Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Apr;14(4):198-203.
Epub 2012 Apr 1.

Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders among Iranian Steel Workers

M Aghilinejad  1 , A R Choobineh, Z Sadeghi, M K Nouri, A Bahrami Ahmadi
Affiliations

Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders among Iranian Steel Workers

M Aghilinejad et al. Iran Red Crescent Med J. 2012 Apr.

Abstract

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders in developing countries are considered as main cause of occupational disorders and disability and highly associated with socioeconomic burden to individual, organization and society in general view. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and associated risk factors among Iranian steel workers.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 1439 questionnaires were provided from 1984 randomly selected workers of four Iranian steel industries. Data of musculoskeletal disorders was gathered by means of standardized Nordic self-reporting questionnaire. Demographic and work related data were collected into the check list.

Results: Out of 1984 individuals, 1439 questionnaires returned and mean age of study workers was 37.23±8.74 years old. Among workers, 46.3% in the past week and 61% in the last year claimed one of musculoskeletal disorders in their bodies. Lumbar, knee(s) and neck areas had the most common musculoskeletal disorders. Musculoskeletal disorders had significant association with the job time of work and BMI.

Conclusion: Musculoskeletal disorders in Iranian steel industries happened in high rate. Ergonomic interventions strategies into the workplaces must be focused to eliminate environmental hazards such as apposition on the time of work and manual handling of heavy loads.

Keywords: Ergonomic program; Musculoskeletal disorder; Nordic questionnaire; Prevalence; Steel worker.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None declared.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Woolf AD, Akesson K. Understanding the burden of musculoskeletal conditions. The burden is huge and not reflected in national health priorities. BMJ. 2001;322:1079–80. doi: 10.1136/bmj.322.7294.1079. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Spielholz P, Silverstein B, Morgan M, Checkoway H, Kaufman J. Comparison of self-report, video observation and direct measurement methods for upper extremity musculoskeletal disorder physical risk factors. Ergonomics. 2001;44:588–613. - PubMed
    1. Musculoskeletal disorders and workplace factors: A critical review of epidemiologic evidence for workrelated musculoskeletal disorders of the neck, upper extremity, and low back. Cincinnati (OH): NIOSH; 1997.
    1. Linton SJ, Kamwendo K. Risk factors in the psychosocial work environment for neck and shoulder pain in secretaries. J Occup Med. 1989;31:609–13. doi: 10.1097/00043764-198907000-00012. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bernard B. Musculoskeletal disorders and workplace factors: A critical review of epidemiologic evidence for work-related musculoskeletal disorders of the neck, upper extremity, and low back. Washington D.C: U.S. Government Printing Office (DHH S/NIOSH); 1997.

LinkOut - more resources