Vibraciones y posturas forzadas asociadas con los desórdenes musculo-esqueléticos en personal de limpieza y mantenimiento de un aeródromo del Ecuador

Abstract

Cleaning and maintenance staff are key personnel for the operation of an aerodrome, since they are responsible for keeping the aircraft operating areas in optimal clean conditions as well as an adequate state of the airport's green areas to reduce the hazards of fauna, while complying with operating procedures in the runway area, taxiways and aprons in order to contribute to adequate levels of operational safety for the activity of the aircraft and ground support personnel. The aim of the study was to determine, through ergonomic evaluation, the association between Musculoskeletal disorders, and exposure to forced postures and vibrations of cleaning and maintenance personnel of an Aerodrome in Ecuador. The study is a descriptive cross-sectional work, carried out in the field, which analyzed a total of 4 work positions (20 people) in the cleaning and maintenance area of an aerodrome in Ecuador. The Nordic Kuorinka Questionnaire is used to identify musculoskeletal symptoms. ISO 2631 and 5349 were applied to evaluate exposure to vibrations in the whole body and hand-arm. In addition, using the REBA (Rapid Entire Body Assessment) method, the risk level to forced postures was evaluated. Most musculoskeletal symptoms are contained in the populations that have the greatest exposure to vibrations and forced postures, in the same way as the populations increase in age groups and in time in the workplace, the incidence of musculoskeletal symptoms increases. Exposure to these ergonomic risks can be reduced by applying corrective measures such as equipment replacement and maintenance, as well as training in proper posture for task execution.