OBJECTIVETo investigate the usability of quick exposure check (Quick Exposure Check, QEC) for the field assessment of occupational musculoskeletal disorder risk factors.

METHODIn the shipyard and automobile manufacturing plants, QEC was used to observe the operations among workers with different jobs and to assess the work loads of workers. On the basis of results, the reliability of QEC was evaluated, and the correlation between QEC scores and morbidities of musculoskeletal disorders in workers was analyzed.

RESULTSThe inter-observer reliability (ICC) was in the range from 0.737 to 1.000, and intra-observer reliability (Spearman coefficient) was from 0.605 to 1.000. The order of exposure levels to risk factors of workers engaged in different jobs (QEC scores) in the shipyard factory was plumbers > assemblers > welders; The order of exposure levels to risk factors of workers engaged in different jobs (QEC scores) in the automobile factory was welders > punching workers > machinists > casters > assemblers. In different body parts, the exposure level at back and neck parts was the highest and the exposure level at the shoulder and wrist parts was the second. The regression analysis between QEC scores of body parts and the morbidities of musculoskeletal disorders showed that there was a good correlation between exposure levels and morbidities, the coefficients (r(2)) at the shoulder, wrist, and back (static work) were 0.670, 0.740 and 0.958, respectively (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe QEC method is suitable and reliable as demonstrated by the field assessment on the exposure to risk factors in shipyard and automobile workers, and its results is correlated closely to the disease prevalence.