Intervention for prevention of low back pain in Japanese forklift workers

The effectiveness of two different approaches for the prevention of low back pain (LBP) was compared in forklift workers. The first approach (personal) consisted of providing lumbar support, arctic jacket and physical exercise, and the second (facility approach) included the improvement of forklift seats and tires.

The self-reported prevalence of LBP was surveyed three times before and after the two forms of interventions, in 260 male blue-collar workers including 27 forklift workers, and 55 male white-collar workers of a copper smelter.

The initial prevalence of LBP was 63% in the forklift workers, which was significantly higher than that found in the other blue-collar workers (32%) and in the white-collar workers (22%). One year after the first intervention (personal approach) to the forklift workers, the prevalence of LBP fell to 56%. The second intervention (facility approach), which was mainly comprised of a reduction in whole body vibration, was subsequently added, and 9 months later the prevalence of LBP in the forklift workers further decreased to 33%. The reduction of the prevalence from the initial survey was significant (P = 0.008), and that from the second survey was nearly significant (P = 0.070).

These findings suggest that the facility approach is more effective for a reduction of LBP than the personal approach.