Assessment of Injury-Risks of Work-postures among Building Construction Workers in Anambra State (original) (raw)

Work-Related Musculoskeletal (WMSDs) disorders have been traced to be common in building construction Industry. Studies have also been conducted to examine the general believe that Awkward Postures adopted by workers in various Work Fields can give rise to a wide range of Work-related Injuries. Besides, Risk impacts of manual handling of heavy loads like blocks, concrete mixture, and bags of cement, among others cannot be overemphasized. This ergonomic study assessed the Injury-Risks in various Work Postures adopted by workers in building construction focusing on the bricklayers, the plasterers, the brick-makers, and their assistants. It covered sixteen building construction sites and fourteen brick-making factories in Anambra state, Nigeria. By observing the workers as they perform the tasks, the physical exposure to Risk was assessed using Ovako Working Postures Analyzing System (OWAS). Result of OWAS Assessment indicated Risk Index of 246.81 for Bricklayers, 281.37 for Plasterers, while Brick-makers and Assistants have Risk Index of 310.88 and 329.18 respectively. These high Risk Indexes obtained, revealed that a great number of the workers assume awkward postures, with Brick-makers and the Assistants being at higher level. OWAS recommended the need for corrective measures in improving working postures.