Ergonomics: Musculoskeletal Disorders in Various Industries

This report examines the ergonomics of four industries in Malaysia: the semiconductor industry, schools, batik workers, and rubber workers. It investigates the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) across these domains, including back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, and lower limb issues. The report analyzes the methods used by researchers, such as questionnaires, RULA assessments, and statistical analysis, to identify ergonomic risk factors. It also justifies the investigation of MSDs by highlighting the impact of work-related factors like prolonged standing, awkward postures, and repetitive movements. The findings reveal similarities in MSDs across industries and emphasize the importance of workplace design, work breaks, and proper employee training to mitigate these issues. The study concludes that managers must prioritize employee well-being through appropriate workload allocation and ergonomic considerations to enhance overall organizational efficiency. References from various journals and books are included to support the analysis.

Ergonomics

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
PART 2............................................................................................................................................3
A Extent to which the musculoskeletal disorders are similar across the given work domains...3
B The extent to which the methods used by the reserachers are comprehensive........................4
C Justification of investigating musculoskeletal disorders by the researchers...........................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION
Ergonomics can be defined as the study of people's efficiency in the environment where
they are working. In other way, we can say that it is the process of designing the workplace and
system in such a way that they suit the person who is using the same. In this report, ergonomics
of four industries namely, Semiconductor industry in Peninsular Malaysia, children in Schools of
Malaysia , Batik workers in Kelantan and Rubber workers in FELDA settlement is taken into
consideration.
PART 2
A Extent to which the musculoskeletal disorders are similar across the given work domains
To ameliorate the performance of the employees working in any business organisation, it
is important to understand the ergonomics prevailing over there. Similar research is done to
study the musculoskeletal disorder prevailing in the four different work domains listed above.
Musculoskeletal system provides form, support, stability and movement to the body since it is
made up of bones of skeleton, muscles, cartilage, tendons, ligaments joints and other tissues that
bind different organs together. Its disorder means pain across several parts of the body. This is
prominent if working condition is not as per the requirements of the employees.
As per the research papers provided by (Chee and Rampal, 2004) on work related
musculoskeletal problems among the women workers of semiconductor industry in Penninsulae
Malaysia, it was analysed that because of the weight lifting processes and prolonged standing
during wafer preparation and polishing, lower back and lower limb problem was prominent
among 906 women studied.
The front line workers who just operate the machines were having lowest pain
prevalences since they only used to walk short distances to look around the installation (Young
and et.al., 2015). The middle line workers, also called as the molding workers were found to
have high pain in neck or shoulders (54.8 %) and upper back (43.5%). The end of the line
workers, also called as inspection workers were also found with high back b=pain because of
prolonged siting without support. Cip testing workers were having high lower limb pain because
they used to climb steps to the load units. Workers in the department of electronic assembly were
found to have high arms and hands/wrists pain.

As per the papers of (Ismail, Tamrin and Hashim 2009) on the association between
ergonomic risk factors, RULA score and musculoskeletal pain among school children, it was
found that eleven years old students were having prevalence of musculoskeletal disorder (68.0%)
than the eight years old group (36.4%). Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) was used to
analyse the awkward posture of the students like bending forward movement, leaning, shifting
and twisting. Logistic regression anlysis for the study of body mass index, sports injuries and the
history of majoe accidents revealed that home activities such as watching TV, using personal
computers for more than two hours etc. Are the major reason behind these disorders. For this ,
the study of two hundred and twenty nine students from two different schools was carried out.
According to the paper of (Musa, Kyi and Rampal, 2000) related to work-related
musculoskeletal symptoms among batik workers in Kelantan, it was analysed that shoulder pain
(41%), lower back (42) and ankle pain (34.4%) was prominent among the 202 workers selected
from 21 different industries. It was evaluated that duration of the employment, age group,
prolonged standing and awkward woking task are the factors which contribute to these disorders.
From the papers of (Shan and et.al., 2012) about the prevalence of neck pain and
associated factors with personal characteristics, physical workloads and psychosocial among
male rubber workers in FELDA settlement Malaysia, it was analysed that neck pain was
prominent among most of the workers because of weak coorelation with the age and woring
hours per day for the employees. Also due to neack rotation movements, awkkward posiotions,
repetitive ans static postures are some of the reasons behind this.
From above, it can be concluded that due to the working practices, people are suffering
from these kinds of disorders. Most of these problems are same in all these industries, like back
pain, limb pain, shoulder pain, etc.
B The extent to which the methods used by the researchers are comprehensive
It can be seen from the above analysis that the researchers have taken into consideration
each and every task of the organisation to find out the kind of the work done by the employees.
For example, for semiductor industry , all kinds of workers from front line workers to the end
line workers are taken into account to understand the reason behind the pain they are suffering
from.

