Study of Musculo-Skeletal Discomfort in Female Workers of Brick Industry

Background-India ranks second in the brick manufacturing sector in world. It is an unorganized sector and workers are under continuous stress of work to increase the productivity with fewer resources and less management skill. Workers are at high risk of discomfort and physical strain that can lead to musculo-skeletal discomfort. Objective-Objective of our study was to outline the musculo-skeletal discomfort of female workers in brick kiln in Karad. Method - Socio-economic status of female workers was studied by standard questionnaire. Pain assessment of female workers was done by Numerical pain rating scale of National Initiative on Pain Control TM (NIPCTM). Result- Pain assessment revealed that female workers complained about shoulder, head, knee, lower back pain, thigh, arm pain etc varying between moderate to worst category. Conclusion-With proper ergonomic practices and use of appropriate tools or equipment's and adequate period of rest between works, the musculo-skeletal discomforts of female workers can be reduced.