Article
Engineering, Industrial
Susan E. Kotowski, Kermit G. Davis, William S. Marras
Summary: The study found that using power-drive technology can significantly reduce the spine loads on healthcare providers when pushing beds and stretchers, especially with beds showing a more noticeable effect. However, the lack of experience among the participants may have hindered them from fully utilizing the benefits of power-drive.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL ERGONOMICS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Industrial
Fernanda Cabegi de Barros, Cristiane Shinohara Moriguchi, Tatiana de Oliveira Sato
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of workstation adjustment on postural exposure and perceived discomfort among office workers. The experimental group received workstation adjustments, while the control group did not receive any intervention. The results showed that the experimental group had a significant reduction in head and upper back flexion, as well as upper arm elevation. The control group showed no difference in evaluations. In terms of perceived discomfort, the experimental group had a significant decrease after intervention and follow-up, while the control group had an increase.
APPLIED ERGONOMICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Cameron A. Nurse, Laura Jade Elstub, Peter Volgyesi, Karl E. Zelik
Summary: Wearable sensors, such as IMUs and pressure insoles, can enhance the ergonomic assessment of LBD risks during material handling. This study explores the accuracy of combining trunk motion and under-the-foot force data in estimating LBD risk, as well as the improvement compared to using trunk motion alone. The results indicate that the combination of trunk IMU and pressure insoles with trained algorithms can accurately assess LBD risks, questioning the adequacy of a single IMU for such assessments.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Parichat Ong-Artborirak, Supakan Kantow, Katekaew Seangpraw, Prakasit Tonchoy, Nisarat Auttama, Monchanok Choowanthanapakorn, Sorawit Boonyathee
Summary: The prevalence of MSDs is high among ethnic lychee-longan harvesting workers in northern Thailand, with the hands, shoulders, and neck being the most affected body parts. The ergonomic risk scores are significantly associated with MSDs in multiple body parts. Therefore, using an ergonomic approach to improve the working environment and posture movement is crucial in preventing MSDs.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Carisa Harris-Adamson, Ellen A. Eisen, Jay Kapellusch, Kurt T. Hegmann, Matthew S. Thiese, Ann-Marie Dale, Bradley Evanoff, Alysha Rose Meyers, Stephen Bao, Fred Gerr, Niklas Krause, David Rempel
Summary: This study examines the associations between personal, workplace psychosocial and biomechanical factors and incident work disability among workers with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).
OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Ruoliang Tang, Jay M. Kapellusch, Kurt T. Hegmann, Matthew S. Thiese, Inga Wang, Andrew S. Merryweather
Summary: This study examined the differences in demographic, psychosocial, and job physical exposure risk factors between four different low back pain outcomes. The researchers found that there were differences in age, gender, medical history, and LBP history between the four outcomes. Most of the workers in the study experienced an LBP outcome during the follow-up period, but there were few differences in risk factors between the outcomes. The study suggests the need for consistent case definitions.
Article
Engineering, Industrial
Peter Jh Beliveau, Heather Johnston, Dwayne Van Eerd, Steven L. Fischer
Summary: This study investigated the use of ergonomics musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) risk assessment tools and its influencing factors among Canadian ergonomics professionals. The majority of tool users in Canada were certified safety professionals rather than ergonomics professionals. The use of tools varied between different professional groups, but the top 10 tools used were similar. Most assessment tools were learned at school, and tool use was not influenced by years of experience or continuing education.
APPLIED ERGONOMICS
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Vishal Gupta, Rony Mitra, Frank Koenig, Maneesh Kumar, Manoj Kumar Tiwari
Summary: This article explores the maintenance of airports' baggage handling systems and examines the use of predictive maintenance as an alternative to periodic maintenance. The unique challenges faced by baggage handling systems, such as random noise from IoT sensors and complex interconnected components, are discussed. The article proposes a scalable and cost-effective maintenance 4.0 solution using real-time sensor data. An algorithm is presented to differentiate between anomaly detection and outlier detection and remove irrelevant data. Integrated machine learning techniques are employed to detect and diagnose defects early on. The article also compares the performance of different machine learning algorithms and suggests future research directions.
COMPUTERS & INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Ilseok Lee, Jiwon Choi, Sang Hyeon Kang, Sangeun Jin
Summary: The study found that using a higher and concave desk in a standing workstation can reduce wrist extension and related muscle activity, but at the cost of a larger wrist adduction angle.
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Wenny Franciska Senjaya, Bernardo Nugroho Yahya, Seok-Lyong Lee
Summary: This study proposes a three-stage framework for predicting the risk of WMSDs that handles imbalanced data. The framework involves data preparation, RULA score evaluation, and risk prediction. It oversamples the imbalanced class using the RD-SMOTE method and predicts the risk level using the HyNet-CB classifier. The framework achieved a high F1-score of 92.43% and can classify all classes with more than 80% F1-score based on the evaluation using an assembly process dataset.
