Studies have identified working postures as a major risk factors associated with Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) in industries. This study investigated the prevalence of WMSD among assembly workers in Malaysia and how psychosocial factors such as personal values and workers relationship with family and superior are associated with discomfort and pain. A survey was conducted among 127 workers at assembly process in the manufacturing industry. The workers were aged 28.74±6.74 years and 64.6% of them were males. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the effect of workplace factors on WMSD at different body regions. Spearman’s rank correlation was used to investigate association between psychosocial factors and occurrence of discomfort and pain. Only occupation and job activities revealed any significant different with WMSD in the major body regions while there was no significant difference in gender, age and work duration classifications. Shoulder painis the most prevalent in terms of frequency and intensity of occurrence. Psychosocial issues that have to do with person values, effect of job on family relationship and workers rapport with superiors are all found to be associated with the discomfort and pain among the occupational group. Employers and concerned government agencies need to take more proactive steps in tackling the problem as the occurrence of WMSD will have a significant effect on the overall wellbeing of the working population.
The increase in Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) cases in the context of manufacturing industry in Malaysia in
the recent years has become a national concern. Therefore, the study aims to compare the severity of the WMSDs cases
involving electronic workers by using survey, interview, observation and experimental methods. The questionnaire
was designed and distributed to 204 assembly workers performing printer and inserting semiconductor in the electronic
sector. The ergonomic risk was assessed through direct observation of workers’ posture at their workstation using
WERA. In addition, Electromyogram (EMG) analysis was used to measure the muscle activity of workers. The result
shows that standing workers are exposed to consistent MSD more than sitting workers in all body regions except for
the upper back. According to WERA results, both postures contribute to high risk of MSD especially at wrist and leg
regions. In conclusion, there is a significant correlation in the findings from the survey, observation and EMG analysis
about the prevalence of MSDs among the workers, although the degree of prevalence differs in some body regions.
Hence, there is a need to identify more interacting variables associated with the problem.