Descriptive survey of musculoskeletal disorders in the retail food sector

Introduction. As part of a national prevention plan for musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the retail food sector, a study was conducted in partnership with various organizations involved in the prevention of occupational hazards. The aim was to describe the MSD and risk factors according to the types of shops studied, in order to target prevention actions. Method. A telephone survey was carried out in 2014 in France on a sample of workers in the retail food sector, consisting of 8729 employees randomly chosen from a membership file provided by a private health insurance company. MSDs were collected using a "Nordic style" questionnaire, including sociodemographic variables, types of activity, and self-reported physical exposures. Descriptive analyses of MSDs and their exposure according to shop type were performed. Result. The sample was in majority feminine (n = 60.8%, n = 5304), mean age 42.5 years (16-82 years). The types were grocery stores (52.9%, n = 4620), fruit and vegetable stores (20.8%, n = 1817), organic stores (8.0%, n = 701), wine merchants (4.7%, n = 412), other types of trade (11.8%, n = 1027) and missing data (1.7%, n = 152). Severe proximal MSDs (neck/shoulder) involved 28.1% of workers (n = 2456), severe distal MSDs (elbow/hand), 11.6% (n = 974) and severe low back pain 29.9% (n = 2607). The main risk factors for severe MSDs were repetitive tasks, uncomfortable postures (mostly wrist, trunk) and carrying heavy loads (10 kg or more), in addition to age (and a previous history of MSD, P < 0.05). The wine merchants were more exposed to heavy loads and low task diversity, unlike general and organic grocers, who were more exposed to repetitiveness and uncomfortable postures (P < 0.05). Conclusions. In a large descriptive study of the retail food sector, MSDs affect a high proportion of workers, but targeted preventive actions depending on the type of trade are possible. (C) 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.