THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WORK POSTURE AND BACK PAIN LEVEL AMONG MANUAL HANDLING WORKERS

Abstract

Back pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders experienced by manual handling workers due to repetitive activities such as lifting, carrying, and moving loads. Non-ergonomic work posture can increase biomechanical stress on the spine, thereby increasing the risk of back pain. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between ergonomics (work posture) and back pain level among manual handling workers at PT Avery Sentosa Indonesia, Mojokerto Regency. This study employed a quantitative correlational design with a time series approach. The sample consisted of 27 respondents selected using a total sampling technique. The independent variable was work posture, measured using the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA), while the dependent variable was back pain level, measured using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). Measurements were conducted three times on the same respondents, and the results were averaged to obtain the final values for analysis with a significance level of α = 0.05. The results showed that most respondents had a high-risk work posture (16 respondents; 59.3%), while nearly half experienced a moderate level of back pain (13 respondents; 48.1%). Cross-tabulation analysis indicated that respondents with a high-risk work posture were predominantly in the severe pain category (8 respondents; 50.0%). The analysis yielded a p-value = 0.001; p < α (0.05), with a correlation coefficient of r = 0.613, indicating a strong positive relationship between work posture and back pain level. The higher the work posture risk, the higher the back pain level experienced by the workers. Therefore, the implementation of ergonomic work postures should be improved to help reduce the risk of back pain among manual handling workers.