Health in the rural environment: a postural evaluation of milking workers in Brazil

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the postures of workers during the activities of milking and handling dairy cattle in the Community of Campo Mourão Municipalities, in Brazil. To identify the presence of musculoskeletal symptoms, the study was divided into two stages: first, we identified the demographic profile of the sample through a questionnaire and then obtained information about problems with pain and discomfort by applying the Standardised Nordic Questionnaire. The second stage consisted of an analysis of the activity of six farms to identify the natural ergonomic risk factors. To evaluate and record the postures, we used the REBA method (Rapid Entire Body Assessment) to correlate the prevalence of pain/discomfort with the positions adopted by workers in a production system. The study demonstrated that 87% of workers had pains and showed that the main postures throughout the workday are trunk tilting and bending, characterizing a job that requires awkward postures, with a high level of effort, in most activities, which may contribute to the development of musculoskeletal injuries for these workers. The REBA method also pointed out a high level of risk. During their routine, dairy farm workers adopt harmful positions that cause a high prevalence of pain/discomfort. Ergonomic recommendations are thus proposed to reduce these awkward postures of workers and consequently improve their quality of life at work.