Musculoskeletal Discomfort Among Deburr Operators of an Aerospace Parts Designing and Manufacturing Facility: A Correlational Study
摘要
The production process for aircraft engine components is complex and multi-stage. A ton of importance is put into the deburring process of these components because it is an integral part of preventing engine failures and a critical aspect is to consider the working conditions of the operators. In this correlational study, deburring operators of an aerospace parts designing and manufacturing facility were assessed using the Extended Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ-E) to find musculoskeletal discomfort and an ancillary questionnaire to collect data on ages and employment tenure. Using Pearson’s correlation coefficient to analyze the data, it sought to identify and measure the relationship between musculoskeletal discomfort, employment tenure, and musculoskeletal discomfort and age. The correlation analysis found that employment tenure has a moderate correlation with neck and upper back pain showing a potential association but not enough to be statistically significant. For age, it shows that there is a significant relationship with musculoskeletal pain for the neck but, does not have a significant correlation with other body parts. Moreover, the NMQ-E showed that there is a need for further study of the ergonomics of the operations as most of the deburr operators reported pain in the neck, upper back, and lower back, with some already having been hospitalized for it. Furthermore, while the use of the NMQ-E can show the presence of musculoskeletal pain, it is recommended to gain further insight into the exact motions in deburring that contribute to the discomfort and pain.