Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Seamstresses Workers: A Rapid Upper Limb Assessment

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are a common occupational health problem, especially among labor workers who perform physically demanding tasks. Musculoskeletal diseases can be caused by several situations, including improper positioning of workers. With this, to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among the 30 Two Angels’ seamstresses, the REBA method was utilized by identifying the most awkward position of seamstresses and assessing the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. Subsequently, the researchers used the Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ) to further evaluate the pain and discomfort in various areas of the seamstresses’ bodies. Additionally, correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship of body posture to the prevalence of MSD. The results showed that most of the the respondents’ posture exposes them to a high to very high risk of musculoskeletal disorders, indicating the need for immediate changes in the practices. It was also found that the knee area experiences the most discomfort during tasks. However, it was found that all body postures only had minimal significance on the prevalence of MSD. With the results, it is recommended to reduce the awkward postures by implementing proper workstations, training of proper work practices, provision of proper tools, and regular rotations.