Prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among Thai oil palm workers in Khao Phanom District, Krabi Province, Thailand

Thailand is one of the top three palm oil producers in the world. Krabi province has the largest oil palm plantation area in Thailand. Oil palm agriculture is one of the main occupations of people in Krabi province. Harvesting oil palm is labor intensive. Therefore, it can adversely affect the quality of life and increase the risk of developing work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among oil palm workers. However, in Thailand, research on the prevalence of WMSDs among oil palm workers is still limited. Thus, this study aimed to survey the prevalence of WMSDs among oil palm workers in Khao Phanom district, Krabi province, Thailand. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 125 oil palm workers who worked in Khao Phanom district, Krabi province, Thailand during harvesting stage. A questionnaire used in this study consisted of questions regarding individual factors, work-related factors, psychosocial factors, and WMSDs by using modified Nordic questionnaire. All data were conducted by face-to-face interview. The results of this study showed that the prevalence of WMSDs among oil palm workers during the past 12 months was 98.4%. The highest prevalence of WMSDs during the past 12 months was reported in the lower back (75.2%) followed by shoulder (52.8%) and neck (44.0%). Furthermore, the prevalence of WMSDs during the past 7 days was 64.8%. The highest prevalence of WMSDs during the past 7 days was reported in the lower back (32.0%) followed by shoulder (20.0%) and elbow (12.8%). In conclusion, the prevalence of WMSDs among Thai oil palm workers was high. Therefore, further study is warranted to provide more information that may help to develop guideline for preventing WMSDs among Thai oil palm workers.