Introduction: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are a
common health problem throughout the world and a major cause of
disability in the workplace. Awkward working posture is a main risk
factor for developing WMSDs. Assessment of exposure level to WMSDs
risks can be an appropriate base for planning and implementing
interventional ergonomics program in the workplace. This study was
conducted among workers of an Iranian communication company with the
objectives of a) determination of WMSDs prevalence and b) assessment of
exposure level to WMSDs risks. Materials and Methods: In this
cross-sectional study, 85 randomly selected workers from assembly line
and closed circuit TV (CCTV) participated. Nordic musculoskeletal
questionnaire (NMQ) was used to study prevalence of WMSDs and rapid
upper limb assessment (RULA) technique was applied to assess physical
exposure to the risks. Results: The results of NMQ revealed that
WMSDs occurred at an high rate. The highest rates of WMSDs prevalence
were reported in shoulders (73%), knees (67.1%) and back (66.7%). RULA
showed that the Grand Score of 88.1% of cases were high and very high
(action levels 3 and 4). Significant association was found between risk
level and musculoskeletal symptoms in lower back ( P<0.05).
Conclusion: Given the association between RULA score and the prevalence
of the problems, reducing RULA score by designing ergonomic workstation
may reduce the prevalence of WMSDs among the workers