Analysis and prevention of musculoskeletal disorders among volunteer and professional firefighters in the Tarn department (France)
Résumé
Introduction Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) have been defined as the "disease of the century" for several years. This major health and safety issue leaves no one unexposed and affects firefighters in their daily emergency relief to people (ERMP) which accounts for approximately 44.5% of accidents (CNRACL, 2020), and also in their sports training, accounting for approximately 51% (CNRACL, 2020). ERMP represents more than 80% of the interventions against 12% for fires. Exposure to risk factors is therefore more important. Method This study aims to measure the exposure of firefighters to MSDs through a questionnaire in order to identify the various prevalence factors. The questionnaire was constructed according to two hypotheses: MSDs occur firstly in response to exposure to biomechanical risk factors and secondly in response to exposure to psychosocial risk factors. The questionnaire was therefore constructed on the basis of and adapted from the "Nordic" type questionnaire by Kuorinka et al. (1987) and the "Job Strain model" questionnaire by Karasek et al. (1979) to the world of firefighters. The study population (35 ± 4 yr) is composed of 41 professional firefighters (PFS) and 64 volunteer firefighters (VFS). The PFS have a compulsory daily physical activity (PA) (functional training, etc.) unlike the VFS who are not subject to this obligation and practice during their leisure time. Results 89.5% of the firefighters say that they are aware of the risk whereas 10.5% are not. The study shows a vulnerability for the following areas: 71% of injuries are to the lower back against 28% for the neck, shoulder, knee and ankle-foot regions. 48% of the firefighters say they are affected by these injuries in their leisure activities. 49.5% reported an increased heart rate during intervention and 80% when the beep sounded during sleep and 38% felt anxious about the uncertainty of the intervention. The results show there is no difference in risk awareness between the PFS and the VFS. The discomfort following an injury during usual activities is higher for professional firefighters than for volunteers (p ≤ 0.05) whereas there is no significant difference between PFS and VFS in discomfort during leisure activities. Discussion/Conclusion The high frequency of ERMP has an impact on the occurrence of MSDs in firefighters. PA to prepare PFS for operational missions seem to have positive effects on MSDs on a daily basis because it prepares the body to biomechanical constraints and improves cardiorespiratory fitness. All French firefighters are exposed daily to biomechanical and psychosocial factors which have a strong impact on their physical and mental health. Karasek R. et al., Am J Public Health. 1981;71(7):694-705. Kuorinka I et al. Appl Ergon. 1987;18(3):233-237.