Determination of ergonomic risks and musculoskeletal disorders of workers in a textile factory

Aim: This study was conducted to determine the ergonomic risks and musculoskeletal disorders of workers working in a textile factory. Material and Method: The sample of this descriptive and correlational study consisted of 202 workers working in a textile factory in Ordu province. The research was conducted between January 01 and November 01, 2024. Data were collected by the researcher through observation and face-to-face interview techniques using the Personal Information Form, Rapid Whole Body Assessment Form (REBA) and Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ). Descriptive statistics, Mann Whitney U test, Kruskal Wallis test, Pearson Chi-Square test, Fisher's Exact test, Spearman correlation, Kendal's Tau Correlation analysis and Post Hoc Corrected Bonferroni tests were used in the analysis of the data. The data were analyzed with SPSS for Windows 25 package program and evaluated at a significance level of p˂0.05. Results: According to CMDQ, it was determined that the workers most frequently experienced back (42.1%, 5.92±14.13), waist (38.6%, 5.06±13.84) and neck (37.13%, 4.01±10.89) discomforts, respectively. REBA risk assessment of the workers was as follows; 66.3% as "Low risk, change may be required", 32.2% as "Medium risk, detailed review required, change is urgent" and 1.5% as "High risk, re-evaluation, change in practice required". Statistically significant relationships were found between the gender, income status, unit of employment and break intervals of the workers and their REBA scores. A statistically significant, positive and low-level relationship was found between the duration of work of the workers in this workplace and their CMDQ scores with a correlation coefficient of 0.237 (p<0.05). A statistically significant, negative and very low-level relationship was found between daily working hours and REBA scores with a correlation coefficient of-0.173, and a statistically significant, negative and low-level relationship was found between height and REBA scores with a correlation coefficient of 0.202 (p<0.05). A statistically significant difference was found between the CMDQ hip scores of the workers according to their REBA risk level scores (p<0.05). Conclusions: As a result of the study, it was determined that workers had low risk scores but experienced musculoskeletal disorders, especially in the back, waist and neck regions. In line with the results of the study; it is recommended to reveal ergonomic risks in workplaces and to carry out intervention studies to minimize these risks and prevent musculoskeletal disorders.