Abstract:
Background: Musculoskeletal disorder is prevalent and their impact is pervasive. They are the most common cause of severe long term pain and physical disability, and they affect hundreds of millions of people around the world. Objective To assess the prevalence of work related musculoskeletal disorders and associated factors among municipal solid waste collectors in Bahir Dar city. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among · municipal solid waste collectors in Bahir Dar city using face to face structured and interview. Data was collected and then entered using EPI info version 7 and analyzed using SPSS version 20 statistical program. Frequency, percentage and OR with 95%CI were computed. Results The 12-month prevalence of work related musculoskeletal disorder among the workers was 62.7%. The most commonly affected body part was the lower back (26.5%i. Workers with age range 26-35 years and 36-45 year were 62% and 72% less likely to develop work related musculoskeletal disorder respectively than workers ag ·~ above 45 years, (OR= 0.38, 95% Cl 0.18, 0.79, and 0.28, 95% Cl 0.13, 0.64) who report heavy weight lifting were 2.65 times more likely to develop musculoskeletal disorder compared to workers who didn't report heavy weight lifting (OR=2.65, 95% Cl 1. 70, 4.11 ). workers who served more than 4 years were 2.15 times more likely to develop disorder compared to workers who served less than 4 years (OR=2.15, 95% Cl 1.36, 3.42). Conclusion Municipal solid waste collectors are among the most highly exposed occupational groups with respect to musculoskeletal disorder. The higher percentage of musculoskeletal symptoms among MSW collectors could be attributed to increase age, long duration of employment and the nature of their job which is physically demanding and involves lifting, pulling, pushing heavy loads during daily work associated with musculoskeletal disorder.