Risk assessment of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in typical positions, case study: Operation and maintenance employees of oil and gas pipeline

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) seriously affect the health and well-being of oil and gas pipeline network operation and maintenance (O&M) employees. To assess the risk of WMSDs among employees in oil and gas pipeline O&M, this study constructs a systematic assessment methodology with typical job positions as the assessment object. This methodology includes identifying typical positions utilizing the Delphi method, determining the weights of risk indicators using the analytic network process, analyzing the impact consequences and possibilities of risk factors using the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model, and evaluating the WMSD risk of each typical position combined with the risk assessment matrix. Moreover, the practicality and advantages of the methodology are verified through a case study. The results show that the method effectively assesses the WMSD risk of typical jobs in oil and gas pipeline operation and maintenance. Among the risk factors, movement and posture factors, as well as labor organization factors, had higher influence weights. Six typical jobs were identified, of which production process operators and mechanical maintenance engineers are high-risk jobs, while safety and environmental engineers have relatively low WMSD risk. Overall, this study provides an effective tool for assessing WMSD risk, thus promoting the well-being of O&M employees.