Ann Occup Environ Med.  2018 ;30(1):28. 10.1186/s40557-018-0243-y.

Comparison of work-related musculoskeletal symptoms between male cameramen and male office workers

• Jeong HS
• Suh BS
• Kim SG
• Kim WS
• Lee WC
• Son KH
• Nam MW

• KMID: 2428594
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1186/s40557-018-0243-y

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Previous studies have classified cameramen's job as physiologically heavy work and identified the risk factors of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMDs) in cameramen. However, those studies limited their research subjects to cameramen. In this study, we compared the frequency and severity of WRMDs between cameramen and office workers.
METHODS
A total of 293 subjects working in four broadcasting companies in Korea were recruited. A questionnaire survey was conducted for a month, starting in October 2016. The subjects were divided into cameramen and office workers according to their occupation. We compared the frequency and severity of WRMDs and ergonomic risk assessment results between the two groups.
RESULTS
The high-risk WRMD group had a higher proportion of cameramen than office workers. Moreover, the high ergonomic risk group also had a higher proportion of cameramen than office workers for WRMDs in the upper extremities and waist+lower extremities. In the multivariable-adjusted model comparing cameramen and office workers, the odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for high-risk WRMDs was 3.50 (95% CI: 1.92-7.72) for the upper extremities and 3.18 (95% CI: 1.62-6.21) for the waist and the lower extremities. The ORs by body parts were 3.11 (95% CI: 1.28-7.57) for the neck, 3.90 (95% CI: 1.79-8.47) for the shoulders, and 4.23 (95% CI: 1.04-17.18) for the legs and feet.
CONCLUSIONS
Our study suggests that cameramen are at high risk of WRMDs. Workplace improvements and management of the neck, shoulders, and lower extremities, which are susceptible to WRMDs, are necessary to prevent musculoskeletal disorders among cameramen.

Keyword

Work-related musculoskeletal disorder; Cameramen; Office worker; Ergonomics; Work environment

MeSH Terms

Extremities
Foot
Human Body
Human Engineering
Humans
Korea
Leg
Lower Extremity
Male*
Neck
Occupations
Odds Ratio
Research Subjects
Risk Assessment
Risk Factors
Shoulder
Upper Extremity