Prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal symptoms and associated risk factors among domestic gas workers and staff of works department in Enugu, Nigeria: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: The impact of work-related musculoskeletal symptoms (WMSS) permeates various occupations. OBJECTIVE: To compare WMSS and associated risk factors among domestic gas workers (DGWs) and staff of Works Department (SWD) in Enugu. METHODS: One-hundred adults (DGW = 50, SWD = 50) participated in this cross-sectional study. The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and a demographics questionnaire were used to assess the prevalence of WMSS and related risk factors. Data were analysed using independent t-test or Mann-Whitney U, chi-square, and logistic regression at p < 0.05. RESULTS: The DGWs (86%) had a significantly (χ2 = 24.45, p < 0.001) higher WMSS than the SWD (38%). Lower-back (54%) and shoulder (52%) were the most affected body parts among the DGWs in comparison to the hips/thighs (20%) among the SWD. Work-related factors such as daily work-duration (χ2 = 75.44, p < 0.001), lifting training (χ2 = 96.24, p < 0.001), and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) of facemask (χ2 = 100.0, p < 0.001) and gloves (χ2 = 96.09, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with general WMSS among the DGWs. However, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (OR = 1.29, p = 0.018), work duration > 8 h/day (OR = 0.001, p = 0.028), female gender (OR = 6.98–10.26, p < 0.05), sleep duration < 6 h/day (OR = 0.56–0.73, p < 0.05) and poor exercise behaviour (OR = 0.15, p = 0.013) were the identified independent risk factors of WMSS among DGWs, while DBP (OR = 0.99, p = 0.012) and female gender (OR = 6.47, p = 0.032) were the only identified independent risk factors for SWD. CONCLUSION: WMSS is significantly higher among DGWs than the SWD. High DBP, female gender, working beyond 8 h per day, sleeping less than 6 h per day, and insufficient exercise increase the risks of WMSDs, especially among the DGWs. To mitigate the adverse effects of WMSDs, SWD and DGWs require break and leave periods, PPE and assistive devices, exercise, medical check-up, and workplace ergonomics.