Prevalence of Upper Limb Musculo Skeletal Disorders among Brass Metal Workers in West Bengal, India

Abstract

Brass metal work is one of the oldest cottage industries in West Bengal, India. Workers performing rigorous hand intensive jobs are likely to suffer from MSD affecting the upper limbs. The present investigation was intended to establish the prevalence of upper limb MSD among the brass metal workers and to identify the causative factors behind its development. In this study, 50 male brass metal workers (Experimental Group) and 50 male office workers (Comparison Group) were selected. For the symptom survey, a questionnaire on discomfort symptoms was performed. Repetitiveness of work and Hand Grip Strength of both the groups were measured. It was revealed that upper limb MSD was a major problem among brass metal workers, primarily involving the hand, wrist, fingers and shoulder. Among the workers reporting subjective discomfort, most of them felt pain, followed by tingling and numbness in their hands. Many complained of swelling, warmth and tenderness in their wrists. Their activities were highly repetitive and the handgrip strength of these workers was significantly less than that of the comparison group. Based on these findings, it appears that high repetitiveness, prolonged work activity (10.5 h of work per day with 8.4 h spent on hammering) and decreased handgrip strength may be causative factors in the occurrence of upper limb MSD among brass metal workers in West Bengal, India.

An Ergonomics Study on Posture-Related Discomfort and Occupational-Related Disorders Among Stonecutters of West Bengal, India

“…This result corroborated the studies of Garg [16], Gangopadhyay, Ray, Das, et al [17] and Gangopadhyay, Das, Das, et al [18]. According to Garg, severe discomfort or pain was due to heavy spinal loading and repetitive movement of body parts over an extended period [16].…”

“…The feeling of discomfort (pain) in different parts of the body among the workers may be due to their prolonged working hours and repetitiveness of the work; which may lead to MSD [17]. Gangopadhyay et al also showed previously that continuous bending posture, led workers to suffer from acute pain and discomfort for a long period of time, which mainly led to severe pain and MSD [18]. Sturmer, Luessenhoop, Neth, et al also concluded that repetitive strain in forced positions during long periods was a risk factor for lower back disorder [19].…”

Assessment of Postural effect on Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders and Back Muscle Fatigue among the Goldsmiths of India

“…The current study also indicates that the goldsmith are constantly engaged in repetitive and hand intensive jobs for several years, from which they suffer from discomfort feeling in the upper extremities of the body. Similar result was found by of Gangopadhyay et al [24], according to them highly repetitive hand intensive jobs among the brass metal workers lead to discomfort in the upper extremities. It has been also known that WMSDs are caused by multi-factorial operations of various risk factors such as poor working posture, repetitive and forceful activities and static muscle load [25,26].…”

Noise Induced Hearing Loss in Steel Factory Workers

“…A constant repetition of movements imposes a cumulative work load which can cause pain and weakness and impaired function of the muscles and other soft tissues [39]. The physiologic problems that arise from repetitive work or overuse of certain muscles, tendons and soft-tissue structures have been addressed in terms of muscle fatigue, tissue density changes, and tissue strain [40].…”