Gangopadhyay Somnath, Ghosh Tirthankar, DAS Tamal, Ghoshal Goutam, DAS Bani Brata
Ergonomics Laboratory, Department of Physiology, University College of Science and Technology, University of Calcutta, Calcutta, India.
Ind Health. 2007 Apr;45(2):365-70. doi: 10.2486/indhealth.45.365.
Brass metal work is one of the oldest cottage industries in West Bengal, India. Workers performing rigorous hand intensive jobs are likely to suffer from MSD affecting the upper limbs. The present investigation was intended to establish the prevalence of upper limb MSD among the brass metal workers and to identify the causative factors behind its development. In this study, 50 male brass metal workers (Experimental Group) and 50 male office workers (Comparison Group) were selected. For the symptom survey, a questionnaire on discomfort symptoms was performed. Repetitiveness of work and Hand Grip Strength of both the groups were measured. It was revealed that upper limb MSD was a major problem among brass metal workers, primarily involving the hand, wrist, fingers and shoulder. Among the workers reporting subjective discomfort, most of them felt pain, followed by tingling and numbness in their hands. Many complained of swelling, warmth and tenderness in their wrists. Their activities were highly repetitive and the handgrip strength of these workers was significantly less than that of the comparison group. Based on these findings, it appears that high repetitiveness, prolonged work activity (10.5 h of work per day with 8.4 h spent on hammering) and decreased handgrip strength may be causative factors in the occurrence of upper limb MSD among brass metal workers in West Bengal, India.
黄铜金属加工是印度西孟加拉邦最古老的家庭手工业之一。从事高强度手工工作的工人很可能患上影响上肢的肌肉骨骼疾病（MSD）。本次调查旨在确定黄铜金属工人中上肢MSD的患病率，并找出其发病背后的致病因素。在本研究中，选取了50名男性黄铜金属工人（实验组）和50名男性办公室职员（对照组）。针对症状调查，进行了一份关于不适症状的问卷。测量了两组工作的重复性和握力。结果显示，上肢MSD是黄铜金属工人中的一个主要问题，主要累及手部、手腕、手指和肩部。在报告主观不适的工人中，大多数人感到疼痛，其次是手部有刺痛和麻木感。许多人抱怨手腕肿胀、发热和压痛。他们的活动高度重复，这些工人的握力明显低于对照组。基于这些发现，高重复性、长时间工作活动（每天工作10.5小时，其中8.4小时用于锤打）以及握力下降可能是印度西孟加拉邦黄铜金属工人上肢MSD发病的致病因素。
