Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Advances in Social & Occupational Ergonomics pp 271–281Cite as

Prevalence of Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among the Iranian Working Population in Different Sectors of Industries

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:

Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 487))

Abstract

MSDs are one of the major causes of occupational disease in the work places and disability among the work force. A Meta analysis was used to determine the prevalence of the work-related MSDs among the Iranian working population in different occupational sectors. Data were collected from 50 research papers, scientific reports that have addressed the problems on musculoskeletal symptoms for workers in industry, service and health sectors. The techniques were used to study including Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, Rapid entire body assessment (REBA), Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), PATH (Posture, Activity, Tools and Handling), Ovako Working Analysis System (OWAS), self-report and the Quick Exposure Check (QEC). Workers were with a mean age of 36.5 years with the average 16.5 years duration of employment in their jobs. Prevalence of MSDs in the target anatomical areas included Neck ranged from (20–81 %), shoulder (30–80 %), low back (30–70 %), Hand and wrist (20–60 %), Knee (40–70 %) and foot (20 %). Conclusion: The highest disorder were observed in back and knee. The epidemiological evidence on the work-relatedness of these disorders is needed thus high quality studies in cause and effect were recommended to show this association. The results likely to be useful to researchers and managers to minimise the occurrence of these disorders through prevention measure.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Aumann, K., Galinsky, E.: The State of Health in the American Workforce: Does Having an Effective Workplace Matter. Families and Work Institute (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Bugajska, J., Sagan, A.: Chronic musculoskeletal disorders as risk factors for reduced work ability in younger and ageing workers. Int. J. Occup. Saf. Ergon. 20(4), 607–615 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Mayer, J., Kraus, T., Ochsmann, E.: Longitudinal evidence for the association between work-related physical exposures and neck and/or shoulders complaints: a systematic review. Int. Arch. Occup. Environ. Health 85(6), 587–603 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Passier, L., McPhail, S.: Work related musculoskeletal disorders amongst therapists in physically demanding roles: qualitative analysis of risk factors and strategies for prevention. BMC Musculoskel Dis. 12, 9 (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Yousefi HA. Hasanzadeh A.: Evaluation of workstation with the Finnish questionnaire in metal company. J. Health Syst. Res. 6(1), 57–63(2010)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Bongers, P.M., Ijmker, S., van den Heuvel, S., Blatter, B.M.: Epidemiology of work-related neck and upper limb problems: psychosocial and personal factors (part I) and effective interventions from a bio behavioral perspective (part II). J. Occup. Rehabil. 16(3), 279–302 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Kausto, J., Miranda, H., Pehkonen, I., Heliövaara, M., Viikari-Juntura, E., Solovieva, S.: The distribution and co-occurrence of physical and psychosocial risk factors for Musculoskeletal disorders in a general working population. Int. Arch. Occup. Environ. Health 84(7), 773–788 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Bugajska, J., Żołnierczyk-Zreda, D., Jędryka-Góral, A., Gasik, R., Hildt-Ciupińska, K., Malińska, M., Bedyńska, S.: Psychological factors at work and MSDs: a one year prospective study. Rheumatol. Int. 33(12), 2975–2983 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Schneider, E., Irastorza X.: OSH in figures: work-related Musculoskeletal disorders in the UE (Internet). Publications Office of the European Union, Luxemburg (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Yousefi, H.A.: Macro ergonomics analysis of industrial unit operations factory. In: XIV International Conference on Environmental Ergonomics (ICEE), Nafplio, Greece (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Colombini, D., Occhipinti, E.: Preventing upper limb work-related Musculoskeletal disorders (UL-WMSDS): new approaches in job (re)design and current trends in standardization. Appl. Ergon. 