Postural analysis and ergonomic intervention of unorganized workers in indian construction sectors.
Guru Prakash Kumar, Ramesh Babu Thangavelu
PMID 39269876WHAT IT FOUND
Construction workers showed high posture risk.
After a package of ergonomic recommendations for high-risk postures, including sitting closer, using trolleys, and short breaks, posture risk scores were lower.
Key findings
01RULA placed 45% of workers at very high risk, 27% at high risk, 17% at medium risk, and 11% at low risk.
02After ergonomic recommendations, the paired RULA score difference had mean 2.04 and p = 0.0042, and the paired REBA score difference had mean 2.5833 and p = 0.0066.
03OWAS showed fifty per cent of workers at high risk, 35 per cent at medium risk, and 15 per cent at low risk, but OWAS was not used for reassessment.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Only 52 construction workers were analysed, all from residential construction sites in Chennai, India, so the results may not apply to other workplaces or worker groups. Workers were selected from available workers during unscheduled hours, and availability depended on the nature of work and material availability, not on random assignment. Fewer female workers were at the site, and they avoided the interviews. The reported outcomes were posture risk scores, not pain, injury, function, or productivity. The score reduction followed a package of suggestions, so the contribution of any single suggestion cannot be separated. Data collection was discontinuous because working areas were not fixed and workers were engaged in multiple activities. OWAS was not used for reassessment because of its limited score categories.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest. The study used APECS software developed by New Body Technology.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that these ergonomic changes reduced pain, injury, or absenteeism. The study measured RULA and REBA posture risk scores before and after a package of recommended changes, not patient outcomes. The contribution of any single suggestion cannot be separated.