, Num 2; April, 2016 89


article

Musculoskeletal Problems in Hand-Woven Shoe-Sole Makers

Table 1: Some personal details of hand-woven shoe-sole ers and working posture were collected. A
making male workers (n=240). Figures are mean (SD) or per- data collection sheet was used to collect
centage unless stated otherwise. the demographic characteristics includ-
ing age, height, weight, body mass index
Age (yrs) 34.5 (9.8) (BMI), type of workshop, job tenure, daily
Weight (kg) 72.5 (10.5) working time, weekly working day, edu-
cation, medical background, handedness,
Height (cm) 173.0 (6.0) smoking, and exercise. The Persian version
BMI (kg/m2) 24.2 (3.0) of revised general Nordic musculoskeletal
questionnaire was used to determine MSDs
Job tenure (yrs) 12.0 [7–16]* symptoms in nine body areas. The validity
Daily working time (hrs) 9.2 (1.5) of this questionnaire has been verified by
Choobineh, et al,18 (with test-retest Spear-
≤8 hrs 33.3% man's ρ >0.65, and McNemar test p value
>8 hrs 66.7% for the two occasions >0.344). The posture
of studied workers was assessed by RULA
Weekly working days (%) 6.7 (0.6) technique.20 In this method, grand scores
≤5 days 6.7% indicate degree of deviation from neutral
posture. Data were collected through in-
>5 days 93.3% terview with participants; the RULA as-
Handedness (%) sessment was done through observation.
Right 96.7% Statistical Analysis
Left 3.3% Statistical analysis was performed by
SPSS® for Windows®, ver 21. Logistic re-
Education (%) gression analysis was applied to determine
Illiterate 13.3% the independent risk factors associated
with MSDs symptoms. In the regression
Primary school (the first 5 years of education at
30.4% analysis, if the p value of univariate analy-
school)
sis for assessing association between the
Guidance and High School (GHS) 45.4% variables and reported symptoms was
≤0.25, the variable was included in the
Diploma and higher 10.9%
model.21 Logistic regression analysis was
Workshop (%) then performed for each outcome retain-
Urban 27.9%
ing the variables in the model to adjust for
potential confounders. A p value <0.05
Rural 72.1% was considered statistically significant.
Smoking (%)
Results
Yes 47.5%
No 52.5% Personal characteristics and working con-
ditions in the study population are pre-
Regular exercise (%) sented in Table 1. The participants had a
Yes 21.2% mean age of 34.5 (range 18 to 66) years;
their median job tenure was 12 (range 1 to
No 78.8% 37) years, thus they can be considered “ex-
*Median [IQR] perienced craftsmen.” Most of sole makers

90 www.theijoem.com  Vol 7, Num 2; April, 2016


article

H. Veisi, A. R. Choobineh, H. Ghaem

(93.3%) worked more than five days a Table 2: Prevalence of reported musculoskeletal symptoms
week; the majority of them (66.7%) worked among hand-woven shoe-sole makers during 12 months prior
more than eight hours a day. The majority to the study (n=240)
of the participants had low education and
most of them (72.1%) worked in rural Body area n (%) 95% CI
workshops. Neck 93 (38.8) 32.6 to 44.9
The prevalence rates of MSDs symp-
toms in different body areas in shoe-sole Shoulders 124 (51.7) 45.3 to 58.0
makers during the last 12 months are Elbows 51 (21.3) 16.1 to 26.5
shown in Table 2. The highest rates were
related to lower back followed by knees, Wrist/hands 86 (35.8) 29.7 to 41.9
shoulders, neck, wrists, and upper back. Upper back 76 (31.7) 25.8 to 37.6
The severity of pain in the nine differ-
ent body parts on a 10-point scale (0: “no Lower back 181 (75.4) 69.9 to 80.9
pain” and 9: “worst possible pain”) is pre-
Hip/thighs/buttocks 73 (30.4) 24.6 to 36.3
sented in Table 3. The most affected body
regions were lower back, shoulders, upper Knees 162 (67.5) 61.5 to 73.5
back, neck, wrists/hands, and knees.
Ankles/feet 32 (13.3) 9.0 to 17.7
A high percentage of the observed up-
per arm, neck, and trunk postures were factors, including weekly working time,
deviated from the neutral posture (Table BMI, handedness, workshop place, smok-
4). In all cases, leg posture obtained score ing habits, and regular exercise each week,
2, demonstrating awkward legs position. were not significantly associated with the
Moreover, the mean RULA grand score reported symptoms.
was 6.83 (SD 0.37) indicating prompt at-
tention was necessary for correction of Discussion
workers' postures. Overall, RULA assess-
ment showed that neck, trunk, and leg This study was one of the first studies con-
postures of most of the study participants ducted on assessment of working condi-
had deviations from the neutral position. tions in hand-woven shoe-sole making
Results of regression analysis of ergo- workshops with particular attention to
nomic and individual risk factors affecting occurrence of musculoskeletal symptoms
different body areas are presented in Table and their associated risk factors. We found
5. The significant factors were the result several important observations:
of a logistic regression analysis performed Prevalence of MSDs
to adjust for potential confounding vari-
ables (eg, working posture, exerted force, The prevalence of MSDs was high among
and daily working time). Daily working the study population. The mean sever-
time (OR 1.66; ranging from 1.25 to 2.20) ity of low back, shoulder and upper back
was an independent risk for MSDs symp- pain was higher than in other parts of the
toms in all body areas. Other factors such body. During the last 12 months, 92.5%
as trunk and neck postures, and exerted of the studied workers had experienced
force, were also significant independent musculoskeletal symptoms in at least one
ergonomic factors in occurrence of these body area. Therefore, their work can be
symptoms. Among the demographic fac- considered a job with a high risk of MSDs.
tors, age, job tenure, and education re- Moreover, lower back, knees, shoulders,
mained in the regression model. Other neck, wrists, and upper back were at a