COMPUTERS & INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Subhashisa Swain, Anne Kamps, Jos Runhaar, Andrea Dell'Isola, Aleksandra Turkiewicz, Danielle Robinson, V Strauss, Christian Mallen, Chang-Fu Kuo, Carol Coupland, Michael Doherty, Aliya Sarmanova, Daniel Prieto-Alhambra, Martin Englund, Sita M. A. Bierma-Zeinstra, Weiya Zhang
Summary: This paper describes a multinational study conducted in the UK, Netherlands, Sweden, and Spain to explore comorbidities in people with osteoarthritis (OA). The study aims to investigate the temporal associations, clusters and trajectories of comorbidities, the role of analgesics in incidence of comorbidities, potential biomarkers and causality between OA and comorbidities, and variations between countries. The study will use case-control and cohort designs, as well as analysis techniques such as latent class analysis and Mendelian randomization. Results will be disseminated through various channels.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Remy Hubaut, Romain Guichard, Julia Greenfield, Mathias Blandeau
Summary: Musculoskeletal disorders are a growing problem in European workplaces. This study evaluates the use of inertial measurement units (IMU) in the workplace and compares them to a reference system. Results show good agreement between IMU and VICON systems for angle measurements. EMG and VAS are both valuable means to assess effort during tasks.
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Mahmoud Z. Mistarihi, Ammar A. Al-Omari, Abdullah F. Al-Dwairi
Summary: In this study, a developed chair attachment cushion design with an optimal air blowing technique is proposed to eliminate the negative side effects of prolonged sitting. The fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making approaches represented by FAHP and FTOPSIS were integrated to evaluate and select the optimal proposed design. Results show that the manual blowing system using an accordion blower was the optimal design concept based on the selected evaluation criteria.
Article
Engineering, Industrial
Ali Murtoja Shaikh, Bibhuti Bhusan Mandal, S. Mangani Mangalavalli
Summary: This study provides an overview of WRMSDs in the mining sector and highlights the causative and associative factors that have been identified through published research. However, there are still research gaps that need to be addressed.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Kathryn Badarin, Tomas Hemmingsson, Lena Hillert, Katarina Kjellberg
Summary: This study found that musculoskeletal pain, heavy physical workload (PWL), and low-decision authority were each associated with poor physical work ability (WA). Musculoskeletal pain had a higher odds of poor WA for women compared to strenuous work, whereas the opposite was observed for men. Combinations of musculoskeletal pain and strenuous work often resulted in higher risks of poor WA than when adding the effects of the single exposures.
INTERNATIONAL ARCHIVES OF OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Industrial
Carl Mikael Lind, Bart De Clercq, Mikael Forsman, Alain Grootaers, Mathieu Verbrugghe, Lieve Van Dyck, Liyun Yang
Summary: This study evaluated the effects of posture-correction vibrotactile feedback training on trunk inclination exposure in manual sorting work. The results showed reduced time and angles of trunk inclination during and immediately after feedback, but no significant reduction was observed after one and three weeks. The wearer's comfort was high and the feedback did not increase cognitive demands. In the short term, the training program can contribute to reduced trunk inclination exposure.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Suzanne Lerato Merkus, Pieter Coenen, Mikael Forsman, Stein Knardahl, Kaj Bo Veiersted, Svend Erik Mathiassen
Summary: This exploratory study used a novel approach to investigate whether the PA paradox extends to cardiovascular load and musculoskeletal pain. The study found that workers who spent more time in physical activity at work experienced higher levels of pain, while those who engaged in more physical activity during leisure time had less pain.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Madeleine Hoeft, Catherine Trask
Summary: This article investigates the opportunities of using digital building platforms based on BIM to increase occupational health and safety in building design, construction, operation and deconstruction. The findings highlight the potentials of digital building platforms for OHS in various aspects, and propose a set of principles to promote lifecycle and stakeholder integration.
Review
Engineering, Industrial
AnnaKlara Stenberg Gleisner, Linda Rose, Catherine Trask
Summary: This qualitative study aims to identify challenges, needs, and gaps for home care bathroom tasks and provide user-centered, sustainable solutions. The findings reveal that adequate space, access to assistive devices, and regular risk assessments are important factors for enabling independent living for clients and creating a sustainable work environment for health care workers.
APPLIED ERGONOMICS
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Jennie A. Jackson, Per Liv, Arkan S. Sayed-Noor, Laura Punnett, Jens Wahlstrom
Summary: A 20-year follow-up study found that occupational physical exposures are associated with surgically treated cervical spondylosis (ST-CS) and early exit from the labor market. Non-neutral neck postures, working with hands above shoulders, and high upper extremity loading increase the risk of ST-CS. Early retirement and frequent neck and upper back pain are associated with ST-CS. It is important to reduce postural and load exposure for the prevention of CS.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Charlotte Lewis, Albin Stjernbrandt, Jens Wahlstroem
Summary: The aim of this study was to determine the association between occupational ambient cold exposure and neck-shoulder pain (NSP), low back pain (LBP), and radiating LBP. The results showed that high occupational ambient cold exposure was significantly associated with NSP, LBP, and radiating LBP, suggesting it should be recognized as a possible occupational risk factor.
