Occurrence and influencing factors of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among workers in electronics industry in Minhang District, Shanghai

  Objective  To investigate the incidence and influencing factors of work-related musculoskeletal disorders(WMSDs) among workers in the electronics industry in Minhang District, Shanghai.

  Methods  A total of 1 426 workers from 8 electronic enterprises in Minhang District were studied with questionnaires to investigate the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders in the past one year. The logistic model was used to analyze the influencing factors of musculoskeletal disorders.

  Results  Totally 1 319 valid questionnaires were collected with an effective rate of 92.5%. The annual incidence of WMSDs in different body parts of these workers ranged from 3.6% to 23.0%, with the highest incidence in the neck (23.0%), shoulder (20.0%) and lower back (10.4%). The welding workers had a highest annual incidence of WMSDs in wrists (10.7%), while workshop managers had a highest annual incidence of WMSDs in ankles/feet (15.4%)(P < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that frequent maintenance of the same posture in the back was a risk factor(P < 0.05) for WMSDs in neck, shoulder and low back (OR = 1.56, 1.45, 1.86, respectively); sitting for a long time (OR = 1.60, 2.44), frequent maintenance of the same posture in the neck (OR = 2.30, 1.79) and slightly bent in the back (OR = 1.41, 1.59) were risk factors(P < 0.05)for WMSDs in neck and shoulder; sharply bent in the back was a risk factor(P < 0.05) for WMSDs in neck and low back (OR = 2.11, 3.21);neck leaned forward was a risk factor(P < 0.05) for WMSDs in neck (OR = 2.15);taking turns was a protective factor(P < 0.05) for WMSDs in shoulder and low back (OR = 0.73, 0.58).

  Conclusions  The incidence of WMSDs in the neck, shoulder and lower back of these workers in the electronics industry was relatively high. Therefore, it is urgent to formulate relevant policies and measures considering occupational, individual, and psychosocial factors of WMSDs, such as reasonable labor organization and reducing the load of poor ergonomics in the workplaces to reduce the incidence of WMSDs.