Influence of active pause in ergonomic risk factors in cleaning workers of a private university.

Abstract

Objective: To determine the influence of the intervention of active pause on the ergonomic risk factors of the cleaning workers. Material and Methods: The study was of pre-experimental type, quantitative approach, testing results before and after the intervention. The instrument applied was the Ovako Working Analysis System (OWAS), in its Spanish version, to identify the categories of ergonomic risk through observation of the positions of their work activities with photographic record of each worker, being analyzed by the chi-squared test. Results: Male sex prevailed in the individual factor (54.7%); the age group from 31 to 45 years old (46.7%); working time of less than 5 years developing cleaning activities (78.6%). The workers presented at least one category of initial ergonomic risk according to the OWAS instrument, 38.6% was found in the risk 3 category (harmful posture effect on the musculoskeletal system). It was identified that 73.3% presented ergonomic risk factors such as musculoskeletal discomfort in the back, arms, legs before the intervention and decreased discomfort to 20.0% post intervention. Before the intervention, the risk factor according to forced posture and repetitive movement in the back was 42.7% and decreased to 12.0% post intervention. It was identified that the influence of active pause intervention on the ergonomic risk factors before and after was significant (p <0.001). Conclusions: there is an active pause influence on the ergonomic risk factors in the results before and after the intervention.