Relevant risk factors linked to musculoskeletal discomfort in industrial workers

Work-related musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) are one of the most common occupational diseases, affecting large numbers of industrial workers. The aim of this study was to identify relevant risk factors associated with the presence of musculoskeletal discomfort or pain, according to the affected body part. A cross-sectional field study was conducted in a sample of 174 workers at three Venezuelan meat processing plants. The standardized Nordic questionnaire was used for the identification of MSDs and the CfsSubsetEvaly ConsistencySubsetEvaldata mining methods, available in Weka,were used to select the relevant factors. MSDs prevalence was 77%; shoulders (49.4%) and back (47.1%) were the most commonly involved body parts. After relating this prevalence to different biomechanical, psychosocial and individual risk factors, those most commonly associated with shoulder discomfort were postural overload, repetitive motion, psychosocial demands and tenure at work. For back discomfort, postural overload, lifting of loads, pushing or pulling loads, low social support and past medical history were the most frequent associations. This study confirms the multifactorial etiology of MSDs(AU)