DEVELOPMENT OF A MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS RISK FACTORS MODEL IN OIL PALM PLANTATION HARVESTERS

• Main Author: Fakhruddin, Ahmad
• Format: Theses
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/79941
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Working in oil palm plantations often involves ergonomic issues that can have an impact on complaints of skeletal muscle disorders. Previous research revealed that 87.1% of palm oil workers complained of lower back pain, 94.3% complained of upper back pain and the total prevalence of skeletal muscle disorders in any part of the body during the last 12 months was 93%. Several studies have revealed risk factors associated with complaints of skeletal muscle disorders in oil palm workers, including individual, physical and occupational risk factors. Psychosocial and organizational risk factors have not been studied in oil palm workers. Whereas oil palm workers in Indonesia are often faced with psychosocial problems such as low wages, job dissatisfaction, lack of autonomy and social support and high workloads. In addition, oil palm workers are also faced with organizational problems such as high daily work targets. This study was conducted with the aim of developing a model of risk factors for skeletal muscle disorders in oil palm harvesters. The risk factors tested in this study consisted of physical, occupational, psychosocial and organizational risks. A cross sectional study was conducted among 211 oil palm plantation harvesters at PTPN VIII Sukamaju Village, Parakansalak, Sukabumi City, West Java Province to see the relationship of the five risk factors to complaints of skeletal muscle disorders. The study was conducted from February to March 2022. A general questionnaire was distributed to all participants. The questionnaire contained closed-ended questions integrated with Karasek's Job Content Questionnaire, ERI (Effort Reward Imbalance) questionnaire translated into Bahasa Indonesia and Nordic questionnaire used to determine complaints of skeletal muscle disorders in all body parts. There are 61 indicators used to measure 5 research constructs. The data obtained were processed using the PLS SEM method with the help of SmartPLS software. The results revealed that physical, occupational, psychosocial and organizational risks significantly affect the presence of skeletal muscle disorders in oil palm harvesters. Indicators of risk factors involved in the presence of complaints of skeletal muscle disorders for the last 7 days and 12 months include heavy workloads such as lifting and pushing heavy loads and awkward positions while working (physical risk), work duration and rest time (occupational risk), psychological burden, discretion to make decisions while working and social support in the form of working relationships and assistance from supervisors or colleagues (psychosocial risk) and reciprocity from supervisors or colleagues for work done and time pressure on assigned work targets (organizational risk). The intervention design was made multifactorially based on indicators of all risk factors that significantly affect complaints of skeletal muscle disorders during the last 7 days and 12 months. Based on this, the intervention design developed to reduce complaints of skeletal muscle disorders is an improvement in the design or renewal of tools for lifting and harvesting, ergonomics training and support of assistive devices, periodic promotion of occupational health and safety with strict supervision, improvement of policies regarding the work design of oil palm harvesters, improvement of work rewards in the form of adjusting harvester salaries to match the minimum wage of Sukabumi City and improving the implementation of morning / afternoon briefings.