An evaluation of ergonomic risks associated with tailoring tasks using the rapid entire body assessment method

Limited research has investigated work-related musculoskeletal disorders among informal tailors in low-income countries. This study conducted a risk assessment of the working posture of informal tailors. The postural risk for upper and lower-limb musculoskeletal disorders for 220 informal tailors was evaluated using the rapid entire body assessment (REBA) method. The prevalence and severity of body part pain were assessed using the Corlett and Bishop body map questionnaire. No tailor had a negligible grand REBA score of 1 or low risk score of 2-3. Analyses showed that the hours worked per day, length of employment as a tailor and elevated grand REBA scores (8-10) were significantly associated with a higher risk for developing musculoskeletal disorders (p < 0.05). Based on the REBA assessments, no tailor had an acceptable action level. The working posture of tailors needs to be immediately changed to reduce the risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders.