Investigation of the multi-component ergonomics intervention effects on improving musculoskeletal outcomes and speech communication: A case study in open-plan offices.

BACKGROUND: Office workers are at high risk of developing musculoskeletal symptoms (MSS) due to improper workstations. Open-plan bank office employees must communicate with bank clerks properly and perform financial activity precisely, but noise is a factor that disrupts their communication. Therefo...

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Publicado en:Work Vol. 76; no. 1; pp. 275 - 289
Autores principales: Ahmadi Charkhabi, Soheyla, Motamedzade, Majid, Dianat, Iman, Mortazavi, Seyed Meysam, Faradmal, Javad
Formato: pictorial research tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Sage Publications Inc. 2023
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      pub: Sage Publications Inc.
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        atl: Investigation of the multi-component ergonomics intervention effects on improving musculoskeletal outcomes and speech communication: A case study in open-plan offices.
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        au:
          Ahmadi Charkhabi, Soheyla
          Motamedzade, Majid
          Dianat, Iman
          Mortazavi, Seyed Meysam
          Faradmal, Javad
        affil: Department of Ergonomics, Faculty of Health, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
      sug:
        subj:
          Musculoskeletal Diseases Risk Factors
          Occupational Diseases Risk Factors
          Musculoskeletal Diseases Prevention and Control
          Occupational Diseases Prevention and Control
          Ergonomics Education
          White Collar Workers Education
          Communication Evaluation
          Furniture Design
          Work Redesign
          Outcomes of Education Evaluation
          Banks
          Risk Assessment
          Occupational Health
          Human
          Funding Source
          Posture
          Questionnaires
          Visual Analog Scaling
          Descriptive Research
          Analytic Research
          Clinical Assessment Tools
          Speech Intelligibility
          Pretest-Posttest Design
          Employee Attitudes
          Iran
          Musculoskeletal Diseases Epidemiology
          Task Performance and Analysis
          Interviews
          Work Environment
          Data Analysis Software
          McNemar's Test
          Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test
          Mann-Whitney U Test
          Male
          Adult
          Middle Age
          Adult: 19-44 years
          Middle Aged: 45-64 years
          Male
      ab: BACKGROUND: Office workers are at high risk of developing musculoskeletal symptoms (MSS) due to improper workstations. Open-plan bank office employees must communicate with bank clerks properly and perform financial activity precisely, but noise is a factor that disrupts their communication. Therefore, MSS and annoying noise are two of the main problems in open-plan offices. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the effects of a multi-component intervention involving individual (employee ergonomics training) and physical (improvements in workstation design and work environment) ergonomic factors on musculoskeletal outcomes and speech communication in open-plan environments. METHODS: A preliminary survey was carried out to investigate the overall ergonomics problems, the tasks and time analysis, workstations setup, the prevalence of MSS (Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire), physical discomfort (Visual Analogue Scale [VAS]), and posture (assessed by Rapid Upper Limb Assessment [RULA] method), environmental status (measurement of noise), and speech intelligibility (assessed by Speech Interference Level [SIL] method based on ISO 9921). The multi-component interventions were performed afterward based on the data collected. A baseline assessment and a 9-month follow-up assessment were conducted. RESULTS: The results showed a significant decrease in the prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints (shoulders, elbows, and low back), physical discomfort, and awkward working postures after the intervention. A considerable improvement was also found in speech intelligibility post-intervention. The post-intervention questionnaire survey also indicated that employees generally favored the redesigned workstations. CONCLUSION: The results support the effectiveness of implementing multi-component interventions in open-plan bank offices to improve musculoskeletal complaints and speech communication.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        pictorial
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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