37(4), 441–450 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Cote, P., van der Velde, G., David Cassidy, J.: The burden and determinants of neck pain in workers: Results of the bone and joint decade 2000–2010 Task force on neck pain and its associated disorders. Eur Spine 17(Suppl 1), 60–74 (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Leggat, P.A., Smith, D.R.: Prevalence of percutaneous exposure incidents amongst dentists in Queensland. Aust. Dent. J. 51(4), 324–327 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Alavinia, S.M., van Duivenbooden, C., Burdorf, A.: Influence of work-related factors and individual characteristics on work ability among Dutch construction workers. Scand. J. Work Environ. Health 33(5), 351–357 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Chopra, A., Abdel-Nasser, A.: Epidemiology of rheumatic musculoskeletal disorders in the developing world. Best Pract. Res. Clin. Rheumatol. 22(4), 583–604 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Hoy, D.G., Smith, E., Cross, M., Sanchez-Riera, L., Blyth, F.M., Buchbinder, R., March, L.M.: Reflecting on the global burden of musculoskeletal conditions: lessons learnt from the Global Burden of Disease 2010 Study and the next steps forward. Ann. Rheum. Dis. Annrheumdis-2014 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Murray, C.J., Vos, T., Lozano, R., Naghavi, M., Flaxman, A.D., Michaud, C., Aboyans, V.: Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for 291 diseases and injuries in 21 regions, 1990–2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Lancet 380(9859), 2197–2223 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Davatchi, F., Jamshidi, A., Bani-Hashemi, A., Darmawan, J.: WHO-ILAR COPCORD pilot study in Tehran, Iran. J. Rheumatol. 33(8), 1714 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Davatchi, F., Tehrani Banihashemi, A., Gholami, J., Faezi, S.T., Forouzanfar, M.H., Salesi, M., Karimifar, M., Essalatmanesh, K., Barghamdi, M., Noorolahzadeh, E., Dahaghin, S., Rasker, J.: The prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints in a rural area in Iran: a WHO-ILAR COPCORD study (stage 1, rural study) in Iran. J. Clin. Rheumatol. 28, 1267–1274 (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Sandoughi, M., Zakeri, Z., Tehrani Banihashemi, A., Davatchi, F., Narouie, B., Shikhzadeh, A., Yousefi, S.: Prevalence of Musculoskeletal disorders in southeastern Iran: a WHO‐ILAR COPCORD study (stage 1, urban study). Int. J. Rheum. Dis. 16(5), 509–517 (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Saraji, J.N., Hasanzadeh, M.A.: Evaluation of musculoskeletal disorders risk factors among the crew of the Iranian ports and shipping organization’s vessels. Acta Med. Iranica 42(5), 350–354 (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Sadeghi, S., Kazemi, B., Jazayeri Shooshtari S.M., Bidari, A., Jafari, P.: A high prevalence of cumulative trauma disorders in Iranian Instrumentalists. BMC Musculoskelet. Disord. 5, 35 (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  23. Fazli, B., Ansari, H., Noorani, M., Jafari, S.M., Sharifpoor, Z., Ansari, S.: The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and its predictors among Iranians’ Housewives. Int. J. Epidemiol. Res. 3(1), 53–62 (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  24. Yousefi, H.A.: Ergonomics in dentistry. International conference Healthcare Systems, Ergonomics and Patient Safety (HEPS 2011). Oviedo, Spain, pp. 22–24 (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  25. Pargali, N., Jowkar, N.: Prevalence of musculoskeletal pain among dentists in Shiraz, Southern Iran. Int. J Occup. Environ. Med. 1(2), 14 (2010) (April)

