Health Risk Assessment on Shoulder Pain among Potato-Chips Processing Workers

Abstract

The manufacturing of potato-chips processing is one popular trade following the economic growth of Thailand. The production requires worker to control automated machine with repetitive activities that could cause muscular health problems in the upper limbs. This study aimed to survey the ergonomic problems and to assess the health risk on shoulder pain of the workers. This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in 107 potato-chips processing workers from the systematic sampling and representative job function. The health risk assessment on shoulder pain was performed by using the risk matrix of combining results of the level of shoulder discomfort from the interviewed questionnaire and the level of the ergonomics risk from BRIEF's survey (4 levels). The results showed that 71.03% of workers had complaint of shoulder discomfort (76 workers). The ergonomics risks were found to be a high risk in 52.34% of workers, very high risk was 20.56%. When taken those assessments together to predict health risk of shoulder pain by risk matrix, it was found that workers at moderate level to very high level had risk for 50.47 %. Most workers had risk for shoulder pain that may result in short or long term impact. Annual monitoring on health surveillance of the shoulder and other joints pain in conjunction with using health risk matrix of the study is suggested to predict the risk of shoulder pain. The ergonomics training for workers and improvement of some workstation also suggested to prevent the chronic shoulders and joints disorders.