Interactions of personal and occupational risk factors on hand grip strength of winter pruners

Çakmak, Bülent; Ergül, Engin

doi:10.1016/j.ergon.2018.05.002

Cited by 18 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…During manufacturing tasks, workers may be exposed to different biomechanical risk factors, such as the adoption of straining postures (e.g., extension/flexion and/or lateral deviation of the wrist), and the use of a handle tool/device could aggravate these factors [11]. Therefore, more granular assessments with IMU and EMG were used to provide more objective measurements of the handles, as defended by [18].…”

Section: Global Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These findings highlight the relevance of designing hand tools/devices with ergonomic considerations. When ergonomic requirements are not taken into account, and the handles are not suitable for the end-users and task demands, workers may exert unnecessary forces and/or adopt straining postures [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this industrial context, straining postures, forceful exertions, and repetitive movements are critical risk factors often associated with the use of hand tools/devices [13]. Previous studies have shown that prolonged use of hand tools/devices leads to discomfort, tension, and muscle fatigue in the workers' upper limbs, especially affecting the hand-wrist musculoskeletal system [11,[14][15][16][17]. Moreover, muscle fatigue can not only contribute to the development of WMSD but also negatively affect workers' job satisfaction and performance [3,6], being a critical factor in demanding tasks that require high levels of manual dexterity and attention (as commonly encountered in aircraft manufacturing).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Designing a User-Centered Inspection Device’s Handle for the Aircraft Manufacturing Industry

Colim,

Pereira,

Lima

et al. 2023

Applied Sciences

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In aircraft manufacturing settings, workers are frequently exposed to biomechanical risk factors, mainly in the later stages of the production processes, including inspection tasks. To support the development of a novel inspection device appropriate for the end-users and their tasks, this study presents a user-centered approach for the device’s handle. Three different handles were proposed, and the current study aims to find out which handle can offer (1) the best ergonomic conditions and (2) the best stability in holding the device in hand during an inspection task. To this end, 23 volunteers participated in the experimental assessment, which comprised qualitative and quantitative data. A questionnaire was used for subjective comfort assessment. Partial times to execute the task studied, stability metrics of the device during its handling, and kinematic and electromyographic data of the upper limb recruited were measured and analyzed to compare the three handles. Outstanding results include the higher comfort perceived by the participants working with the selected handle for the final design, as well as the reduction in muscle effort. Globally, the results obtained demonstrated that the handle user-centered design potentiates good efficiency and usability of the novel device.

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Section: Global Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Designing a User-Centered Inspection Device’s Handle for the Aircraft Manufacturing Industry

Colim,

Pereira,

Lima

et al. 2023

Applied Sciences

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“…As expected, the regular pruner maintenance was proved to lessen the biomechanical demands. Additionally, Çakmak & Ergül [63] evaluated the influence of various types of pruning shears, ambient temperatures, working hours, personal characteristics, and experience of the workers on grip strength. The grip strength values were proved to be affected by the type of the shear and have a negative correlation with the ambient temperature.…”

Section: Pruningmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review on Ergonomics in Agriculture. Part I: Manual Operations

2020

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Background: Agriculture involves several harmful diseases. Among the non-fatal ones, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the most prevalent, as they have reached epidemic proportions. The main aim of this investigation is to systematically review the major risk factors regarding MSDs as well as evaluate the existing ergonomic interventions. Methods: The search engines of Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, and ScienceDirect were used to identify relevant articles during the last decade. The imposed exclusive criteria assured the accuracy and current progress in this field. Results: It was concluded that MSDs affect both developed and developing countries, thus justifying the existing global concern. Overall, the most commonly studied task was harvesting, followed by load carrying, pruning, planting, and other ordinary manual operations. Repetitive movements in awkward postures, such as stooping and kneeling; individual characteristics; as well as improper tool design were observed to contribute to the pathogenesis of MSDs. Furthermore, low back disorders were reported as the main disorder. Conclusions: The present ergonomic interventions seem to attenuate the MSDs to a great extent. However, international reprioritization of the safety and health measures is required in agriculture along with increase of the awareness of the risk factors related to MSDs.

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“…Based on the technological progress in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), experimental measurements concerning manual agricultural tasks can exploit a wide range of sensors. Indicatively, ICT, used for these kinds of measurements, usually involves dynamometers [38], electrocardiograph [39], optical markers [40], electrogoniometers, electromyography (EMG), and accelerometers [41,42], as well as fusion of different sensors [43].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biomechanical Effects on Lower Extremities in Human-Robot Collaborative Agricultural Tasks

et al. 2021

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The present study pertains to a key aspect of human-robot collaborative systems which is usually underestimated, namely occupational health prolepsis. The aim of this investigation was to assess the biomechanical effects of manual symmetric load lifting related to a synergistic agricultural task that utilizes an unmanned ground vehicle to undertake the carriage of loads. Towards that goal, kinetic and kinematic data were collected from the lower extremities of thirteen experienced workers, by testing three different deposit heights (70, 80, 90 cm) corresponding to possible adjustments of the available agricultural robot. Moreover, the muscle activation levels of three lower extremity muscles and one trunk muscle were evaluated via a wireless electromyography system. Overall, the experimental findings revealed that the lower examined load height was associated with larger knee flexion moments and hip extension moments. Nevertheless, this height was related to lower activation mainly of the erectus spinae muscles. Finally, insignificant alterations were observed for the ankle joint as well as the activation levels of the other muscles. Consequently, a height equal to 90 cm is suggested, however, by avoiding extreme lumbar postures. The current results can be exploited for possible ergonomic interventions concerning the optimal deposit height of a robotic platform when a similar case is designed.

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Interactions of personal and occupational risk factors on hand grip strength of winter pruners

Cited by 18 publications

References 39 publications

Designing a User-Centered Inspection Device’s Handle for the Aircraft Manufacturing Industry

Designing a User-Centered Inspection Device’s Handle for the Aircraft Manufacturing Industry

A Review on Ergonomics in Agriculture. Part I: Manual Operations

Biomechanical Effects on Lower Extremities in Human-Robot Collaborative Agricultural Tasks

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