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. 2021 Sep 28;72(3):232-239.
doi: 10.2478/aiht-2021-72-3559.

Work from home and musculoskeletal pain in telecommunications workers during COVID-19 pandemic: a pilot study

Azra Huršidić Radulović  1 , Roko Žaja  2 , Milan Milošević  2 , Bojana Radulović  3 , Ivica Luketić  4 , Tajana Božić  5
Affiliations

Work from home and musculoskeletal pain in telecommunications workers during COVID-19 pandemic: a pilot study

Azra Huršidić Radulović et al. Arh Hig Rada Toksikol. .

Abstract
in English, Croatian

One of the side-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is a global change in work ergonomic patterns as millions of people replaced their usual work environment with home to limit the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) infection. The aim of our cross-sectional pilot study was to identify musculoskeletal pain that may have resulted from this change and included 232 telecommunications company workers of both genders [121 (52.2 %) men aged 23-62 (median 41; interquartile range 33-46 yrs.) and 111 (47.8 %) women aged 23-53 (median 40; interquartile range 33-44)] who had been working from home for eight months (from 16 March to 4 December 2020) before they joined the study. The participants were asked to fill in our web-based questionnaire by self-assessing their experience of hand, lower back, and upper back/neck pain while working at home and by describing their work setting and physical activity. Compared to previous work at the office, 90 (39.1 %) participants reported stronger pain in the lower back, 105 (45.7 %) in the upper back/neck, and 63 (27.2 %) in their hands. Only one third did not report any musculoskeletal problems related to work from home. Significantly fewer men than women reported hand, lower back, and upper back/ neck pain (p=0.033, p=0.001 and p=0.013, respectively). Sixty-nine workers (29.9 %) reported to work in a separate room, 75 (32.4 %) worked in a separate section of a room with other household members, whereas 87 (37.7 %) had no separate work space, 30 of whom most often worked in the dining room. Ninety-five participants (40.9 %) had no office desk to work at, and only 75 (32.3 %) used an ergonomic chair. Of those who shared their household with others (N=164), 116 (70.7 %) complained about constant or occasional disturbances. Over a half of all participants (52 %) said that they worked longer hours from home than at work, predominantly women (p=0.05). Only 69 participants (29.9 %) were taking frequent breaks, predominantly older ones (p=0.006). Our findings clearly point to a need to inform home workers how to make more ergonomic use of non-ergonomic equipment, use breaks, and exercise and to inform employers how to better organise working hours to meet the needs of work from home.

Pandemija izazvana širenjem koronavirusa teškog akutnog respiratornog sindroma 2 dovela je do značajnih promjena u globalnoj ergonomiji rada. Naime, tisuće zaposlenika iznenada su uobičajene radne prostore zamijenile kućnim prostorom ne bi li se smanjilo širenje virusa i obuzdala pandemija. Kako bi se opisale mišićno-koštane tegobe u uvjetima rada od kuće te analizirali novonastali uvjeti rada od kuće, ovo presječno pilot-istraživanje obuhvatilo je 232 zaposlenika telekomunikacijske tvrtke: 121 muškarca (52,2 %) u dobi od 23 do 62 godine i 111 žena (47,8 %) u dobi od 23 do 53 godine, koji su radili od kuće osam mjeseci, tj. od 16. 3. 2020. do 4. 12. 2020. Za potrebe ovog istraživanja autori su izradili virtualni upitnik u kojem su ispitanici samostalno procijenili intenzitet bolova u šakama, donjem dijelu leđa te u vratu i gornjem dijelu leđa tijekom rada od kuće, uvjete rada od kuće te razinu vlastite tjelesne aktivnosti. U odnosu na vrijeme prije rada od kuće, 90 ispitanika (39,1 %) prijavilo je jače bolove u donjem dijelu leđa tijekom rada od kuće, pri čemu je pogoršanje bola u vratu i gornjem dijelu leđa prijavilo 105 ispitanika (45,7 %), a bola u šakama njih 63 (27,2 %). Samo trećina zaposlenika nije prijavila mišićno-koštane tegobe tijekom rada od kuće. Muškarci su značajno rjeđe prijavili bol u šakama, donjem dijelu leđa te u vratu i gornjem dijelu leđa (p=0,033; p=0,001 odnosno p=0,013). Posebnu prostoriju za rad od kuće imalo je 69 ispitanika (29,9 %), odvojeni radni prostor njih 75 (32,4 %), a njih 87 (37,7 %) nije imalo radni prostor, pa su najčešće radili u blagovaonici (njih 30). Pisaći radni stol za rad nije imalo 95 ispitanika (40,9 %), a ergonomsku radnu stolicu imalo je njih tek 75 (32,3 %). Od ispitanika koji žive s ukućanima (N=164), njih 116 (70,7 %) smatralo je da ih ukućani ometaju u radu stalno ili povremeno. Više od polovice ispitanika (52 %) smatralo je da radi dulje kod kuće nego na poslu, i to značajno više žene (p=0,05). Samo je 69 ispitanika (29,9 %) uzimalo češće predahe, i to značajno češće stariji zaposlenici (p=0,006). Naši rezultati upućuju na to da, radi sprječavanja mišićno-koštanih tegoba, zaposlenike treba educirati o metodama i načinima prilagodbe neergonomske opreme, korištenju pauza, potrebi tjelovježbe, a poslodavce treba educirati o potrebi organizacije radnog vremena u novim uvjetima rada od kuće.

Keywords: back pain; ergonomics; ergonomija; gender; hand pain; leđa; neck pain; physical activity; rad za računalom; radni prostor; spol; tjelesna aktivnost; work space; work with computers; šake.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Severity of lower back pain related to work from home by gender; * significant difference (P=0.033)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Severity of upper back and neck pain related to work from home by gender; * significant difference (P=0.001)
Figure 3
Figure 3
Severity of hand pain related to work from home by gender; * significant difference (P=0.013)
Figure 4
Figure 4
Self-reported working hours at home vs the office by gender; * significant difference (P=0.05)
Figure 5
Figure 5
Taking more breaks while working from home than at the office by gender; * significant difference (P=0.003)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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