Risk assessment of musculoskeletal disorders by OVAKO Working posture Analysis System OWAS and evaluate the effect of ergonomic training on posture of farmers

Background: The agricultural sector is one of the most important sectors in production. The safety and health of farmers are important factors that can cause a significant increase in efficiency and productivity. The aim of this study was the assessment of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) using the OVAKO Working Posture Analysis System (OWAS) and evaluation of the effect of ergonomic training on posture of farmers.   Materials and Methods: In this study, 400 farms were evaluated in 5 major activities including gathering of pistachios by men, gathering of pistachios by women, spading, gathering of pistachio waste, picking of wheat, and fertilizing regarding MSDs using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) and OWAS. Then, the required ergonomic training was presented as face-to-face to farmers and again evaluation was performed after the intervention. Results: Low back pain and knee problems had the highest frequency and can be caused by standing or sitting for long periods of time, displacement and manual material handling, and undesirable workstations. A significant relationship was found between age and work experience, and MSDs (P ˂ 0.001). Risk level in pistachio and wheat gathering tasks was lowered significantly after the ergonomic interventions and required training compared to before the intervention (P ˂ 0.050). However, no significant change was observed in the spading and fertilizing tasks. Conclusions: The results showed that the prevalence of MSDs was relatively high in the studied farmers. Moreover, the level of risk that was obtained according to the OWAS indicated that the working conditions and environment in this industry are harmful. Therefore, taking corrective actions in order to improve the working conditions is necessary.