Prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and quality of life assessment among garment workers in Tiruppur district, Tamil Nadu

Abstract

Objectives. The garment industry is a labour-intensive industry, with workers susceptible to musculoskeletal problems, especially those employed in smaller units that lack adequate occupational health provisions. This study aims to determine the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among workers in both large and small garment units and assess their quality of life (QoL). Methods. The study surveyed 746 garment workers, comprising 372 from large units and 374 from small units. Data were collected through the Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire and the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL)-BREF questionnaire, with posture analysis conducted using the rapid upper limb assessment (RULA) and rapid entire body assessment (REBA) scales. Results. The results showed that 32% of workers in large-scale garment units and 43.9% in small-scale garment units reported musculoskeletal symptoms. The occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) was significantly associated with increasing age, smoking, alcohol consumption, job duration, working in shifts and moonlighting. Conclusion. The workers in the garment industry, particularly of small units, are highly susceptible to WMSDs.

Keywords:

• Garment workers
• cottage industry
• work-related musculoskeletal disorders
• India

Acknowledgements

The investigators would like to express their genuine and sincere gratitude to the Department of Public Health and Administration of Manipal University, Manipal. The support and help provided by the garment unit workers and management is also acknowledged. They also acknowledge the help provide by Ms Parita Arora for final editing of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.