Association between perception of bodily discomfort and individual and work organisational factors in Brazilian slaughterhouse workers: a cross-sectional study

Brazil is the world's second largest poultry meat producer and leading exporter. Many poultry processing tasks are physically demanding and involve factors that increase the risk of developing a work-related musculoskeletal disorder (WMSD). However, little is known about the assessment of bodily discomfort in these workers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between perception of bodily discomfort and individual and work organisational factors in poultry slaughterhouse workers. Descriptive, cross-sectional study. Three poultry slaughterhouses in the South of Brazil. This paper included 925 workers of 3 poultry slaughterhouses, 575 women and 350 men. The selection of the participants was random. Workers were asked about individual factors, work organiation, perception of bodily discomfort and cold, as well as ingestion of pain medication. Crude and adjusted ORs were estimated and 95% CIs were derived from binary logistic regression analysis for perception of bodily discomfort. There was a significant association (p