This cross sectional study investigated the test –retest reliability of the Malay Version Job Content
Questionnaire (M- JCQ) among electricity linemen. The M-JCQquestionnaire was administered to 10
electricity linemen working in private sub-contract company. The data were collected at two occasions
with one week interval of time between each sessions. Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and Bland
Altman plot were used to analyze the reliability of the M-JCQ. The ICC for the ‘psychological demand’,
‘decision latitude’, ‘work related social support’ and ‘job insecurity’ scale were 0.96, 0.52, 0.99 and 0.55
respectively. The Bland Altman plot indicated that the tests and retest score for all the four scales had an
acceptable agreement. These findings indicated that the M- JCQ is reliable and consistent for assessing
work related psychosocial risk factors among electricity linemen.
Occupational tasks of linemen are highly associated with the development of work related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMDs). Although linemen are prone to develop WRMDs, there is paucity of information on the prevalence of WRMDs and related occupational causative factors. Therefore, the present review was conducted to report on the prevalence of WRMDs and to outline causative risk factors within occupational tasks in the lineman profession. Literature search was conducted in various databases such as Scopus, PubMed and ScienceDirect for articles published between 1996-2013. The articles were analyzed, selected and retrieved based on predetermined objectives, inclusion criteria and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). In the review process only articles published in English were considered. The review identified moderate to high prevalence of WRMDs among the linemen population. Back and shoulder regions were highly affected compared to the other body regions. The review also reported occupational tasks such as bar installation, insulator fixation and manual handling of tools as high risk tasks that lead to the development of WRMDs. In addition, occupational tools such as ladders, manual cutters and manual presses were also identified as a potential ergonomic hazard. In conclusion, the current review identified that WRMDs are common in the back and shoulder regions among linemen. Also, a number of occupational risk factors were identified to be associated with WRMDs among the linemen. Hence, future research on prevention and intervention studies concerning lineman profession population in order to develop a good job practice are recommended. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2016;29(5):725-734.