Iran Occupational Health

  Background and aims: High percentage of musculoskeletal disorders occurs due to awkward working posture and poor workstation design. So this study was conducted to determine the prevalence rate of musculoskeletal disorders , evaluate workstations and investigate the effectiveness of ergonomic interventional measures among medical school staff of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS).

  Methods: In this interventional study, 200 employees of different units of medical school of SUMS participated. They were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. Data were collected via anonymous questionnaire, RULA and QEC techniques as well as an ergonomic workstation checklist that was used to evaluate working conditions.

  Results: The results showed that after conducting interventional program for the experimental group there was a significant relationship between employees' increased awareness of ergonomics and workstation improvement (p≤0.05). Additionally, the prevalence rate of reported musculoskeletal disorders in experimental group was significantly reduced following intervention (p≤0.05). After corrective measures, level of risk was decreased and working postures were improved. A significant relationship was observed between risk levels and neck and shoulder pain in the experimental group (p≤0.05) . Following the intervention, workstations scores were increased significantly.