Negative Impacts of Prolonged Standing at Work on Musculoskeletal Symptoms and Physical Fatigue: The Fifth Korean Working Conditions Survey

PURPOSE: We aimed to investigate variations in the risk of low back pain (LBP), lower extremity muscle pain, and whole body fatigue according to differences in prolonged standing work hours in relation to risk factor exposure and rest frequency. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From the fifth Korean Working Conditions Survey data collected in 2017, data for 32970 full-time workers who worked for more than 1 year at their present job were analyzed. We classified the workers according to exposure to fatigue or painful postures, carrying heavy objects, performance of repetitive movements that burden the musculoskeletal system, and how often they took a break. Relationships between time spent in a standing posture at work and risks of LBP, lower extremity muscle pain, and whole body fatigue were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Of the full-time workers in the survey, 48.7% worked in a standing position for more than half of their total working hours. A higher odds ratio (OR) value for lower extremity muscle pain was observed in female not exposed to carrying heavy objects [OR: 3.551, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.038–4.150] and not exposed to performing repetitive movements (OR: 3.555, 95% CI: 2.761–4.557). CONCLUSION: Changes in work methodologies are needed to lower the number of hours spent in a prolonged standing posture at work, including being able to rest when workers want to do so, to reduce pain and fatigue.