One-year Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Symptoms in Aluminium Industry Potroom Workers

Potroom workers in aluminium industry perform physically demanding jobs that include numerous risk factors such as awkward postures, static-load, and lifting and carrying of load. The aim of this study was to identify the most frequent musculoskeletal symptoms (MSS) among workers in an aluminium plant, as well as to examine a possible correlation between MSS incidence and the period of exposure to MSSs. The study population comprised 133 potroom workers who were asked to fill out a questionnaire, whereas 90 office workers served as controls. After a multivariate regression analysis for the parameters including age, duration of employment, height, smoking and alcohol consumation, the potroom workers showed a higher incidence of MSSs which significantly correlated with the age and duration of employment in nine out of the ten areas of the body (with the exception of the ankle and feet), when compared to controls. The results of the study suggest that the correlation between a high MSS incidence and the duration of employment can be due to the work environment.