Quantifying workers’ gait patterns to identify safety hazards in construction using a wearable insole pressure system

Antwi‐Afari, Maxwell Fordjour; Li, Heng; Anwer, Shahnawaz; Yevu, Sitsofe Kwame; Wu, Zezhou; Antwi-Afari, Prince; Kim, Inhan

doi:10.1016/j.ssci.2020.104855

Cited by 37 publications

(13 citation statements)

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“…Changes in participants' gait patterns have been demonstrated to provide useful data source to assess fall risks in clinical, sports and rehabilitation occupations (Crea et al , 2014; Leardini et al , 2014; Norris et al , 2014; Shull et al , 2014; Braun et al , 2015). In the realm of construction, most of the existing studies had utilized WIMUs (Kim et al , 2016; Yang et al , 2017; Yang and Ahn, 2019) and WIPS (Antwi-Afari and Li, 2018; Antwi-Afari et al , 2018b, 2020b) to collect participants' gait patterns for preventing nonfatal fall injuries. However, there is a missing research gap on the performance of measuring WIPS-based gait parameters for identifying safety hazards in construction as compared to WIMU-based gait parameters.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It uses a Bluetooth low energy 5.0 for wireless transmission within a wireless range of ≥ 5.0 m and bandwidth of 54 kB/s. The sampling frequency used in this study was 50Hz (Antwi-Afari et al, 2019c;Antwi-Afari et al, 2020b).…”

Section: Experimental Set-upmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the United States, more than 700 fatal and 200,000 non-fatal injuries are reported every year in the construction industry (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017). Specifically, slips, trips, and loss of balance events are classified as the main cause of non-fatal fall injuries (Lipscomb et al, 2006;Antwi-Afari and Li, 2018g;Antwi-Afari et al, 2020b). Non-fatal fall injuries may not only result to work absenteeism, high insurance premiums, but also lead to loss of workers' productivity and workers' disabilities (Earnest and Branche, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Validity and reliability of a wearable insole pressure system for measuring gait parameters to identify safety hazards in construction

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PurposeConstruction workers are frequently exposed to safety hazards on sites. Wearable sensing systems (e.g. wearable inertial measurement units (WIMUs), wearable insole pressure system (WIPS)) have been used to collect workers' gait patterns for distinguishing safety hazards. However, the performance of measuring WIPS-based gait parameters for identifying safety hazards as compared to a reference system (i.e. WIMUs) has not been studied. Therefore, this study examined the validity and reliability of measuring WIPS-based gait parameters as compared to WIMU-based gait parameters for distinguishing safety hazards in construction.Design/methodology/approachFive fall-risk events were conducted in a laboratory setting, and the performance of the proposed approach was assessed by calculating the mean difference (MD), mean absolute error (MAE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), root mean square error (RMSE) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of five gait parameters.FindingsComparable results of MD, MAE, MAPE and RMSE were found between WIPS-based gait parameters and the reference system. Furthermore, all measured gait parameters had validity (ICC = 0.751) and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.910) closer to 1, indicating a good performance of measuring WIPS-based gait parameters for distinguishing safety hazards.Research limitations/implicationsOverall, this study supports the relevance of developing a WIPS as a noninvasive wearable sensing system for identifying safety hazards on construction sites, thus highlighting the usefulness of its applications for construction safety research.Originality/valueThis is the first study to examine the performance of a wearable insole pressure system for identifying safety hazards in construction.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Experimental Set-upmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Validity and reliability of a wearable insole pressure system for measuring gait parameters to identify safety hazards in construction

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“…The angular rate and acceleration range are ± 2000 degrees/second and ± 16g, respectively. The frequency of sampling data is 50 Hz (Antwi-Afari et al, 2020a). Temporal gait parameters (e.g., gait speed, cadence, double support time, step duration, stance duration, and swing duration) and dynamic stability [the anteroposterior and mediolateral center of pressure (CoP) displacements, and mean sway velocity in the anteroposterior and mediolateral directions] were collected (Oerbekke et al, 2017, Phan-Ba et al, 2012.…”

Section: Participantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of load carrying techniques on gait parameters, dynamic balance, and physiological parameters during a manual material handling task

