Tibbi-i-kar

Abstract

Background and aims: Manual material handling activities in long and short periods may lead to complications such as laceration, fracture, cardiovascular stress, muscle fatigue, and musculoskeletal disorders especially in the vertebrae column. The purpose of this study was to assess  ergonomic risk factors in workers of a stone cutting industry and the impact of ergonomic interventions on reducing these risk factors in their workplaces.

Material and Method: In a pre and post interventional study, identifying ergonomic risk factors of  50 male workers was done using WISHA checklist. Ergonomic interventions were implemented was: installation of a crankcase of the manorial vacuum and clamping crank, using a pallet with a portable two-way portable lift truck, a pallet for collecting waste with a roof crane or forklift truck, and a wagon lifting device. Statistical analyses were done using SPSS 20 and statistical tests of variance and Wilcoxon analysis.

Results: Based on the results of the study, 78% of the workers had ergonomic risk factors at least in one of the 7 awkward postures at the beginning of the study, The most frequent risk factors were related to workers in stone loading, collecting stone waste (100%), middle part (76.2%), cutting-off (71.4%) and sub stations (50%). These values ​​were eliminated after ergonomic interventions in the loading workshop, sub, accumulation of stone waste (100%), and in the middle and cut-off workstations (42.8%). There was a significant difference between ergonomic risk factors before and after interventions (p <0.043).

Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the prevalence of work-related ergonomic risk factors of workers in this industry was very high, but after the interventions, ergonomic risk factors decreased from 42.8% to 100%.