Assessment of disability and quality of life among ceramic industry workers.

Background: Ceramic industry workers are subjected to several factors, such as high temperature, dust and work in standing position, which in greater or lesser degree might cause discomfort and work-related disorders.

Objective: To investigate the quality of life and functional capacity of ceramic industry workers.

Methods: The present study had a quantitative cross-sectional design. A total of 189 ceramic industry workers were analyzed. Muscle strength was assessed by means of dynamometry, and the following questionnaires were applied: WHOQOL-Bref for quality of life; Nordic Questionnaire of Musculoskeletal Symptoms, pain Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire (ODQ 2.0) and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH).

Results: Overall, 115 (60.8%) participants described their quality of life as average. The lumbar spine was the body segment most often mentioned as the location of pain 68 (36.0%) participants reported occurrence of pain in the past 12 months and 38 (20.1%) in the past 7 days. A total of 107 (56.6%) participants exhibited upper limb muscle weakness.

Conclusion: The results evidenced a higher prevalence of pain compared to other professional categories. Muscle weakness, mainly affecting the upper limbs, and self-perceived quality of life as predominantly average show that the state of health of a part of the sample was partially impaired, and while it was not associated with disability, it was perceived as having impact in their personal and professional lives.