A checklist for evaluating ergonomic risk factors resulting from awkward postures of the legs, trunk and neck

Abstract

A one-page checklist for determining the presence of ergonomic risk factors associated with awkward postures of the lower extremities, trunk and neck was developed and evaluated as part of a joint labor-management ergonomics intervention program. This checklist was used by plant personnel at four work sites to assess the postural requirements on 335 cyclical (i.e., work-cycle duration less than five minutes) manufacturing and warehouse jobs. In addition, results generated by the checklist were compared to the results of ergonomic analyses performed by persons with advanced training in occupational ergonomics. Workers were observed using awkward postures for most of the jobs in the survey. Awkward postures of the lower extremities were relatively uncommon, occurring in 25 percent or less of the jobs. Awkward postures of the trunk and neck were common, occurring in more than 70 percent of the jobs. Results generated by the checklist were generally in agreement with results generated by the experienced ergonomists; however, the checklist was found to be more sensitive in identifying the presence of awkward postures. The checklist was found to be an effective rapid-screening instrument for identifying cyclical jobs that expose workers to potentially harmful postures. However, the checklist methodology did not include sufficient documentation of work methods to identify the specific job attributes associated with these exposures. Furthermore, the checklist was not used to evaluate non-cyclical jobs (e.g., maintenance and skilled trades). Relevance to industry Awkward postures used in the work place may lead to worker pain and injury. The checklist presented here is a quick and sensitive screening tool for identifying jobs with exposures to postural stresses. It was effectively used by shop floor employees to analyze a variety of manufacturing and warehouse jobs.

Survey of Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated with Upper Extremity Musculoskeletal Disorders by Repetitive Job Activities Methods in Baker of Iran

“…according to NIOSH new definition, CTD is one or more signs such as pain, creeping, rigidity and movement restriction in one of four joint zone of upper limb (neck, shoulder, elbow, forearm and wrist) and lumbar last more than one week or repeat at least one time at month in last year providing there is not any acute and previous injuries for related joint [7] [8]. Therefore after data collection, the subjects that contain above definition were extracted and categorized in four groups involve CTD in neck, shoulder, wrist/hand and lumbar, also Chi-square test was used to survey the effect of bakery type, task type and work background on CTD prevalence and for calculating exposure to repetitive job activities index, at first 423 samples randomly collected by cluster ratio sampling and whereas dispense ratio of four studied bakery type in Kerman, using video recording technique and after different job and task analysis and assigning the required risk factors quantities, by entering them to OCRA software.…”

“…Various job risk factors can cause work-related musculoskeletal disorders whose important factors are related to physical work (such as posture, force, movement and vibration); psychosocial and individual factors [1] [4] [5]. According to national institute of occupational and safety health (NIOSH), cumulative trauma disorder (CTD) is one or more signs such as pain, creeping and rigidity, and movement restriction in one of four joint zones of upper limb (neck, shoulder, elbow, forearm and wrist) and lumbar last more than one week or repeat at least one time at month in last year providing there is not any acute and previous injuries for related joint [6]- [8]. There are three main characteristics for these disorders: a) this is accumulated in muscles over the time, b) the role of physical and mechanical stresses, c) persistence of disorder when getting out of normal condition [1] [3].…”

Influence of box type and heights on movement strategies of thoracolumbar region and knee in load handling activities

“…(8)(9)(10)(11) Meanwhile, studies that describe the behavior of the spine and lower limbs when manipulating boxes with different characteristics, in order to relate the boxes and the behavior of the lower limbs, are still scarce compared to the presence of studies focused on upper limbs.…”

Sustainability Enhancement of a Turbine Vane Manufacturing Cell through Digital Simulation-Based Design

“…The Posture Evaluation Index allows us to identify whether a specific posture is deemed critical or not by integrating the results of the Low Back Compression Analysis (LBA) [46], Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) [47], and Ovako Working Posture Analysis System (OWAS) [48] in a synthetic adimensional index able to evaluate the "quality" of a posture, according to the equation presented in [40]:…”