SUMMARY Musculoskeletal pathologies encompass a number of specific clinical entities that are reflected in degenerative or inflammatory lesions of muscles, or affecting the tendons and / or membranes that cover them. They also include nerve entrapment syndromes with their consequent neuropathy, as well as joint and neurovascular alterations. objective To carry out a review of the literature from the years 1997 to 2016 of musculoskeletal disorders related to work in metallurgical companies. Methodology Documentary review which included articles from 1997 to 2016, published in databases and electronic journals in English, Spanish and Portuguese, using keywords such as postural overload, ergonomic evaluation and ergonomic methods. A total of 15 papers were selected. Results: According to the analyzed studies it can be determined that the workers present a higher frequency of musculoskeletal symptoms in the lumbar region (17.4% to 69.63%), followed by knee (12.5% to 56, 66%), dorsal region (37.5% to 46.59%), shoulder (14.9% to 41.09%), neck (0.8% to 36.64%) and ankle / 44% to 37.54%). We found an association between work and musculoskeletal symptoms, vibration, repetitive work actions and weight lifting considered as a medium-high risk for musculoskeletal injuries.Conclusions: The strategies of intervention through ergonomic programs in the workplace to eliminate environmental hazards prove to be an effective strategy to counter work absence. Likewise, the identification of psychosocial conditions and their association with chronic diseases is relevant. The review makes it possible to assert that the application of ergonomic evaluation methods and analysis of projections of loads, allow a fairly accurate approach to the identification of conditions that favor the appearance of musculoskeletal pathologies in the field of metallurgical activity. Key words: Musculoskeletal symptoms, metallurgy, occupational disease, risk factor, occupational medicine, low back pain; Cumulative traumatic disorders
