ERGONOMIC RISK EXPOSURE AND UPPER-EXTREMITY CUMULATIVE TRAUMA DISORDERS IN A MAQUILADORA MEDICAL DEVICES MANUFACTURING PLANT

Workers at a Nogales, Mexico, maquiladora plant that assembles medical devices were studied to determine the prevalence of upper-extremity c umulative trauma disorders (CTD). Subjects included production workers employed 6 months or longer; of the 148 eligible workers, 145 (98%) p articipated. Subjects had a mean age of 24.6 years (SD = 5.2; range, 1 7 to 45) and the mean length of employment was 3.5 years (SD = 2.5; ra nge, 0.5 to 14). Job tasks were videotaped and analyzed for ergonomic risk factors, using predefined criteria. All jobs performed by study s ubjects were found to involve one or more ergonomic risk factors assoc iated with the development of CTD. A CTD questionnaire and screening p hysical examination format, similar to that used by the National Insti tute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in a chicken processing plant study, were administered Period prevalence of CTD within the pr evious year, as reported on the questionnaire, was 28%. Prevalence of CTD was 17%, using-data from the screening physical examination. Point prevalence (current pain data from the questionnaire plus positive sy mptoms on the screening physical examination) was 15%. CTD was reporte d more frequently in women than men (46% and 25%, respectively; P < 0. 05) and in subjects who had worked at the plant less than one year (50 %; P < 0.05). Workforce tumover (3% monthly) may have resulted in thos e affected by CTD leaving employment, reducing the apparent CTD rate i n experienced workers.