Musculoskeletal disorders: OWAS review

Abstract

The prevention of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) is very important in the world. Governments and companies are the most interested. The objective of the present work is to review the literature on the applications of the OWAS method in the diverse sectors or fields of knowledge and countries from its publication to March 2017. The use of OWAS method has been classified by categories of knowledge, by country and by year. The search was made by selecting only the main collection of the Web of Science. This was selected by the option “Advanced search” using the term OWAS (ts=OWAS) for the time period of 1900 to 2017. A total of 166 results were found, consisting of conference papers and articles in scientific journals. In conclusion, the OWAS has been applied mainly in two sectors: “Manufacturing industries” and “Healthcare and Social assistance activities”. This method needs to be complemented with other indirect or direct methods. Also, whenever the OWAS has been used, whether individually or together with other methods, musculoskeletal disorders risks have been detected, this perhaps being an indicator to review the evaluation parameters because overestimating the risk.

Assessment of Postural Load during Melon Cultivation in Mediterranean Greenhouses

“…This method can be applied in many work sectors [67], including healthcare [82][83][84][85][86][87], industry [88][89][90][91][92][93], agriculture and livestock [78][79][80][81]94,95], information technologies [96][97][98][99][100][101], construction [102][103][104][105][106], transport and logistics [107][108][109][110][111][112], and education [113][114][115][116], as well as in other areas, such as supermarkets [117], power line work [118], workers with mental disabilities [119], cooking [120], and electronic or electrical equipment work [121].…”

Forced Postures in Courgette Greenhouse Workers

“…Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are a serious problem frequently developed in workers of many fields [5].…”

Epidemiology of work-related musculo-skeletal disorders among adults in Ethiopia: a systematic review protocol

“…Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are common workplace health problems characterized by a range of symptoms like pain, ache, and discomfort in bodily regions [1,2]. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are impairments of body structures such as muscles, tendons, fascia, ligaments, joints, nerves, bones, or a localized blood circulation system either caused or aggravated by poor fitness, and poor health habits, but a major proportion of MSDs are caused by physical work exposures [3,4]. And, these impairment occurs secondary to sudden injuries and cumulative trauma, with the later being the most common mechanism behind work-related musculoskeletal disorders [1,3,5].…”

“…Therefore, the objective of this systematic review and metaanalysis is to review the existing literature, with the objective of quantifying the burden of musculoskeletal disorders and associated factors among the working adult population in Ethiopia. 4…”