Study on prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among farm workers in greenhouses

Greenhouse cultivation is an advanced farming method that has gained considerable popularity among Indian farmers, owing to its profitability. Despite its advantages, manual operations with traditional tools persist within these greenhouses, subjecting workers with distinct occupational health challenges. This study assessed the likelihood of farm workers experiencing symptoms associated with musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) working in greenhouses in rural Karnataka, India. A total 60 farm workers were selected with an average age of 35.6 years, height of 1630 mm, weight of 53.8 kg, body mass index (BMI) of 20.0 kg m^-2, and work experience of 3.5 years. The ergonomic risks faced by workers were determined using the Modified Standard Nordic questionnaire, Discomfort Assessment: Body part discomfort score (BPDS) and overall discomfort score (ODS), and Postural Assessment: Rapid Under Limb Assessment (RULA) and Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA). The descriptive statistics and χ² test were used to find the association between MSDs and various factors including age, body mass index and years of experience. The prevalence of MSDs among greenhouse farm workers was found to be 91.6%. The three predominant regions of the body experiencing MSDs in all the workers were the lower back (F: 94.4%; M: 94.2%), knee (F: 72.2%; M: 65.7%), and elbow (F: 66.6%; M: 54.2%). The highest BPDS and ODS were reported during digging, followed by transplanting and harvesting operations, particularly among female workers. For males, the highest BPDS and ODS were observed during digging, followed by harvesting and transplanting. Both RULA and REBA scores were found to be higher than 5 (high and very high level of risk) for majority of the farm workers, irrespective of gender. These results indicate that immediate measures are required to optimize posture for a more comfortable working environment. Findings of this study suggest that each task in the greenhouse cultivation poses varying levels of disorder in farm worker's musculoskeletal structure, emphasizing the necessity for targeted interventions to mitigate the impact of such conditions.