Gender differences in occupations and complaints of musculoskeletal symptoms: Representative sample of South Korean workers

INTRODUCTION: The present study examines gender differences in occupations, occupational hazards, and musculoskeletal symptoms in Korean workers. METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis of data from the fourth Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS). RESULTS: Relative to "managers," men who were "craft and related trades workers," "equipment, machine operating and assembling workers," and in "elementary occupations" were more likely to report back pain (ORs: 2.08, 2.33, and 2.71, respectively); women who were "skilled agricultural, forestry, and fishery workers" were more likely to report back pain (OR: 3.96). Back pain was more likely to be reported in men exposed to "carrying/moving heavy loads," "painful/tiring postures," and "repetitive hand/arm movements" (ORs: 1.20, 2.26, and 1.28, respectively). CONCLUSION: Men and women workers differed in their reporting of ergonomic risk factors, and complaints of musculoskeletal symptoms. Am. J. Ind. Med. 60:342-349, 2017.