Work-related musculoskeletal disorders and influencing factors among workers in a food manufacturing enterprise

Objective To analyze the prevalence and influencing factors of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among employees in the food manufacturing industry, providing a basis for the prevention of WMSDs among employees in this industry.

Methods In October 2023, by a cluster sampling method, the employees from a food manufacturing enterprise in Shanghai were surveyed with Chinese version of the Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaireto investigate the WMSDs in the past year. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the influencing factors.

Results A total of 597 valid questionnaires were collected, with a valid response rate of 87.8%. The overall prevalence of WMSDs among these employees was 38.9%. The most commonly affected body part was the neck(23.5%), followed by the shoulders (19.6%). The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that factors such as being left-handed, working in uncomfortable postures, frequently performing repetitive operations per minute, labor shortages in the workplace, and frequently resting the wrists on hard and sharp-edged surfaces were associated with the occurrence of WMSDs. The risk of WMSDs increased to 1.56 to 3.47 times(all P < 0.05) for these workers compared to those who were right-handed, rarely/never worked in uncomfortable postures, rarely/never performed repetitive operations, worked in adequately staffed departments, and did not frequently rest their wrists on hard and sharp-edged surfaces.

Conclusions The prevalence of WMSDs among employees in the food manufacturing industry was relatively high, with the neck and shoulders being the most commonly affected areas. The prevalence of WMSDs was influenced by ergonomic factors (including job type, work organization, and working posture) and individual factors. Food manufacturing enterprises should enhance occupational health education and training for employees, and arrange work-breaks, improve working conditions, and avoid unfavorable working postures to reduce the risk of WMSDs.