Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders and Analysis of Working Postures by OWAS among Saffron Harvesters

Abstract

Background and purpose: Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WRMSDs) annually dismiss numerous afflicted workers to medical centers and also cause inefficiency among the workers. Given that Iran is one of the major saffron producers and exporters, and having many workers involved, the present study was conducted with the aim to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and to analyze the postural conditions of saffron harvesters.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 110 saffron-harvesters were randomly selected. The prevalence of WRMSDs was examined through the Nordic Questionnaire (The data were analyzed using SPSS Software, Version 21), and corrective measurements were determined for these postures through the OWAS postural analysis.

Results: The results showed that the most compromised regions of any prevalent disorders were back (38%) and waist (31.6%). In the postural analysis, trunk (80%) and legs (13%) were among the corrective measurements of category II, and arms were at category I. In the analysis of combined postures, it was found that 46% of them were at corrective measurements of category II, and 31% were at category III.

Conclusion: Regarding the Nordic Questionnaire’s results and its comparison with the OWAS postural analysis, it was concluded that it was of utmost importance to take corrective measurements to prevent the mentioned damages. Therefore, main ergonomic recommendations and a product-oriented design guideline were advised to correct the postures.