Musculoskeletal symptoms and workers’ perception about job factors in a paper industry

Introduction
The aim of this study was to evaluate the musculoskeletal symptoms, and the workers’ perception about job-factors that may contribute to musculoskeletal symptoms in a paper industry, and to identify the relationship between the intensity of pain and disability.

Methods
This is a cross-sectional and correlational research, which was conducted with 112 workers. Data were collected through interviews, using the "Nordic Questionnaire", and the "Work-Related Activities that may contribute to job-related pain and/or injury". The "Pain Disability Questionnaire" (PQD) and the "Numeric Pain Scale" were also applied. Statistical analysis performed: descriptive analysis; Mann-Whitney test to compare the scores of risk factors among subjects with and without musculoskeletal symptoms, and Spearman coefficient test to correlate the intensity of pain and disability.

Results
Results showed that most workers (63.4%) had musculoskeletal symptoms, especially in the spine and shoulders. It was found that the presence of symptoms in the shoulders (6.4%) and lumbar (6.4%) were the major causes of absence from work over the past three months.The comparison between symptomatic and asymptomatic subjects showed significant difference (p <0.05) in their perception of nine job-factors. The analysis of the intensity of pain and the disability showed an average pain intensity of 3.4 (scale from 0 to 10) and mean scores of the PDQ total (11.5) and its dimensions - functional (6.7) and psychosocial (4.8) - pointing to moderate disability. There was a significant correlation of moderate magnitude (r = 0.40) between pain and the disability.

Discussion
The absenteeism, the health care utilization and the disability showed that the symptoms are already interfering significantly in the workers’ lives. The job factors perceived as most problematic were: performing the same task over and over; carrying and lifting heavy equipment; working in the same position for long periods; and bending or twisting the back in an awkward way.