3.

REVIEW OF THE ARTICLE

A. STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

Strengths

1. The research study is well-addressed in the sense that it tackles in the article, specifically

on the introductory part, the exposure of the construction workers to musculoskeletal

disorders and the different ergonomic tools in assessing risk factors. Thus, giving the

readers an overview of the topic making them more interested in reading it further.

2. Different methods were used in the assessment of risk factors for work related

musculoskeletal disorders. The Quick Exposure Check (QEC), the Ergonomic Workplace

Analysis developed by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH), ACGIH’s

Hand Activity Level threshold limit values method (HAL), the Job Strain Index (JSI), the

OCRA index, the EN 1005-3 Standard, the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) and

the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) methods were all used to assess 224

workstations involving 567 tasks in various industrial sectors. The results are compared

using three risk Categories (low, moderate, high). Data were gathered using Video and

measurements taken at the workstations. A questionnaire was also administered to

employees participating in the study. With that being said, the researchers have more

options in assessing the risk factors making it more interesting and to have a multiple

outcomes to compare with this given methods.

Weaknesses
 1. On the presentation of data, it is more substantial if the comparison on the analysis of

various methods was presented in a table not just by simply enumerating it. As for this, it

is easier for the reader to relate or to understand about the findings.

2. In conducting study to assess and understand the level of ergonomics in various tasks in

the construction industry, it is only limited to minimal set of construction workers

performing activities like granite cutting, brickwork and plastering.

B. GAP AND CONTRADICTION

The author of the article did a good job in writing the paper. Giving facts and related

studies about the topic makes it more clear to the reader. The only problems is that the

terminologies that is used is somehow confusing, specifically the different kinds of injuries

involved in work related musculoskeletal disorder. For example, the most common WMSDs

among construction workers are carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, tennis elbow, trigger finger,

sciatica, herniated discs, and low back pains. For the word sciatica, it is better to put a brief

meaning for it to help the reader further understand the word.