Comparison of ergonomic risk factors and work-related musculoskeletal disorders among dismantler and burners of electronic waste in Agbogbloshie, Accra Ghana

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Proc Hum Factors Ergon Soc Annu Meet
• Personal Author:
  Acquah, Augustine A. ; D'Souza, Clive ; Martin, Bernard J. ; Arko-Mensah, John ; Basu, Niladri ; Quakyi, Isabella A. ; Robins, Thomas G. ; Fobil, Julius N.
• Description:
  Rudimentary methods for electronic waste (e-waste) recycling employed in developing countries are a source of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs). A summarized comparison of WRMSDs and preliminary exposure assessment among e-waste dismantlers (D) and burners (B) in Agbogbloshie, Ghana is presented. A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate WRMSDs and associated risk factors using the Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire and a newly developed ergonomic assessment tool. Results indicated higher WRMSDs prevalence in the lower back (68% D vs. 52% B; | = 0.172), shoulder (41% D vs. 29% B; | = 0.279) and upper arm (33% D vs 5% B; | = 0.010). Moderate to severe trunk flexion, high force exertion, repetition and vibration were prevalent risk factors among workers and were significantly higher in dismantlers than burners (| ≤ 0.001). Detailed ergonomic studies investigating the relationship between physical exposures and WRMSDs are needed to provide a deeper understanding of WRMSD causation in e-waste workers and more particularly in unstructured, unregulated work.
• Subjects:
  Article
• Source:
  Proc Hum Factors Ergon Soc Annu Meet. 65(1):715-719
• Pubmed ID:
  35115743
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC8809478
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  T42 OH008455/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States/ ; T42OH008455/ACL/ACL HHSUnited States/ ; U01 TW010103/TW/FIC NIH HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  65
• Issue:
  1
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:7f94eb84ce7ca3f6786c57a2c8497c6323ee92fd852ba2c8d3a15922e1126093
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/114112/cdc_114112_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 305.10 KB ]