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. 2022 Jan 24;23(1):82.
doi: 10.1186/s12891-022-05011-7.

Development of modified rapid entire body assessment (MOREBA) method for predicting the risk of musculoskeletal disorders in the workplaces

Saeid Yazdanirad  1 , Gholamhossein Pourtaghi  1 , Mehdi Raei  1 , Mohammad Ghasemi  2
Affiliations

Development of modified rapid entire body assessment (MOREBA) method for predicting the risk of musculoskeletal disorders in the workplaces

Saeid Yazdanirad et al. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. .

Abstract

Background: Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) technique is one of the tools developed for predicting the risk of musculoskeletal disorders based on the effective risk factors. This method has several limitations. The present study was aimed to develop the Modified Rapid Entire Body Assessment (MOREBA) method to more accurately predict the risk of musculoskeletal disorders.

Materials: This cross-sectional study was performed on 300 male workers of a steel factory with a variety of job tasks in Iran. Then, the information related to the various physical risk factors was extracted through observation of their duties and conversation with them. Also, the subjects were asked to complete the Persian version of Cornell musculoskeletal discomfort questionnaires (CMDQ). Then, a theoretical model was drawn in AMOS software. Computed coefficients were used to develop the MOREBA equation. In the end, the final scores were categorized by ROC curves, and the validation of the novel method was investigated using linear regression analysis.

Results: The parameters evaluated in the MOREBA method included contact stress, rapid and sudden movement, throwing motion, hand-arm vibration, whole-body vibration, temperature, and work-rest cycle in addition to the parameters of the REBA method, including awkward posture, coupling, force, load, static activity, and repetitive activity. The results showed that the strain produced by the physical risk factors with the total effect coefficient of 0.783 could significantly affect the musculoskeletal symptoms. The computed coefficients of the risk factors were applied to develop a novel index. The final score of the MOREBA method was categorized into four levels by optimal cut-off points of 12.37, 16.51, and 24.35. Based on the results, the MOREBA and REBA methods could justify 67 and 55% of the variations of musculoskeletal symptoms, respectively.

Conclusions: The results revealed that modifications conducted in the REBA method were effective, and the MOREBA method can provide a more accurate prediction of the risk of musculoskeletal disorders.

Keywords: Ergonomics; Method; Musculoskeletal disorders; Prediction; REBA; Risk assessment.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The theoretical model for predicting the occurrence of musculoskeletal symptoms due to occupational conditions
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of (a) low and moderate, (b) moderate and high, and (c) high and very high-risk zones
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Linear regression curve between CMDQ score and MOREBA scores
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Linear regression curve between CMDQ score and REBA scores
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Frequency distribution of the risk levels estimated by CMDQ, REBA, and MOREBA
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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