www.theijoem.com  Vol 7, Num 2; April, 2016 91


article

Musculoskeletal Problems in Hand-Woven Shoe-Sole Makers

Table 3: Severity of musculoskeletal pain in hand-woven higher risk of musculoskeletal symptoms


shoe-sole making male workers (n=240). compared to other body areas and, thus,
should be considered with high priority in
Mean (SD) pain severity score any ergonomic interventional measures.
Body area
(Scale 0–9)
Factors Associated with Musculoskeletal
Neck 6.05 (2.01) Symptoms
≤5 27.1% Occurrence of MSDs in different body ar-
>5 72.9% eas of hand-woven shoe-sole makers were
significantly associated with age, job ten-
Shoulders 6.42 (1.47) ure, daily working time, educational level,
≤5 27.9% working postures, and force exerted. The
major ergonomic and individual factors
>5 72.1%
will be discussed with the ultimate goal of
Elbows 3.45 (1.82) developing guidelines for designing ergo-
nomic workstations to improve working
≤5 90.4%
posture. Although no similar studies have
>5 9.6% been conducted on the issue to compare
Wrists/hands 5.84 (2.06) the results, our findings were consistent
with those of the previous studies investi-
≤5 38.3% gating MSDs among relatively similar oc-
>5 61.7% cupations such as weaving the upper part
of hand-woven shoes, sewing machines,
Upper back 6.29 (1.65)
and hand-woven carpet.
≤5 23.3%
Working Postures
>5 76.7%
In this part, working posture refers to
Lower back 7.48 (1.44) neck, trunk, and legs postures while work-
≤5 15% ing. The results of the present study dem-
onstrated that working posture had a sig-
>5 85% nificant influence on occurrence of MSDs
Hip/thighs/buttocks 5.30 (1.84) in neck, shoulders, upper back, and lower
back. There was a significant association
≤5 47.5% between neck posture and occurrence of
>5 52.5% MSDs in neck (OR 2.35). A significant
association was also observed between
Knees 5.52 (1.68) trunk posture and occurrence of MSDs in
≤5 46.3% neck (OR 2.41), shoulders (OR 2.47), up-
per back (OR 3.04), and lower back (OR
>5 53.7% 3.93). This implies that high deviation of
Ankle/feet 3.80 (2.06) trunk and neck from neutral position can
increase the risk of MSDs in the above-
≤5 76.3%
mentioned areas. Some previous studies
>5 23.7% also found positive associations between
deviant working postures and musculo-
Whole body pain 50.19 (5.91)
skeletal symptoms.19,22
Range 32 to 65

92 www.theijoem.com  Vol 7, Num 2; April, 2016


article

H. Veisi, A. R. Choobineh, H. Ghaem

Table 4: RULA working posture assessment for the study participants (n=240)
RULA score
Part of body Mean (SD)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Upper arms (%) 2 92.8 5.2 — — — — 2.03 (0.26)

Lower arms (%) 5.2 92.8 2 — — — — 1.96 (0.26)

Wrists (%) 3.9 90.1 6 — — — — 2.01 (0.31)


Neck (%) 6.6 13.8 79.6 — — — — 2.73 (0.51)
Trunk (%) 0.7 31.6 67.7 — — — — 2.67 (0.48)
Legs (%) — 100 — — — — — —
Grand score (%) — — — — — 16.4 83.6 6.83 (0.37)

