Abstract
The present study aimed at ergonomic evaluation of the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among construction labourers working in unorganized sectors in West Bengal, India. A modified Nordic questionnaire was applied to one hundred forty male and ninety female construction labourers to acquire information about musculoskeletal symptoms like pain in different body parts. Work-rest schedules of the labourers in different work activities were studied. Working postures were analyzed by means of the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) tool. Body part discomfort (BPD) scale was used to assess the intensity of feeling of discomforts in the different body parts. It was revealed that the labourers performed repetitive, stressful work for a long period of time in a single work-rest cycle and the load lifted and carried by them were more than the NIOSH recommended weight limit. The analyses of working postures revealed that most of their working postures were unsafe and ranked under REBA action level 3 and 4. The results obtained by applying the Nordic questionnaire and BPD scale revealed that the prevalence of pain in various regions of the body, especially low-back pain, was alarmingly high in both male and female labourers. Training for safe lifting of materials, proper work-rest schedule, modifications of some working procedures and the use of ergonomically designed equipment may certainly reduce the work-related musculoskeletal disorders and improve the health status of construction labourers working in unorganized sectors.
