Manual handling injury and back problems in the agricultural sector

Abstract

This report details a study carried out to assess manual handling injury and back pain in the agricultural sector. The report aims to investigate the occurrence o f manual handling injury and back pain, determine its severity, investigate farmer awareness of manual handling risks and provide recommendations based on the information gathered. Previous literature relating to manual handling injury and back pain is very limited and mainly confined to America with some research also carried out in Australia, Switzerland and Holland. Many of the studies were conducted to investigate manual handling injury, back pain and musculoskeletal disorders among workers in different sectors to make comparisons. The findings of this research are compared and contrasted to these studies. The methodology employed to obtain information on which the findings are based consists o f a literature review followed by a postal survey o f farmers in county Roscommon. The results o f the survey are illustrated graphically, while a process o f qualitative data analysis is used to draw out major themes from the responses. The main findings were that 65% of respondents reported to have been injured due to manual handling. 62% o f respondents reported to have suffered from back pain with 20% saying they experienced it within 4 weeks and 55% within 12 months prior to the survey. 65% o f respondents reported the pain to be 3-5 with 1 being an ache and 5 being severe. 55% o f respondents thought the pain to be so severe that medical treatment was sought. Other general themes are addressed in this report. The conclusion o f this study outlines what the author believes to be the requirements for future interventions, and hopes that the findings and recomm