[Analysis of risk factors for work-related musculoskeletal disorders in assembly line workers based on structural...

Objective: To investigate the exposure levels of risk factors for work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among assembly line workers, to explore the association between these risk factors and the prevalence of WMSDs, thereby providing a theoretical basis for developing scientific and effective occupational health intervention measures. Methods: In August 2023, a cluster sampling method was used to select 4992 assembly line workers from an electronic manufacturing enterprise as study subjects. The Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaire was administered to collect data. A structural equation modeling (SEM) incorporating individual characteristics and occupational exposure was constructed to identify risk factors for WMSDs and to analyze their direct or indirect associations with WMSDs. Results: A total of 2010 assembly line workers had WMSDs, with a prevalence rate of 40.3%. Individual characteristics such as height, age and years of work experience, as well as occupational exposures including neck condition, daily working hours, frequency of work breaks and weekly working days, were all influencing factors for WMSDs among assembly line workers (λ=0.880, 0.694, 0.626, 0.696, 0.645, 0.621, 0.590, P<0.001). The path effect results of the SEM indicated that individual characteristics and occupational exposure had direct effects on WMSDs (γ=-0.422, 0.499, P<0.001), individual characteristics had a direct effect on occupational exposure (γ=0.942, P<0.001). The indirect effect of individual characteristics on WMSDs via occupational exposure was 0.470, with a total effect of 0.048. Conclusion: Individual characteristics of workers have a protective effect against WMSDs in the assembly line population, while occupational exposure increases the risk of their occurrence and plays a mediating role between individual characteristics and WMSDs.