Journal
APPLIED ERGONOMICS
Volume 43, Issue 3, Pages 604-613Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2011.09.007
Keywords
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders; Exposure assessment; Agriculture
Categories
Funding
- High Plains Intermountain Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) [U50/OH008085]
- High Plains and Intermountain Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (HICAHS)
- Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention, and Education (SWAG)
- Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health
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Over the last 20 years, the US dairy industry has experienced a significant transformation from small farm operations to an industrialization of the milking process. This transformation has resulted in improvements in process efficiency and product quality. Milking tasks in large-herd parlors are highly-repetitive involving awkward postures and high muscle loads of the upper extremity. Field-based direct measures of physical exposures have been limited in challenging work settings such as dairies. This study evaluated full-shift exposures of posture and motion of the upper extremity among large-herd parlor milkers using wireless inclinometry. Results suggest large-herd parlor workers may be exposed to high exposure levels (posture, movement velocity, repetition, and inadequate rest) associated with the development of shoulder pathology. Compared to other high-risk occupations involving shoulder-intensive work, parlor workers may have higher exposure levels. These findings warrant the need for continued field-based research with larger sample sizes to facilitate the development of cost-effective intervention strategies. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.
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