Assessment of Labor Situation and Prevalence of Muscular - Skeleton Disorders Among Chain Grocery Store Workers in Qazvin in 2009 and Applied Control Suggestion

Background and Objectives: Working in incorrect posion has put this job in the 12th rank for musculoskeletal disorders of the neck, back, and upper limb among Sallers. The present study aimed to assess the labor situation  and prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among chain grocery store workers. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was performed on 31 grocery workers in various parts in Qazvin, in 2009. To assess their postures, the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) was performed. The RULA scoring system ranges from 1 (the best position) to 7 (the worst position). Results: In the posture assessment, 26.7% of females and males obtained score 7. Also, results of musculoskeletal prevalence showed that about 33.3% of the men suffer from back pain, while 38.5% of females suffer form pain in the neck and also 34.6% reported pain in the arms. According to the RULA results, there is a considerable difference between scores extracted by RULA and self reported pain in arms and necks among the women. Conclusion: Based on the fact that the majority of pain was reported in the neck, back and shoulders, the following suggestions are in order: regulating of work station to prevent the frequent bending of the neck using back supportive chairs; and also use of automatic scan. Key words: RULA, Body Map, Musculoskeletal Disorder, Grocery store   Funding: This study was supported by Qazvin University of Medical Sciences. Conflict of interest: None declared. Ethical approval: The Ethics Committee of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences approved the study.