Establishing the prevalence and incidence of musculoskeletal disorders among welders in fabrication yard

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) compose a large part of occupational diseases in welding activities. This study was aimed at evaluation of ergonomic conditions of welders and also at assessing the relationship between MSDs and conditions of work classified by 6 types of working posture by age, working experienced and range of height. Poor working postures are associated with the development of musculoskeletal disorders. MSD hazards that were found to be present following job hazard analysis included material handling activities, work in awkward positions, and vibration exposure and repetitive motions. Many different observation methods have been developed to analyse working posture and activity. This study was performed among 57 welders using the method of Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA). The prevalence of MSDs was obtained by the use of the Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. In this study, the prevalence of MSDs for different body parts was: 7.5% for the arm (hand/wrist), 11% for the shoulders, 22% for back shoulder, 23% for neck, 24% for the back, 5% for the thigh, 6% for the knee and 1.5% for the leg (ankle). Job analysis by the use of REBA showed that all welding posture bending, head bent down, sitting and bending, head upward, laying down and squatting have score > 4. These means the risk level is between medium and high risk. It can be concluded that work postures of welders need to be improved. In addition to education, work equipment design, rest period during work and regular physical activities should be taken into accoun