Assessment of the Risk of Musculoskeletal Disorders using the Quick Exposure Check Technique among the Workers of a Shipbuilding Company

Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) are one of the most important issues of occupational health and are highly prevalent in all occupations. This study aimed at ergonomic assessment of the risk of MSDs in the workers of a shipbuilding company.
This cross-sectional study was conducted on 193 male workers with at least one year working experience in the 17 jobs of Boushehr Shipbuilding Company. Nordic musculoskeletal disorders questionnaire was used to determine the prevalence of the symptoms of MSDs. Besides, the risk of these disorders was assessed using quick exposure check technique. Then, the data were entered into the SPSS software (v. 19.0) and analyzed using Mann-Whitney U, Chi-square test, and logistic regression analysis.
The results of this study showed that the highest prevalence of symptoms of MSDs was related to the upper back (70.3%), lower back (68.4%), and knees (58%). Moreover, a significant association was found between the prevalence of MSDs and age, working experience, Body Mass Index (BMI), and marital status. The results of quick exposure check technique demonstrated that 14.3%, 29.7%, 42.5%, and 13.5% of the workers were in action levels 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively.
The prevalence of MSDs was high among the study workers. Besides, inappropriate posture, lifting and carrying heavy loads, and lower back flexion and twisting were the most common ergonomic problems among the study workers.