Prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal symptoms and associated risk factors among domestic gas workers and staff of works department in Enugu, Nigeria: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Abstract Background The impact of work-related musculoskeletal symptoms (WMSS) permeates various occupations. Objective To compare WMSS and associated risk factors among domestic gas workers (DGWs) and staff of Works Department (SWD) in Enugu. Methods One-hundred adults (DGW = 50, SWD = 50) participated in this cross-sectional study. The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and a demographics questionnaire were used to assess the prevalence of WMSS and related risk factors. Data were analysed using independent t-test or Mann-Whitney U, chi-square, and logistic regression at p 8 h/day (OR = 0.001, p = 0.028), female gender (OR = 6.98–10.26, p < 0.05), sleep duration < 6 h/day (OR = 0.56–0.73, p < 0.05) and poor exercise behaviour (OR = 0.15, p = 0.013) were the identified independent risk factors of WMSS among DGWs, while DBP (OR = 0.99, p = 0.012) and female gender (OR = 6.47, p = 0.032) were the only identified independent risk factors for SWD. Conclusion WMSS is significantly higher among DGWs than the SWD. High DBP, female gender, working beyond 8 h per day, sleeping less than 6 h per day, and insufficient exercise increase the risks of WMSDs, especially among the DGWs. To mitigate the adverse effects of WMSDs, SWD and DGWs require break and leave periods, PPE and assistive devices, exercise, medical check-up, and workplace ergonomics.

Keywords

• Ergonomics
• Exercise
• Manual handling
• Personal protective equipment
• Prevalence
• Shift duty