Ergonomic Interventions for Garment Work

Details

• Personal Author:
  Harrison RJ ; Rempel DM ; Riitz B
• Description:
  In 2000, the garment industry employed 11 million workers worldwide with approximately 350,000 workers in the US. Most of the work is done by minimum wage, nonunion, immigrant women in shops that employ fewer than 20 people. Epidemiologic evidence linking garment work to elevated prevalence of neck/shoulder pain is relatively strong; results in previous studies for back/hip pain have been less clear. Sewing machine operators perform precision tasks while seated and at a relatively fast pace with work cycles of 30 to 60 seconds. This repetitive, stereotyped work is typically performed on nonadjustable workstations and chairs. The task is visually demanding and lighting quality varies widely between shops. Task demands and a general lack of adjustability of garment workstations often require sustained awkward postures, such as cervical and thoracic spine flexion, shoulder elevation and abduction, lumber spine flexion, and repetitive torso twisting the later to move material from the sides to the machine. These motions may contribute to elevated rates of neck, shoulder, back and hip pain. The main purpose of this project was to determine whether a newly developed ergonomic intervention applied to sewing machine operators working in Los Angeles garment shops can reduce rates of neck/shoulder and back/hip musculoskeletal disorders, severity of pain and impairment, and lost-work-time. We evaluated the influence of a newly designed and relatively affordable ergonomic task chair, a conventional task chair, and a placebo intervention given to industrial sewing machine operators on neck/shoulder pain, and back/hip pain. The primary outcomes we evaluated were monthly pain severity over a 4 months time span. We also identified demographic, psychosocial, and other work-related factors among participants who benefited most from the ergonomic interventions such that they experienced a reduction in upper extremity, neck, low back pain or reduced risk of musculoskeletal disorders. Throughout our study period we were able to recruit 520 subjects from 13 garment shops in Los Angeles. Subjects were randomized to 3 intervention groups. We evaluated pain score changes over 4 months of follow-up and compared the two intervention groups to the control group using repeated measure linear regression models. Our findings demonstrate that a height adjustable task chair with a swivel function can reduce neck, shoulder, back and hip pain in sewing machine operators in comparison to the chair these garment workers usually used. Furthermore, adding a curved seat pan can reduce neck and shoulder pain severity among sewing machine operators. Our findings may be generalizable to other seated jobs that are visually demanding and involve the repetitive manipulation of material or parts. Healthcare providers should consider recommending an adjustable height task chair with a swivel function for patients with neck, shoulder, back and hip pain who are garment workers or who perform sitting tasks that required forward bending. Finally, owners of sewing companies should consider providing such a task chair for their employees as a way of reducing pain and loss of trained workers due to impaired health. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Demography Epidemiology Ergonomics Mental Health Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety Workplace
• Keywords:
  Back Pain Demographic Characteristics Equipment Design Extremities Garment Workers MSD Muscles Muscular Disorders Musculoskeletal System Disorders Physiological Effects Physiological Function Physiological Stress Posture Psychological Effects Psychology Repetitive Work Sewing Machine Operators Sociological Factors Task Performance Work Environment Workers

  More +
• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Final Grant Report
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OEP - Office of Extramural Programs
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-32
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20053572
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2019-100252
• Citation:
  Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, R01-OH-007779, 2011 Dec; :1-32
• Contact Point Address:
  Beate Ritz, MD., PhD., Department of Epidemiology, BOX 951772, 650 Charles E. Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772
• Email:
  britz@ucla.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2012
• Performing Organization:
  University of California - Los Angeles
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20020801
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20060930
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8fd1561418e535ab1733d048efb37cec57c7c9bcf785d7f2a18b3f75eb4d4097d3eb82143be38b3595c741d8b32f322698a4a20d747a42a6db109dd51bf3385a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/218771/cdc_218771_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.30 MB ]