The Association between Mental Workload and Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Workers of Ahvaz Kavian Steel Company

摘要

Background: One of the most important problems in modern industries is the high mentalworkload which can affect the health and hygiene of workers in these industries. This studywas carried out to investigate the association between mental workload and work- relatedmusculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) in a case study among workers of Ahvaz Kavian SteelCompany, Ahvaz, Iran, in 2016.Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 240 workers of Ahvaz Kavian SteelCompany participated. Data collection tools were the Nordic Musculoskeletal DisordersQuestionnaire (NMQ) and NASA-TLX mental workload questionnaire, filled out throughinterviewing participants in the work place. Data were analyzed by using independentsamplest-test and chi-square in SPSS19.Results: During the last 12 months, 75.8% of workers experienced musculoskeletal disordersymptoms. "Physical demand" (P=0.002) and "Effort" (P=0.015) from the NASA-TLXquestionnaire and shift work, among demographic features, (P=0.025) were significantlyassociated with MSDs prevalence in these workers.Conclusion: Musculoskeletal disorders had a high prevalence in workers of Ahvaz KavianSteel Company. Because of the significant relation between of some dimensions of the mentalwork load index and demographic characteristics with musculoskeletal disorders; creatingproper working conditions, utilizing ergonomic based designed implements and providingmore staff training programs, can help prevent musculoskeletal disorders.