The Prevalence of hand and wrist disorders among noodle peeling workers in a Noodle Manufacture, Srisaket Province

Abstract

The aim of this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of hand and wrist disorders among the workers at a Srisaket province noodle factory who peeled off noodle sheets. A cross-sectional descriptive study design was used, and fifty-two participants who met the inclusion criteria were willing to participate in the study. The participants were assessed for hand and wrist abnormalities using the Thai version of the Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Questionnaire (BCTQ), which analyzed the frequency and intensity of hand discomfort as well as hand function, including the strength of the hand and forearm muscles using a hand grip dynamometer. The study's findings showed that most people with hand and wrist pain (measured by the symptoms severity scale) had mild pain (38.46 percent), followed by moderate pain (36.54 percent). According to the function status scale, most people were able to conduct all tasks normally between 90.39 and 84.62 percent of the time. The prevalence of forearm and hand muscular strength (Flexor groups) was primarily exceptionally low, at 36.54 percent. Therefore, the enterprise, along with the Provincial Social Security Office and the Department of Labor Protection and Welfare, ought to maintain constant tabs on the health of its employees. Information on the extent of the ergonomic-related occupational disease problem in wrist use is used to develop initiative-taking project activities to address the issue of worker health consequences.