Work-Related Symptoms and Checkstand Configuration: An Experimental Study

Abstract

Supermarket checkers are known to be at risk of upper-extremity cumulative trauma disorders. Forty-two experienced checkers checked a standard "market basket" of items on an experimental checkstand. The counter height could be adjusted (high = 35.5, low = 31.5 inches), and the pre-scan queuing area length (between conveyor belt and laser scanner) could be set to "near" or "far" lengths. Each subject scanned under the high-near, high-far, low-near, and low-far conditions in random order. Seven ordinal symptom scales were used to describe comfort. Analysis showed that both counter height and queuing length had significant effects on symptoms. Furthermore, the height of the subject affected the degree and direction of the impact of the checkstand configuration differences. The study suggests that optimization of design may be experimentally evaluated, that modification of postural as well as frequency loading may be beneficial, and that adjustability for the individual may be advisable.

Biomechanical Analysis of Cashiers in Seated and Standing Postures

“…Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) have been reported among cashiers working in seated postures (Sallstrom and Schmidt, 1984, Buckle,1987, Hinnen et al, 1992 and among standing cashiers (Margolis and Klaus, 1987, Ryan, 1989, Wells et a1.,1990, Baron et al, 1991, Harber et al, 1993, Osorio et al, 1994.…”

Ergonomic Program Effectiveness: Ergonomic and Medical Intervention

“…Body part discomfort surveys have been shown to be beneficial in the analysis of various workstations (Harber et al, 1993;Ryan, 1989). This body part discomfort survey (see Figure 3) allows the employee to indicate areas and levels of pain ranging from none to intolerable pain.…”