ERGONOMIC HAZARD AMONG ARMY AMMUNITION AND EXPLOSIVES TECHNICIAN

ERGONOMIC HAZARD AMONG ARMY AMMUNITION AND EXPLOSIVES TECHNICIAN

Author: Mohamad Fitri ABDUL HALIM1, Dian D.I DARUIS2

Abstract: Researches in relation to exposure to ergonomic hazards at the workplace are typically carried out due to their benefits on work productivity and quality. The job specifications of an ammunition technician (JTP) hint a high risk of musculoskeletal disorders when handling ammunition and explosives of the army (TD) inventory, especially in storing, maintenance, repair and disposal via destruction. This is because these tasks involve manual handling dan heavy lifting of loads between 20 kg and 40 kg in mass. These ergonomic hazards can result in musculoskeletal disorders among JTPs after a certain exposure time. This research aims to identify the ergonomic hazard present in the work environment of JTPs via Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), observation of fieldwork, survey and risk assessment in accordance to Guidelines on Ergonomic Risk Assessment At Workplace 2017 published by Department of Occupational Safety and Health, Malaysia (DOSHM). A group of 31 JTPs from three different TD camps was the subjects of this research. After the assessment was carried out, the results showed the body parts experiencing musculoskeletal pain symptoms were the hip (100%), right shoulder (81%) and left shoulder (66%).

Keywords: Musculoskeletal pain, ergonomic hazard, manual handling

Full-Text PDF