Upper Limb Disorders in Catering Workers

Abstract

Background: The literature reports that catering workers are exposed to various occupational health hazardsé. Objective: This study aims to assess a cohort of catering workers in relation to upper limb disorders, thus contributing to the quantification of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in this occupational sector. Methods: Here, 500 employees, of which 130 were males and 370 were females, with an overall mean age of 50.7 years and an average length of service of 24.8 years, were examined. All subjects completed a standardized questionnaire: the medical history questionnaire of diseases of the upper limbs and spine proposed in “Health surveillance of workers”, third edition, EPC. Results: The obtained data enables the following conclusions to be drawn. Musculoskeletal disorders affect a wide range of catering workers. The most affected anatomical region is the shoulder. These disorders increase with advancing age, specifically shoulder, wrist/hand disorders and daytime and nighttime paresthesias. Employment seniority in the catering sector increases the likelihood of all considered conditions. An increase in weekly workload exclusively affects the shoulder region. Conclusions: This study aims to serve as an impetus for further research that seeks to better analyze musculoskeletal problems in the catering sector.

Prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and associated factors among University of Zimbabwe Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences non-academic workers: a cross-sectional study

“…Additionally, catering staff also experienced pain and discomfort in the joints of the upper limbs, as they had to carry heavy ingredients and take out waste, as well as stir large pots during meal preparation. These findings are consistent with findings by Dempsey and Filiaggi [ 48 ] and Giorgianni and colleagues [ 12 ] in catering workers. The nature of the work done influences the strain and stress on musculoskeletal structures in specific body regions [ 15 , 49 ].…”

“…As a result, there was also a similar association with worker categories. The findings are consistent with other studies conducted in Ethiopia, India, Italy, Malaysia, Nigeria and Pakistan [ 12 , 13 , 15 , 31 , 32 , 46 , 47 ] on various non-academic worker categories similar to those reported in the current study. Lower back pain was associated with work categories that spent large amounts of time seating, standing or engaged in heavy lifting such as security, library staff, catering staff and clerical staff.…”

“…Several risk factors for the development of WMSDs have been identified, including repetitive work, awkward postures during work performance and discrepancies between the physical capacity of the human body and the physical requirements of the work task [8]. The incidence of specific WMSDs and reported discomfort in particular body regions is highly associated with specific work types [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. This is mainly because workers in specific job types are engaged in work tasks that put specific body parts at higher risks of developing musculoskeletal disorders.…”

Prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and associated factors among University of Zimbabwe Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences non-academic workers: a cross-sectional study

“…As a result, there was also a similar association with worker categories. The ndings are consistent with other studies (23,24,(32)(33)(34)(35)(36). Lower back pain was associated with work categories that spent large amounts of time seating or that engaged in heavy lifting such as security, library staff, catering staff and…”