Factors Associated with Occupational Ergonomics and Health Risk Among Public Vehicle Drivers in Kathmandu Valley

Background: Driving is common in Kathmandu, vital for livelihood. Driver safety is crucial. Ergonomics create safe workspaces. Weather, traffic, risky behaviours cause accidents. Ergonomic mods reduce injuries, promote safety for all. Address driver health issues for a healthier transportation system. The prevalence of low back pain (LBP) was high at 73.9%. LBP was significantly associated with work duration exceeding 10 years, working more than 8 hours per day, and having more accidents while driving the bus in the previous year. Among ergonomic risk factors, individuals who reported discomfort with seats and steering wheels had a significantly higher LBP prevalence. Methodology: Descriptive cross-sectional design assessed ergonomic factors and health risk among public vehicle drivers in Kathmandu Valley. Study covered three districts (Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur) for accessibility and diverse vehicles. Time Duration: Bhadra 2077 to Ashadh 2078. Study. Public drivers aged 20 to below 60 years, with at least two years' experience. This are the primary data from a structured questionnaire whereas the sample size were 394 drivers calculated with 95% confidence interval and 5% marginal error. And convenience and purposive sampling technique was applied the data were collected by Face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire on socio-demographics, economics, occupation, environment, workload, and health risk factors. Findings: Within the last year, respondents experienced ergonomics-related health risks: fatigue (27.7%), LBP (22.5%), body ache (10.9%), shoulder pain (7.1%), neck pain (5.3%), MSD (4.8%), and RTA injuries (4.8%). Other health issues observed were respiratory problems (9.6%), gastritis (10.1%), headache (8.1%), blood pressure-related problems (4.8%), blood sugar issues (3.6%), and Covid-19 impact (1.5%). Overall, 4.96% reported health problems, with 0.39% requiring hospitalization during that period. Conclusion: Overall, the study found associations between certain factors (e.g., alcohol, speed, work hours, route duration, seat comfort, height-adjustable seat, foldable seat) and health risks (severe injuries, hospitalization after RTA, sleeping disorder, mental stress, body ache, fatigue, LBP, neck pain, MSD). Keywords: [Ergonomics, Occupational Ergonomics, Public Vehicles, Health Risks.]