Fengqiong Chen

BACKGROUND: The automotive industry is labor-intensive, and workers are involved in highly repetitive tasks, long hours, and medium to low workloads, resulting in work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), which have become a major health concern for workers in this industry. China is a major automotive country with tens of thousands of auto repair workers, but their conditions of WMSDs have been poorly reported. OBJECTIVE: This work aimed to analyze the current prevalence of WMSDs and their associated risk factors among automobile maintenance workers. METHODS: A total of 539 respondents from 50 automotive repair and maintenance companies in China were selected to investigate the prevalence of WMSDs via the modified Nordic Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaire. Chi-square test and logistic regression models were applied to analyze their associated risk factors. RESULTS: The total prevalence of WMSDs among 539 workers was 32.8%. The top three body parts for prevalence were the lower back (17.1%), neck (16.3%), and shoulders (14.5%). The highest prevalence of WMSDs was found in the neck (23.6%) and lower back (14.3%) for sheet metal workers and mechanics, respectively, whereas painters had the highest prevalence of WMSDs in the lower back and feet (both at 15.4%). Logistic regression analysis showed that females were at higher risk of WMSDs than males (OR 5.027, [95% CI] [1.278–19.772], p < 0.05). Workers subjected to uncomfortable positions were at increased risk of WMSDs (OR 1.79, [95% CI] [1.333–2.410], p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of WMSDs is high among automotive maintenance workers, with the highest prevalence in the lower back (17.1%). Uncomfortable working postures and frequent repetitive movements with lower limbs and ankles at work may be important risk factors.

BACKGROUND China remains the world’s largest automotive manufacturing country. The work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are a common occupational hazard associated with heavy industries. 76.2%-91.4% of vehicle maintenance workersuffers from WMSDs, among them, automotive maintenance workers have a higher risk of WMSDs due to some uncomfortable working postures and unreasonable work schedules.Furthermore, the prevalence of multi-site WMSDs is higher than that of single-site WMSDs in automotive workers. The available data (descriptive, etiological and prognostic data) largely focuses on the WMSDs defined by anatomical sites, and the research on multi-site WMSDs is particularlysparse. OBJECTIVES To explore the regularity and influencing factors of WMSDs in automotive maintenance workers. METHODS Through cluster sampling, 539 workers from 50 automotive repair and maintenance companies in China were recruited. The prevalence of WMSDs in the main anatomical sites was investigated using the modified Nordic MusculoskeletalDisorders Questionnaire (NMQ). The chi-square test and logistic regression models were used to analyze the associated risk factors. CONCLUSIONS Multisite WMSDs are more prevalent than single-site WMSDs among automotive maintenance workers, and two sites are most commonly affected. The influencing factors include demographic characteristics,such as gender, working age, certain types of movements and postures (working in uncomfortable positions, repetitive movements of the lower limbs and ankles), regular overtime, back to work after a break, and number of breaks per shift.

This study aimed to identify the prevalence of multisite work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) in Chinese footwear industry workers from 2018 to 2020 and explore the possible influencing f...