Iran Occupational Health

  Background and aims

  Musculoskeletal Disorders are prevalent in construction workers in comparison to other working groups. These workers in damming construction worked at awkward  postures for long times, so ergonomic assessment of jobs was important.

  Methods

  This is a descriptive-analytical cross sectional study that conducted in 2008 on a random sample of workers of damming construction in Takab city (110 men) who were assessed by Nordic Musculoskeletal questionnaire and digital indicator for heart measurement. To estimate

 Vo2max consumption Fox equation was used and data were analyzed by SPSS software.

  Results

  The average of total time of worked was 36.6 86.8 months. Results showed that the  most prevalent (%55.5) MSDs was low back pain which was positively related with type of job,  the number of standing and sitting posotions at work, total time of work, age, smoking, level of   education, weight,Vo2max that estimated by Fox Equation, and heart rate at working (P<0.05).

  Conclusion

  The results of this study reveal that prevalence rate of musculoskeletal disorders are high among damming construction workers, and heart rate and Vo2max consumption increases with increase in work load. Therefore, optimal physiological conditions should be considered  and physical capacity be measured. Prior to employment of workers approperiate corrections are  warranted