Work Demand and Prevalence of Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders: A Case Study of Pakistan Aviation Maintenance Workers

The purpose of this research was to analyze how aviation maintenance workers’ work characteristics and work demands affect the development of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). The data were collected from 396 aviation maintenance workers of Pakistan Airlines and were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. It has been found that work characteristics have a significant positive effect on WMSDs, and an increase in tasks performed by aviation maintenance workers led to increasing in WMSDs. Work demand also has a significant effect on WMSDs. The Work characteristics of aviation maintenance workers moderated the relationship between their work demand and WMSDs. The work demand of aviation maintenance workers influenced the development of WMSDs. To improve the intensity of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority should reduce the intensity and frequency of duties allocated to aviation maintenance staff by using work dynamism like task sharing, job rotation, and teleworking. During the recruiting process, the H.R. department must assess potential aircraft maintenance workers’ ability and fitness levels and deploy training, physical exercises, and ergonomic rules to lower the occurrences of WMSDs.