Abstract:
Objectives: Musculoskeletal disorders are prevalent among airline baggage handlers due to manual material handling. In this study, the Nordic questionnaire, the Revised NIOSH Lifting Equation, and University of Michigan's 3D Static Strength Prediction ProgramTM (3DSSPP) were used to analyze musculoskeletal disorders among baggage handlers. Methods: Nordic questionnaire was filled out by 209 baggage handlers and also 46 arbitrarily selected baggage handlers were evaluated using the NIOSH method and 3DSSPP. Results: The obtained results showed that the most common musculoskeletal disorder occurred in the low back region. The next risky regions included knees, neck, and upper back, respectively. The NIOSH results confirmed that the subjects lifted loads heavier than the permitted limit and their lifting postures were inappropriate. Results of 3DSSPP also indicated that compression forces exceeded the NIOSH limit in these awkward postures. Conclusions: Relying on this study, holding compulsory ergonomic lifting training courses could be proposed for workers and regulations adjusting upper limit for maximum baggage weight must be also enacted in order to improve occupational health and prevent the prevalence of increasing musculoskeletal disorders.