    Google Scholar 

  26. Aghilinejad, M., Kabir-Mokamelkhah, E.: Musculoskeletal disorders among Iranian Coal Miners at 2014. Iran. J. Health Saf. Environ. 3(1), 466–471(2014)

    Google Scholar 

  27. Aghilinejad, M., Choobineh, A.R., Sadeghi, Z., Nouri, M.K.: Prevalence of Musculoskeletal disorders among Iranian steel workers. Iran. Red Crescent Med. J. 14(4), 198–203 (2012) (April)

    Google Scholar 

  28. Valipour Noroozi, M., Hajibabaei, M., Saki, A., Memari Z.: Prevalence of Musculoskeletal disorders among office workers. Jundishapur J. Health Sci. 7(1), 27–157 (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  29. Mohseni-Bandpei, M.A., Fakhri, M., Bagheri-Nesami, M., Ahmad-Shirvani, M., Khalilian, A.R., Shayesteh-Azar, M.: Occupational back pain in Iranian nurses: an epidemiological study. Br. J. Nurs. 15, 17 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Abedini, R., Choobineh, A.R., Hasanzadeh, J.: Patient manual handling risk assessment among hospital nurses. Work 50, 669–675 (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  31. Abedini, R., Choobineh, A., Hasanzadeh, J.: Musculoskeletal load assessment in hospital nurses with patient transfer activity. Int. J. Occup. Hyg. IJOH 5, 39–45 (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  32. Choobineh, A., Daneshmandi, H., Tabatabaee, S.H.: The prevalence rate of Work-Related Musculoskeletal disorders among Iranian Female Workers. Women’s Health Bull. 2(4) (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  33. Poyakian, M., Zakerian, S.A., YarAhmadi, A.A., KhodaKarim, S., Kangavari, M.: Examining the prevalence of Musculoskeletal disorders in workers working in the fields and related days market of Tehran organization Municipality in 2014 with the aim of identifying risk factors affecting on the incidence of these disorders. Int. Res. J. Appl. Basic Sci. 9(10), 1696–1700 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  34. Rafie, F., Zamani Jam, A., Shahravan, A., Raoof, M., Eskandarizadeh, A.: Prevalence of upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders in dentists: symptoms and risk factors. J. Environ. Public Health 1–7 (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  35. Feyzi, V., Mehdipoor, S., Ghotbi, R. MR, Asadi M, Ghafori S.: Ergonomic Assessment of Workstations and Musculoskeletal disorders Risk Assessment in the Central Oil Refinery Workshop of Hormozgan Province. J. Health Dev. 4(4) (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  36. Alipour, A., Ghaffari, M., Shariati, B., Jensen, I., Vingard, E.: Low back pain among Iranian industrial workers. Occup. Med. 56(7), 455–460 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Alipour, A., Ghaffari, M., Shariati, B., Jensen, I., Vingard, E.: Occupational neck and shoulder pain among automobile manufacturing workers in Iran. Am. J. Ind. Med. 51, 372–379 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Choobineh, A., Tabatabaee, S.H., Behzadi, M., Mokhtarzadeh, A., Salehi, M.: Musculoskeletal problems among workers of an Iranian rubber factory. J. Occup. Health 49(5), 418–423 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Choobineh, A., et al.: Ergonomic evaluation of exposure to Musculoskeletal disorders risk factors by QEC technique in a rubber factory. Jundishapur Sci. Med. J. 7(1), 46–55 (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  40. Choobineh, A., Tabatabaee, S.H., Behzadi, M.: Musculoskeletal problems among workers of an Iranian sugar-producing factory. Int. J. Occup. Saf. Ergon. 15(4), 419–424 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Hokmabadi, R.A., Fallah, H.: Ergonomic assessment of MSDs risk factors in construction workers by PATH method, pp. 55–62 (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  42. Hajaghazadeh, M., Mohammadian, Y., Normohammadi, M., Zare, M.: An ergonomic study in building demolition: assessment of Musculoskeletal disorders risk factors by PATH method. Int. J. Environ. Health Eng. 1, 43 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Soleimani, E., Choobineh, A., Soleimani, E., Daneshmandi, H., Mohamadbeigi, A., Izadi, K.: Prevalence of Musculoskeletal disorders and posture analysis using RULA method in shiraz general dentists in 2010. J. Islamic Dent. Assoc. Iran (JIDA) 24(4), 310–317 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  44. Samaei, S.H., Hasheminejad, N., Zolala, F.: Evaluation of risk factors influencing low back pain in patient transfer tasks. Int. J. Occup. Hyg. 7(2), 76–82 (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  45. Motamedzade, M., Moghimbeigib, A.: Musculoskeletal disorders among female carpet weavers in Iran. Ergonomics 55(2) (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  46. Choobineh, A., Rajaeefard, A., Neghab, M.: Association between perceived demands and Musculoskeletal disorders among Hospital Nurses of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences: A Questionnaire Survey. JOSE 12(4), 409–416 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  47. Barzideh, M., Choobineh, A.R., Tabatabaee, H.R.: Job stress dimensions and their relationship to Musculoskeletal disorders in Iranian nurses. Work 47(4), 423–429 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  48. Choobineh, A., Nouri, E., Arjmandzadeh, A., Mohamadbaigi, A.: Musculoskeletal disorders among bank computer operators. Iran Occup. Health 3(2): 3 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  49. Mohammadfam, I., Kianfar, A., Afsartala, B.: Assessment of Musculoskeletal disorders in a manufacturing company using QEC and LUBA methods and comparison of results. Iran Occup. Health 7(1), 7-0 (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  50. Nasiri, I., Motamedzade, M., Golmohammadi, R., Faradmal, J.: Assessment of risk factors for Musculoskeletal disorders using the Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA) Method and implementing ergonomics intervention programs in Sepah Bank. J. Health Saf. Work 5(2), 47–62 (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  51. Rahimabadi, S., Khanjani, N., Mardi, H.: The prevalence of Musculoskeletal disorders and their related factors in workers of a dairy factory, Nishabur, Iran. J. Health Dev. 1(2), 121–129 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  52. Choobineh, A., Lahmi, M., Hosseini, M., Khani Jazani, R., Shahnavaz, H.: Musculoskeletal symptoms as related to ergonomic factors in Iranian hand-woven carpet industry and general guidelines for workstation design. Int. J. Occup. Saf. Ergon. 10(2), 157–168 (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  53. Barkhordari, A., Ketabi, D., Mirrmohammadi, S.J., Fallahzadeh, H., Mehrparvar, A.H.: Prevalence of work-related Musculoskeletal disorders in auto-parts manufacturing plants’workers. Toloo-e-behdasht. 11(1(34)), 87–95 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  54. Choobineh, A., Tabatabaei, S.H., Tozihian, M., Ghadami, F.: Musculoskeletal problems among workers of an Iranian communication company. Indian J. Occup. Environ. Med. 11, 32–36 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  55. Tayefe R.J., Choobineh, A., Dehghan, N., Tayefe Rahimian, R., Kolahi, H., Abbasi, M., Abbaszadeh, M.: Ergonomic evaluation of exposure to Musculoskeletal disorders risk factors in welders. J. Ergon. 1(3), 18–26 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  56. Bolghanabadi, S.: Risk assessment of musculoskeletal disorders in sugar factory worker by manual handling assessment chart. J. Res. Committee Stud. Sabzevar Univ. Med. Sci. 1(32), 1–10 (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  57. Mirmohammadi, S., Mehrparvar, A., Soleimani, H., Lotfi, M., Akbari, H., Heidari, N.: Musculoskeletal disorders among video display terminal (VDT) workers comparing with other office workers. Iran Occup. Health J. 7(2), 11–14 (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  58. Shoja, E., et al.: Ergonomic evaluation of Musculoskeletal disorders risk by Quick Exposure Check (QEC) technique in a textile industry. J. North Khorasan Univ. Med. Sci. 6(2), 259–266 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  59. Jafari, R.A., Dneshvar, S., Sadeghi, M., Barsam, T., Rahimi, M.S., Feyzi, V.: The Prevalence of Musculoskeletal disorders and effective factor in Zarand city farmers, 2010–2011. J. Occup. Hyg. Eng. 2(2), 23–31 (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  60. Ghanbary, S.A., Habibi, E.: Evaluation of Musculoskeletal disorders among computer Users in Isfahan. Iran. J. Health Saf. Environ. 2(3), 330–334 (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  61. Etemadinezhad, S., Ranjbar, F.: Ergonomic evaluation in rice mills workers in Sari in 2014. J. Health Res. Commun. 1(1), 42–48 (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  62. Mozafari, A., Najafi, M., Vahedian, M., Mohebi, S.: Assessment of musculoskeletal disorders between lorry drivers in Qom, Iran. Galen Med. J. 3(3), 182–188 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  63. Pirmand, R., Heidari, A., Hashemipoor, M., Talebi, M., Saneikhah, M., Mousavi, S.A., Porrahmatian, A., Moqiseh, M., Hasanzadeh, A.: Relationship of ergonomic risk factors and musculoskeletal discomfort in a construction project at the refinery in Tehran. J. Sabzevar Univ. Med. Sci. 2(79), 324–333 (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  64. Hajaghazadeh, M., Hosseini, M., Adl, J.: Ergonomic assessment of musculoskeletal disorder risk factors in construction workers by PATH method. J. Sch. Public Health Inst. Public Health Res. 6(1), 37–45 (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  65. Rabiei, M., Shakiba, M., Dehgan, H.A., Talebzadeh, M.: Musculoskeletal disorders in dentists. Int. J. Occup. Hyg. 11; 4(1), 36–40 (2015)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the authors, researchers, employees and supervisors of Iranian occupational sector and those organizations for their collaboration that participated in this research.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Occupational Health, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

    HA Yousefi & Ehsan Habibi

  2. Human Movement Science Laboratory, Department of Advanced Health Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan

    Hideyuki Tanaka

Authors
  1. HA Yousefi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ehsan Habibi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Hideyuki Tanaka
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to HA Yousefi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, CE Delft, The Netherlands

    Richard H.M. Goossens

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this paper

Cite this paper

Yousefi, H., Habibi, E., Tanaka, H. (2017). Prevalence of Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among the Iranian Working Population in Different Sectors of Industries. In: Goossens, R. (eds) Advances in Social & Occupational Ergonomics. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 487. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-41688-5_24

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-41688-5_24

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-41687-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-41688-5

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation