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Upper body musculoskeletal symptoms of Latino poultry processing workers and a comparison group of Latino manual workers
Author(s) -
Schulz Mark R.,
Grzywacz Joseph G.,
Chen Haiying,
Mora Dana C.,
Arcury Thomas A.,
Marín Antonio J.,
Mirabelli Maria C.,
Quandt Sara A.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.22100
Subject(s) - medicine , indigenous , occupational safety and health , physical therapy , overtime , population , environmental health , ecology , pathology , biology , political science , law
Abstract Background Upper body musculoskeletal injuries are often attributed to rapid work pace and repetitive motions. These job features are common in poultry processing, an industry that relies on Latino immigrants. Few studies document the symptom burden of immigrant Latinos employed in poultry processing or other manual jobs. Methods Latino poultry processing workers (n = 403) and a comparison population of 339 Latino manual workers reported symptoms for six upper body sites during interviews. We tabulated symptoms and explored factors associated with symptom counts. Results Back symptoms and wrist/hand symptoms lasting more than 1‐day were reported by over 35% of workers. Poultry processing workers reported more symptoms than comparison workers, especially wrist and elbow symptoms. The number of sites at which workers reported symptoms was elevated for overtime workers and workers who spoke an indigenous language during childhood. Conclusion Workplace conditions facing poultry processing and indigenous language speaking workers deserve further exploration. Am. J. Ind. Med. 56:197–205, 2013. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.