A Review of Working in Stooped Postures in California Agricultural Production

The State of California is the national leader in Fruit, Vegetable, and Horticultural specialties (FVH) production. Observation of farm workers performing work tasks in most FVH commodities show that they spend a substantial portion of time working in stooped postures, which is a known risk factor for development of a Low Back Disorder (LBD). This study reviews the subject of working in stooped postures for 1) degree of association with LBD risks, 2) an estimate of the number of California agricultural workers exposed to working in stooped postures, and 3) availability of ergonomic interventions to eliminate or reduce stooped postures in California FVH production. From the results of the review, high incidence of LBD are reported in the literature for working in stooped postures in jobs in several different industries. Analysis of injury records for FVH commodities indicate that strain injuries to the back are the most frequently reported bodily injury. Research in spinal tissue biomechanics provides strong evidence that sustained and/or repeated extreme sagittal flexion of the lumbar spine diminishes the stability of the spine and produces tissue damage and dysfunction. California state employment records and labor demands factors provide an estimate that between 400,000 and 600,000 individuals work annually in stooped postures on California farms. Finally, the ergonomic interventions currently available for reducing a farm worker's exposure to extremely-flexed spinal postures are limited or unproven. In conclusion, there is sufficient evidence supporting the notion that working in stooped postures exposes a large segment of California agricultural workers to a high risk of developing a low back disorder, and there is a substantial need to address these risk factors in the immediate future.