Force Exertion Age and Job Tenure


Occurrence of musculoskeletal symptoms We found a significant positive association
in some body areas was associated with between age and job tenure, and the preva-
force exertion. A significant association lence of musculoskeletal symptoms in all
was observed between the exerted force body areas. This finding was in agreement
and occurrence of MSDs in shoulders (OR with the results of the previous studies on
1.87), wrists (OR 2.28), and back (OR similar operation.19,22,23
1.68). This showed that force exertion im-
poses a high postural stress on the body Education
during work and could increase the risk of We found a significant association be-
disorders in the aforementioned areas. tween level of education and occurrence of
MSDs in neck, shoulders, wrists, and lower
Daily Working Time back. Higher education led to a reduction
Daily working time is not usually fixed in in the risk of MSDs. These results were in
hand-woven shoe-sole making workshops, agreement with the findings of the study
varying depending on the situation and by Dianat and Salimi on weavers of upper
workload. Moreover, motivation towards part of hand-woven shoes19 and Wang on
earning more money causes workers to sewing machine operations.23
work longer. Because of no scheduled
Workstation Design Guidelines
working time, workers usually work con-
tinuously for a long period without a rest Based on the results obtained from this
pause. This causes prolonged exposure to study, most of ergonomic drawbacks and
MSDs risk factors and an increased risk of factors associated with occurrence of
MSDs. Daily working time was found to MSDs were originated from poor design
be a significant factor in musculoskeletal of hand-woven shoe-sole maker worksta-
symptoms in all body areas (Table 5). In tions. Therefore, any plan for improving
the same line, the studies performed on working conditions in this industry must
hand-woven carpet and weaving the up- focus on ergonomic design of worksta-
per part of hand-woven shoes revealed an tions. In this respect, for improving work-
association between long daily working ing posture and providing ergonomically
hours and musculoskeletal symptoms.18,19 appropriate workstations, the following

www.theijoem.com  Vol 7, Num 2; April, 2016 93


article

Musculoskeletal Problems in Hand-Woven Shoe-Sole Makers

Table 5: Models indicating factors with the influence on musculoskeletal symptoms in different body areas of the
participants (n=240)

Body area Ergonomic factors OR*(95% CI) Individual factors OR (95% CI)

Daily working time 1.34 (1.15 to 1.62) Age 1.04 (1.01 to 1.07)
Trunk posture 2.41 (1.22 to 4.77) Job tenure 1.08 (1.04 to 1.12)
Neck Education
Illiterate 1.00
Neck posture 2.35 (1.24 to 4.43)
Primary 0.53 (0.23 to 1.21)
School (GHS or higher) 0.47 (0.25 to 0.87)
Daily working time 1.64 (1.33 to 2.02) Age 1.04 (1.01 to 1.07)
Trunk posture 2.47 (1.21 to 5.04) Job tenure 1.10 (1.06 to 1.15)
Shoulders Education
Illiterate 1.00
Force/load 1.87 (1.22 to 2.87)
Primary 0.47 (0.21 to 1.03)
School (GHS or higher) 0.50 (0.28 to 0.90)
Age 1.05 (1.02 to 1.08)
Elbows Daily working time 1.30 (1.05 to 1.61)
Job tenure 1.08 (1.03 to 1.12)
Daily working time 1.46 (1.20 to 1.78) Age 1.04 (1.05 to 1.14)
Job tenure 1.10 (1.02 to 1.07)
Wrists Education
Force/load 2.28 (1.49 to 3.51) Illiterate 1.00
Primary 0.53 (0.23 to 1.24)
School (GHS or higher) 0.51 (0.27 to 0.95)
Daily working time 1.70 (1.36 to 2.13) Age 1.05 (1.02 to 1.08)
Upper
Trunk posture 3.04 (1.46 to 6.34)
back Job tenure 1.11 (1.07 to 1.16)
Force/load 1.68 (1.11 to 2.55)
Daily working time 2.20 (1.67 to 2.89) Age 1.08 (1.04 to 1.13)
Job tenure 1.19 (1.11 to 1.27)
Lower
Education
back Trunk posture 3.93 (1.26 to 12.28) Illiterate 1.00
Primary 1.21 (0.38 to 3.84)
School (GHS or higher) 0.18 (0.09 to 0.36)
Age 1.03 (1.01 to 1.06)
Thighs Daily working time 1.25 (1.03 to 1.51)
Job tenure 1.06 (1.02 to 1.10)
Age 1.04 (1.01 to 1.07)
Knees Daily working time 1.49 (1.21 to 1.84)
Job tenure 1.09 (1.05 to 1.14)
Age 1.06 (1.02 to 1.10)
Legs Daily working time 1.32 (1.03 to 1.70)
Job tenure 1.08 (1.03 to 1.12)
*Odds ratio calculated by logistic regression analysis

94 www.theijoem.com  Vol 7, Num 2; April, 2016


article

H. Veisi, A. R. Choobineh, H. Ghaem

general guidelines have been developed.


