Work activity and musculoskeletal symptoms in female cashiers

Musculoskeletal symptoms affect several professional categories, including cashiers, who make repetitive movements. Irregular ergonomic aspects referring to poor postures cause physical and mental debilitation, leading to work-related musculoskeletal disorders.

To correlate musculoskeletal disorders with an ergonomic analysis of the workstation used by cashiers.

A cross-sectional study was conducted for evaluation of female cashiers working at a supermarket chain in the city of Goiânia, state of Goiás, Brazil. The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ), Portuguese version, was used. To assess the ergonomic position of cashiers, the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) tool was administered.

A high prevalence of musculoskeletal pain was demonstrated in the neck, shoulders, wrists/hands, and lower and upper back in cashiers. A final RULA score of 6 was obtained, equivalent to action level 3, which indicates that a more detailed investigation and short-term changes are needed. In the RULA assessment, there was a significant correlation between legs and lower back; in the NMQ assessment, there were correlations between trunk and shoulder and between neck and elbow, among other correlations that contribute to the emergence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders.

Musculoskeletal complaints correlated with an ergonomic risk of the workstation. Thus, interventions such as workplace kinesiotherapy and urgent changes in the workstation are needed to comply with the requirements of the Brazilian Regulatory Standard No. 17 and improve the workplace for cashiers.