Similar, to get the proper understanding for the school children, various age groups were
taken into account. Along with this, Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) was done to ensure
the correctiveness in the estimation. Several sets of questionnaires were used in the study to
identify the pain in neck, shoulder, upper back, lower back, elbows, arms, hands, knees, thighs
and legs. Statistical analysis and quality control was also done for the bag weight load status.
Ethical issues were also considered before doing this. For example, approval from medical
researcher ethic committee was also obtained.
In the similar way, from the analysis of problem prevailing in the batik workers, only
those workers were selected, who had been working in the organisation for at least one year. A
structured questionnaire interview comprised of sociodemographic data and general health
information had been carried out for the same. Workers from various industries are taken. Using
cluster sampling, the industries were identified. The symptoms were analysed with the help of
body map modified from a Standardized Nordic Questionnaire.
Similarly, to analyse the disorders prevailing in the workers of rubber industry (Shan and
et.al., 2012), a stratified random sampling method was used to select the workers. For the
effectiveness of the research, data was collected through face to face interview with the use of
Standardized Nordic Questionnaire and Job Content Questionnaire.
In this way, we can say that the methods adopted by the researchers are comprehensive to
provide a sound report.
C Justification of investigating musculoskeletal disorders by the researchers
To justify this investigation, evidences were taken into consideration by the researchers.
The suffering of the individuals depicts much clearer picture of the same. For the semiconductor
industry (Chee and Rampal, 2004), the researchers said that the weight lifting and the prolonged
standing have to be distributed among the employees in an appropriate mammner to reduce the
work load. According to the task allotted to the individuals, they have justified the reasons
behind a particular problem to reach the correct solution.
Similarly, for the school children (Ismail, Tamrin and Hashim, 2009), the home works, school
bag weight, etc. Were considered to know the reasons behind the problem of back and the wrist
pain. In this way the researchers have justified their investigation.

For batik industry (Musa, Kyi and Rampal, 2000) also, the working hours and the age
group correlation had been done to let the workers get devoid of the feet pain. For rubber
industry, the movements were taken into consideration to know the reason behind the problems.
The wokers with such probelms are taken as an evidence to show the same.
Musculoskeletal disorders are considered among the major national health problem at present.
These also impose a sort of economic burden in compensating costs, low wages and the
productivity. The evidence weight justification can be useful to identify such work related risk
factors which can cause musculoskeletal disorders. In this way, the researchers have justifies the
work done by them.
They said that the characteristics of the individuals, like, age,gender, body mass index,
also affect the vulnerability of these disorders. One has to take special care of it while recruiting
the employees. In this way, these problems can be minimized to some extent. Proper sitting
arrangement and work breaks have to be provided to the employees to dimish these problems.
Workplace physical exposure also has to be considered for the welfare of the employees.
Similarly, the hand and wrist movement have to be controlled by recruiting adequate number of
employees to perform the task to attain the target. The repetitive actions, force, posture and
evironmental conditions also affect the efficiency of the individuals in an organisation. They
have to be taken care of by providing suitable working ambience for the employees (Pheasant
and Haslegrave, 2016).
CONCLUSION
To conclude, we can say that for improving the performance factor of employees, one has
to provide proper working conditions and work breaks to the employees to relieve them from the
work load. This is one of the measures to increase the overall efficiency of the organisation. If
the employees have any kind of disorder, they cannot work with concentration. Hence, the
managers have to pay attention over the work load allocation for the better functioning of an
organisation.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Chee, H. L. and Rampal, K. G. 2004. Work-related musculoskeletal problems among women
workers in the semiconductor industry in Peninsular Malaysia. International Journal of
Occupational and Environmental Health. 10(1). 63-71.
Ismail, S. A., Tamrin, S. B., and Hashim, Z. 2009). The association between ergonomic risk
factors, RULA score, and musculoskeletal pain among school children: a preliminary
result. Global Journal of Health Science. 1(2). 73-84.
Musa, R., Kyi, W., and Rampal, K. G. 2000). Work-related musculoskeletal symptoms among
batik workers in Kelantan. The Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences. 7(2). 13.
Pheasant, S. and Haslegrave, C.M., 2016. Bodyspace: Anthropometry, ergonomics and the
design of work. CRC Press.
Shan, C. L . and et.al, 2012). Prevalence of neck pain and associated factors with personal
characteristics, physical workloads and psychosocial among male rubber workers in
FELDA settlement Malaysia. Global Journal of Health Science. 4(1).94.
Young, M.S and et.al., 2015. State of science: mental workload in
ergonomics. Ergonomics.58(1). pp.1-17.
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