These guidelines are oriented towards
eliminating awkward and fixed postures
and improving working conditions.
1. Workstation must be equipped
with a seat with adjustable height
providing natural posture for
lower limbs. Besides, the seating
surface must be covered with soft
materials and rotational to reduce
cervical and lumbar twist around
the vertical axis. Foot rest must
be available in the workstation, as
well.
2. Making the sole of hand-woven
shoes is a dynamic task and work-
ers need to exert force and move
their hands and arms continu- Figure 2: Guidelines for hand-woven shoe-sole making work-
ously. Therefore, use of high seats station
(popliteal height + 15 cm) with 10°
can adjust work level height according to their
forward slope is advisable.24
preferences.
3. Wooden chump and table heights
An experimental test was conducted in the
should be adjustable to improve
laboratory to assess workers' perception about
neck, lower back, upper back,
shoulders, and arms working pos-
ture. Additionally, there must be
sufficient clearance for movement
of legs under the table.
4. Hand tools should be placed in oc-
casional access zone.
5. The adjusting mechanisms for
physical dimensions of the work-
station should be easy to handle.
6. High seat causes slightly less trunk
inclination, increased trunk-thigh
angle and consequently increased
lordosis in the table region.22
Figure 2 displays the guidelines. Taking
into account the developed guideline and
after a thorough study on the hand-woven
shoe-sole making workshops, a prototype
workstation was designed and constructed
(Fig 3).
The most important feature of the work- Figure 3: A prototype of the designed workstation.
station is its adjustability. The height of Legs are well supported. There is enough clear-
the wooden chump and the seat is adjust- ance under the table for legs. The overall body
able so that hand-woven shoe-sole makers posture is neutral.

www.theijoem.com  Vol 7, Num 2; April, 2016 95


article

Musculoskeletal Problems in Hand-Woven Shoe-Sole Makers

the new workstation and working pos- Conflicts of Interest: None declared.
ture.25 In this preliminary usability test, we
attempt to measure the impact of the new
workstation on the subjects' performance. References
Further field trials are needed to study ef-
ficiency under real condition. 1. McDonald M, DiBonaventura MD, Ullman S.
Considering the cross-sectional de- Musculoskeletal pain in the workforce: the effects
of back, arthritis, and fibromyalgia pain on quality
sign of the current study and data collec- of life and work productivity. J Occup Environ Med
tion through self-report, the results of the 2011;53:765-70.
study should be interpreted with caution.
2. Choobineh A, Tabatabaei SH, Tozihian M, Ghadami
Self-report method might have problems F. Musculoskeletal problems among workers of an
with recall, denial, or deception. Addi- Iranian communication company. Indian J Occup
tionally, since the analysis was limited to Environ Med 2007;11:32-6.
currently working employees, the workers 3. Choobineh A, Daneshmandi H, Aghabeigi M,
who had left jobs due to MSDs symptoms Haghayegh A. Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Symp-
might have been excluded from the study, toms among Employees of Iranian Petrochemical
resulting in “healthy worker effect bias.” Industries: October 2009 to December 2012. Int J
Occup Environ Med 2013;4:195-204.
Therefore, the reported rates might be un-
derestimated. 4. Maul I, Laubli T, Klipstein A, Krueger H. Course
In conclusion, the present study showed of low back pain among nurses: a longitudinal
study across eight years. Occup Environ Med
that MSDs were highly prevalent in hand- 2003;60:497-503.
woven shoe-sole making operation. The
5. Choobineh A, Rajaeefard A, Neghab M. Association
results also revealed a significant rela-
between perceived demands and musculoskeletal
tionship between the prevalence of MSDs disorders among hospital nurses of Shiraz Univer-
symptoms and neck and trunk awkward sity of Medical Sciences: a questionnaire survey. Int
postures, force exertion, and daily working J Occup Saf Ergon 2006;12:409-16.
time. Collectively, based on the finding, 6. Bernal D, Campos-Serna J, Tobias A, et al. Work-
any ergonomic interventional and preven- related psychosocial risk factors and musculoskel-
tive programs in this operation have to etal disorders in hospital nurses and nursing aides:
focus on designing ergonomics-oriented A systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Nurs
Stud 2015;52:635-48.
workstations. It is believed that the recom-
mended guidelines for workstation design 7. Woolf AD, Pfleger B. Burden of major muscu-
loskeletal conditions. Bull World Health Organ
will be effective in prevention of MSDs in
2003;81:646-56.
hand-woven shoe-sole makers through
improving their working postures. 8. Choobineh A, Tabatabaee SH, Behzadi M. Muscu-
loskeletal problems among workers of an Iranian
sugar-producing factory. Int J Occup Saf Ergon
Acknowledgments 2009;15:419-24.
9. da Costa BR, Vieira ER. Risk factors for work‐re-
This article was extracted from the thesis lated musculoskeletal disorders: a systematic
of Mr. Hemmat Veisi, MSc, student of Oc- review of recent longitudinal studies. Am J Ind Med
cupational Hygiene Engineering and was 2010;53:285-323.
financially supported by Shiraz University 10. Spielholz P, Silverstein B, Morgan M, et al. Com-
of Medical Science (Project No. 94-7471). parison of self-report, video observation and direct
Hereby, the authors wish to thank Ms. H. measurement methods for upper extremity muscu-
Maghami, Mr. Sh. Ebrahim-Zadeh, and loskeletal disorder physical risk factors. Ergonomics
2001;44:588-613.
Mr. E. Sedighi for their assistance in data
collection. 11. Cocker F, Martin A, Scott J, et al. Psychological

96 www.theijoem.com  Vol 7, Num 2; April, 2016


article

H. Veisi, A. R. Choobineh, H. Ghaem

distress, related work attendance, and productivity general guidelines for workstation design. Int J
loss in small-to-medium enterprise owner/manag- Occup Saf Ergon 2004;10:157-68.
ers. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2013;10:5062-
19. Dianat I, Salimi A. Working conditions of Ira-
82.
nian hand-sewn shoe workers and associations
12. Meena M, Dangayach G, Bhardwaj A. Occupational with musculoskeletal symptoms. Ergonomics
risk factor of workers in the handicraft industry: 2014;57:602-11.
a short review. Int J Res Engine Technol (IJRET)
20. McAtamney L, Corlett EN. RULA: a survey method
2012;1:194-6.
for the investigation of work-related upper limb
13. Gerxhani K. The informal sector in developed and disorders. Appl Ergon 1993;24:91-9.
less developed countries: a literature survey. Public
21. Kleinbaum DG, Kupper LL, Morgenstern H. Epidemi-
Choice 2004;120:267-300.
demiologic research: Principles and quantitative
14. Choobineh A, Shahnavaz H, Lahmi M. Major health methods. 1st ed. New York, Van Nostrand Reinnold,
risk factors in Iranian hand-woven carpet industry. 1982.
Int J Occup Saf Ergon 2004;10:65-78.
22. Choobineh A, Hosseini M, Lahmi M, et al. Muscu-
15. Moriguchi J, Ikeda M, Sakuragi S, et al. Activities loskeletal problems in Iranian hand-woven carpet
of occupational physicians for occupational health industry: Guidelines for workstation design. Appl
services in small-scale enterprises in Japan and in Ergon 2007;38:617-24.
the Netherlands. Int Arch Occup Environ Health
23. Wang P-C, Rempel DM, Harrison RJ, et al. Work-
2010;83:389-98.
organisational and personal factors associated
16. Loewenson R. Occupational hazards in the informal with upper body musculoskeletal disorders among
sector: A global perspective. In: Isaksson K, ed. sewing machine operators. Occup Environ Med
Health Effects of the New Labour Market. Klumer/ 2007;64:806-13.
Plenum, New York, 2000:329-42.
24. Choobineh A, Lahmi M, Hosseini M, et al. Work-
17. Meena M, Dangayach G, Bharadwaj A. Impact of er- station design in carpet hand-weaving operation:
gonomic factors in Handicraft Industries. Proceed- guidelines for prevention of musculoskeletal disor-
ings of the International conference of Mechanical, ders. Int J Occup Saf Ergon 2004;10:411-24.
production and Automobile Engineering. 2011.
25. Choobineh A, Tosian R, Alhamdi Z, Davarzanie M.
18. Choobineh A, Lahmi M, Shahnavaz H, et al. Mus- Ergonomic intervention in carpet mending opera-
culoskeletal symptoms as related to ergonomic tion. Appl Ergon 2004;35:493-6.
factors in Iranian hand-woven carpet industry and

www.theijoem.com  Vol 7, Num 2; April, 2016 97

Potrebbero piacerti anche