Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) comprise of a group of painful disorders afflicting the tendons, muscles, and nerves. Having worked in a manufacturing company, various musculoskeletal disorders were commonly seen among the workers. In particular, workers complained of tendon sprains, muscle strains, and the carpal tunnel syndrome. At the facility, almost all tasks required the use of hands and the arms. As a result, most musculoskeletal disorders manifested in the wrists, hands, elbows, shoulders, and the neck. The tasks being done required repetitive motion without adequate time for muscle recovery. In fact, postural strain as well as localized muscle fatigue from various tasks contributed to the incidences of musculoskeletal disorders.
Considering the occurrences of the injuries, implementation of some methods might have prevented such disorders. Since the injuries result from ergonomic hazards, the best method would have been elimination of the source, which is the repetitiveness of tasks. Other aspects of the work activities such as fixed body postures, the applied force, and the pace of conducting the activities need to be addressed as they also contribute to the disorders. Therefore, the core methods of protecting employees from WMSDs have to focus on finding alternatives to eliminate repetitive work patterns. A good method is job design as it directly addresses the aspect of repetition. Other strategies include job rotation, mechanization, and teamwork. Where the elimination method is not possible or applicable, prevention approaches involving the layout at the workplace, equipment and tool design, as well as changing work practices.
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