Nabi Mohammad Hayatun, Kongtip Pornpimol, Woskie Susan, Nankongnab Noppanun, Sujirarat Dusit, Chantanakul Suttinun
Department of Public Health, School of Health and Life Sciences, North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Department of Occupational Health and Safety, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2021 Mar 15;14:1119-1127. doi: 10.2147/RMHP.S297228. eCollection 2021.
Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) are one of the most common occupational diseases responsible for work restriction and absenteeism. The purpose of the study was to compare the prevalence of MSDs between ready-made garment (RMG) factories that are compliant versus non-compliant with International Labor Organization (ILO) based Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) standards, and to identify other factors associated with a higher prevalence of MSDs.
A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted among 410 randomly selected female workers (age: >18 years; ≥1 year of work experience) from 12 randomly selected RMG factories in the Dhaka district of Bangladesh from February to December 2019. Factories were stratified as OSH compliant or non-compliant. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire consist of socio-demographic, work-related factors, and Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) for MSD assessment. Robust Poisson regression was used to investigate the association of MSDs with OSH compliance, socio-demographic and other work-related factors.
Respondents' mean age was 26.9 ± 5.9 years. A total of 235 (57%) of the workers reported musculoskeletal pain in at least one body part during the last month. Among the nine reported MSDs, the prevalence of lower back pain was highest (41%) followed by pain in the knees (33%). Multivariable analysis showed lower prevalence of any MSD among workers in OSH compliant factories [aPR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.31-0.58], and workers with regular working hours (8 hrs/day) [aPR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.62-1.00]. The risk of developing any MSD was significantly higher for age group 25-30 years [aPR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.01-1.33] and age group ≥31 years [aPR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.04-1.1.39].
The study found a high burden of musculoskeletal disorders among female RMG workers, especially those in non-OSH compliant factories that work long hours. Enforcement of minimum ILO-based OSH standards and introduction of low-cost interventions to improve working conditions in non-compliant factories would help sustain the pace of development in this sector in Bangladesh, and ensure the health of the women who work there.
肌肉骨骼疾病（MSDs）是导致工作受限和旷工的最常见职业病之一。本研究的目的是比较符合与不符合国际劳工组织（ILO）职业安全与健康（OSH）标准的成衣（RMG）工厂中MSDs的患病率，并确定与MSDs较高患病率相关的其他因素。
2019年2月至12月，在孟加拉国达卡地区随机选取的12家RMG工厂中，对410名随机挑选的女性工人（年龄：>18岁；工作经验≥1年）进行了多中心横断面研究。工厂被分为符合OSH标准或不符合OSH标准两类。使用一份结构化问卷收集数据，该问卷包括社会人口统计学、工作相关因素以及用于MSD评估的北欧肌肉骨骼问卷（NMQ）。采用稳健泊松回归分析来研究MSDs与OSH合规情况、社会人口统计学和其他工作相关因素之间的关联。
受访者的平均年龄为26.9±5.9岁。共有235名（57%）工人报告在过去一个月中至少有一个身体部位出现肌肉骨骼疼痛。在报告的9种MSDs中，下背痛的患病率最高（41%），其次是膝盖疼痛（33%）。多变量分析显示，符合OSH标准的工厂中的工人患任何MSD的患病率较低[aPR = 0.43，95%CI：0.31 - 0.58]，以及工作时间规律（每天8小时）的工人患任何MSD的患病率较低[aPR = 0.79，95%CI：0.62 - 1.00]。25 - 30岁年龄组患任何MSD的风险显著更高[aPR = 1.16，95%CI：1.01 - 1.33]，≥31岁年龄组患任何MSD的风险也显著更高[aPR = 1.21，95%CI：1.04 - 1.39]。
该研究发现，女性RMG工人中肌肉骨骼疾病负担较重，尤其是那些在不符合OSH标准且工作时间长的工厂中的工人。执行基于ILO的最低OSH标准，并在不符合标准的工厂中引入低成本干预措施以改善工作条件，将有助于维持孟加拉国该行业的发展步伐，并确保在那里工作的女性的健康。
