Ergonomic Risk Factors and Prevalence of Low Back Pain among Bus Drivers

A research has been conducted among 96 bus drivers in Johor Bahru, Malaysia to determine the prevalence of Low Back Pain and determine its association with several ergonomic risk factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted by using the modified version of ‘Standardized Nordic Questionnaire' that consisted of three parts; the respondent details, complaints on low back pain and potential risk factors. The Chi-Square Test was used as the statistical analysis in order to determine the association between the prevalence of low back pain and ergonomic risk factors. Results have shown that (1) prevalence of low back pain was 74%, (2) working hours per week [p=0.001], workspace condition [p=0.003] and body posture [p=0.000] were associated with low back pain. The ergonomic risk factors will exposed the drivers to the higher level in generating low back pain, meanwhile, the condition of the buses may affected the degree of sickness among this population. In overall, the assessment on various ergonomic risk factors and the maintenance of buses should be the priority to protect safety and health among the employees.