INTERNATIONAL ARCHIVES OF OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Charlotte Lewis, Jens Wahlstrom, Sebastian Mukka, Per Liv, Bengt Jarvholm, Jennie A. Jackson
Summary: This study aimed to assess the association between occupational biomechanical exposures and the occurrence of surgical treatment for subacromial impingement syndrome (SIS). The results showed that workers exposed to upper-extremity loading, high hand grip force, use of handheld tools, frequent work with hands above shoulders, static work, and hand-arm vibration had an increased risk for SIS surgery. Additionally, all occupational groups in the construction trades had a higher risk compared to white-collar workers. Therefore, it is important to reduce workplace exposures and detect symptoms early in highly exposed occupational groups.
SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF WORK ENVIRONMENT & HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Johanna Edvinsson, Svend Erik Mathiassen, Sofie Bjarntoft, Helena Jahncke, Terry Hartig, David M. Hallman
Summary: Work time control may provide opportunities for employee recovery, but also carries risks due to increased use of work-related ICT and overtime work. However, the tradeoff between these risks and opportunities has not been thoroughly studied. This study aimed to examine the relationships between work time control, work-related ICT use, overtime work, and the need for recovery. The findings showed that greater work time control was associated with lower recovery needs, while increased ICT use and overtime work were associated with higher recovery needs. Furthermore, work time control indirectly influenced recovery needs through its effects on ICT use and overtime work. Overall, this study highlights the importance of considering work time control in promoting employee recovery and managing the risks associated with excessive ICT use.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Review
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Susanna Mixter, Svend Erik Mathiassen, Helena Jahncke, Staffan Hygge, Eugene Lyskov, David M. Hallman, Charlotte Lewis
Summary: This review examined the effects of concurrent and alternating physical and cognitive tasks on biomechanical exposure, stress, fatigue, performance, and well-being. Most studies found that concurrent tasks had small negative effects on biomechanical exposure, fatigue, and performance, compared to performing physical tasks alone. Alternating tasks did not appear to have significant effects. However, results were mixed for stress and well-being outcomes.
ANNALS OF WORK EXPOSURES AND HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Industrial
Albin Stjernbrandt, Hans Pettersson, Per Vihlborg, Jens Wahlstrom, Charlotte Lewis
Summary: This study aimed to determine the association between occupational exposure to whole-body vibration (WBV) and neck pain. A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of the general population in northern Sweden. The results showed a significant association between occupational exposure to WBV and neck pain in men, but not in women.
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Carl Mikael Lind, Farhad Abtahi, Mikael Forsman
Summary: Wearable motion capture instruments have great potential in preventing work-related musculoskeletal disorders by providing continuous, accurate, and precise measurements of multiple body segments. They enable real-time visualization, automatic analyses, and feedback to the user. However, challenges such as miniaturization, usability, and standardization need to be addressed to promote wider usage and international collaborations.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Svend Erik Mathiassen, Amanda Waleh Astrom, Annika Stromberg, Marina Heiden
Summary: Postures at work are crucial in ergonomics, and the cost-efficiency of different measurement strategies can be assessed and compared using observation and inclinometry. Our study demonstrates that inclinometry generally outperforms observation in terms of cost-efficiency, and provides a method for evaluating and comparing different strategies.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Gunilla Dahlgren, Per Liv, Fredrik Ohberg, Lisbeth Slunga Jarvholm, Mikael Forsman, Borje Rehn
Summary: Accurate assessment of hand activity and force is crucial for risk assessment and prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. This study found significant correlations between subjective ratings of workers and observers and corresponding objective measures of exposure, suggesting that observer ratings may be preferred over self-ratings.
BIOENGINEERING-BASEL
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Albin Stjernbrandt, Hans Pettersson, Viktoria Wahlstrom, Jens Wahlstrom, Charlotte Lewis
Summary: The study aimed to determine the associations between occupational contact and ambient cooling with pain in the upper extremity. The results showed a significant association between occupational cold exposure and hand pain, as well as upper arm pain.
FRONTIERS IN PAIN RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Ergonomics
Dechristian Franca Barbieri, Luiz Augusto Brusaca, Svend Erik Mathiassen, Ana Beatriz Oliveira, Divya Srinivasan
Summary: Sedentary behavior is a significant health concern among office workers. This study found that a 6-month sit-stand table intervention was effective in reducing sitting time and increasing standing time, but had no significant effects on body composition.
IISE TRANSACTIONS ON OCCUPATIONAL ERGONOMICS & HUMAN FACTORS
(2023)
