Introduction:

Musculoskeletal disorders are associated with physical and organizational aspects of work, among others.

Objective:

To determine the relationship between physical load, levels of stress, and musculoskeletal morbidity in administrative workers in the public sector of Popayán (Colombia), between 2016 and 2017.

Materials and methods:

An analytical-correlational, cross-sectional, quantitative study of a random sample of 104 workers. The data collection instruments were: the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and the Standardized Nordic Questionnaire (Kuorinka et al., 1987). Uni- and bivariate analysis were conducted, as well as a Chi-square to test the hypothesis.

Results:

It was found that 76% of the workplaces require further research and need changes. 79% of employees experienced low fatigue levels, whereas 83% manifested depersonalization. During the last six months, the most common pains reported were neck pain (51%), followed by back pain (36%) and shoulder pain (33%). There was a statistically significant correlation between postural load and muscle pain (p=0.301).

Conclusion:

Although an increased postural load is related to neck pain, this pain is not associated with workplace stress.

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