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Ergonomics Investigation of Catering Services in Ice and Snow Industry in Northeast China

Xiaoshu Lu, Zhier Liu

Ergonomic survey and questionnaire were conducted for 865 employees working for catering service in the ice and snow industry in northeast China. The purpose was to research the current working conditions of the employees and to assess the risk factors for Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs) for the ice and snow industry in northeast China. The collected data include general background information of the staff and their main work contents, work postures and working movements. More than 20 biological factors, psychological factors and social factors were assessed. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the potential risk for WMSDs. The analysis shows that catering employees in the ice and snow industry generally lacked enough rest and exercise after work and, therefore, had a high potential risk of musculoskeletal injury. Results show that catering staff had higher prevalence of Low Back Pain (LBP) caused by lumbar muscle strains and sprains. Prolonged periods of standing, frequent bending and twisting of waists, holding heads in one position for long time, physical activity and working environment factors, such as workplace temperature changes, are found to be positively correlated with LBP. Prevention of LBP is also proposed in the paper.