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Antwi‐Afari

et al. 2021

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PurposeSince construction workers often need to carry various types of loads in their daily routine, they are at risk of sustaining musculoskeletal injuries. Additionally, carrying a load during walking may disturb their walking balance and lead to fall injuries among construction workers. Different load carrying techniques may also cause different extents of physical exertion. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of different load-carrying techniques on gait parameters, dynamic balance, and physiological parameters in asymptomatic individuals on both stable and unstable surfaces.Design/methodology/approachFifteen asymptomatic male participants (mean age: 31.5 ± 2.6 years) walked along an 8-m walkway on flat and foam surfaces with and without a load thrice using three different techniques (e.g. load carriage on the head, on the dominant shoulder, and in both hands). Temporal gait parameters (e.g. gait speed, cadence, and double support time), gait symmetry (e.g. step time, stance time, and swing time symmetry), and dynamic balance parameters [e.g. anteroposterior and mediolateral center of pressure (CoP) displacement, and CoP velocity] were evaluated. Additionally, the heart rate (HR) and electrodermal activity (EDA) was assessed to estimate physiological parameters.FindingsThe gait speed was significantly higher when the load was carried in both hands compared to other techniques (Hand load, 1.02 ms vs Head load, 0.82 ms vs Shoulder load, 0.78 ms). Stride frequency was significantly decreased during load carrying on the head than the load in both hands (46.5 vs 51.7 strides/m). Step, stance, and swing time symmetry were significantly poorer during load carrying on the shoulder than the load in both hands (Step time symmetry ration, 1.10 vs 1.04; Stance time symmetry ratio, 1.11 vs 1.05; Swing time symmetry ratio, 1.11 vs 1.04). The anteroposterior (Shoulder load, 17.47 mm vs Head load, 21.10 mm vs Hand load, −5.10 mm) and mediolateral CoP displacements (Shoulder load, −0.57 mm vs Head load, −1.53 mm vs Hand load, −3.37 ms) significantly increased during load carrying on the shoulder or head compared to a load in both hands. The HR (Head load, 85.2 beats/m vs Shoulder load, 77.5 beats/m vs No load, 69.5 beats/m) and EDA (Hand load, 14.0 µS vs Head load, 14.3 µS vs Shoulder load, 14.1 µS vs No load, 9.0 µS) were significantly larger during load carrying than no load.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings suggest that carrying loads in both hands yields better gait symmetry and dynamic balance than carrying loads on the dominant shoulder or head. Construction managers/instructors should recommend construction workers to carry loads in both hands to improve their gait symmetry and dynamic balance and to lower their risk of falls.Practical implicationsThe potential changes in gait and balance parameters during various load carrying methods will aid the assessment of fall risk in construction workers during loaded walking. Wearable insole sensors that monitor gait and balance in real-time would enable safety managers to identify workers who are at risk of falling during load carriage due to various reasons (e.g. physical exertion, improper carrying techniques, fatigue). Such technology can also empower them to take the necessary steps to prevent falls.Originality/valueThis is the first study to use wearable insole sensors and a photoplethysmography device to assess the impacts of various load carrying approaches on gait parameters, dynamic balance, and physiological measures (i.e. HR and EDA) while walking on stable and unstable terrains.

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“…Furthermore, several studies have used wearable inertial measurement units sensors and wearable insole pressure systems to evaluate the gait stability of workers in order to assess the fall risk in construction workers (20,42,(49)(50)(51). (2) The application of wearable sensors for assessing and detecting mental stress and emotion.…”

Section: The Application Of Wearable Sensors For Assessing Workers' H...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Test-retest reliability, validity, and responsiveness of a textile-based wearable sensor for real-time assessment of physical fatigue in construction bar-benders

Anwer

Antwi‐Afari

et al. 2021

Journal of Building Engineering

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Quantifying workers’ gait patterns to identify safety hazards in construction using a wearable insole pressure system

Cited by 37 publications

References 64 publications

Validity and reliability of a wearable insole pressure system for measuring gait parameters to identify safety hazards in construction

Validity and reliability of a wearable insole pressure system for measuring gait parameters to identify safety hazards in construction

Effects of load carrying techniques on gait parameters, dynamic balance, and physiological parameters during a manual material handling task

Test-retest reliability, validity, and responsiveness of a textile-based wearable sensor for real-time assessment of physical fatigue in construction bar-benders

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