Musculoskeletal disorders and perceived physical work demands among offshore wind industry technicians across different turbine sizes: A cross-sectional study
Anne Skov Oestergaard, Trine Fernando Smidt, Karen Søgaard, Louise Fleng Sandal
Abstract
Offshore wind service technicians (WTs) inspect, maintain, operate and repair wind turbines, and are frequently exposed to ladder climbing, manual handling activities and work in awkward postures, all known risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders. Our primary aim was to assess the prevalence, severity and impact of musculoskeletal disorders among WTs and their perceived physical work demands, specifically related to the turbine size serviced (work site). We collected data using a cross-sectional survey including WTs (n = 176) from Denmark and the United Kingdom. Musculoskeletal disorders were assessed using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and physical demands were reported with duration considered in response categories and turbine size (Small, Medium, Large) defined by reported work site. Descriptive statistics, analyses of variance and logistic regression analyses were used to calculate the odds of experiencing poor health and performance outcomes between turbine sizes. Our results showed that the population was young (37 ± 8 years), male-dominated (99% males) and with low seniority (81% with less than 10 years) in the wind industry. WTs servicing larger sized turbines were less likely to experience musculoskeletal disorders (OR 0.15 [95% CI: 0.04 to 0.58]) and generally reported lower physical work demands compared with small turbines. Overall, we found a high prevalence (68%) and severity (median of 5 (0–10 NRS)) of musculoskeletal disorders across body parts and turbine sizes. The overall high but turbine size-specific prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and physical work demands may inform decisions on required levels of health promotion and suitable preventive strategies in the offshore wind industry going forward.