Statistical Analysis of Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD) and Risk Factors of Public Transport Bus Drivers of India

Abstract

Professional public transport drivers are prone to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), Several researchers have investigated how certain work environments can create musculoskeletal disorders in professional drivers. The majority of drivers reported that the back, knee, neck, and shoulder pains as a stressor. Postural stress, vibration, noise, frequent tasks, and high traffic density put drivers at high risk of MSDs.

This study focused on 312 drivers from five different types of public transport (town buses, city buses, interstate buses, suburban buses and luxury buses) buses in the state of Telangana, India, to predict the MSDs, through the Modified Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (MNMQ) survey, over the course of a year. ANOVA, Chi-square statistical test and SPSS software were used to analysis the questionnaire data.

The result showed that a higher risk reported in upper back pain was 71.70 % for super luxury buses, 68.9% for Suburban buses, 66.10% for buses city, 65.20% for interstate buses and 49.20% for town bus drivers compared with other MSDs. However, the results showed that there is a significant difference between upper back and types of bus.

The results suggest that MSDs can affect anyone as a result of poor seating posture and long periods of driving per shift. It is important to educate the drivers about how to reduce work-related MSDs by implementing ergonomics in the work environment.