DAS: a graphical computer tool for the collection of musculoskeletal discomfort information from the workforce

The Discomfort Assessment System (DAS), was designed and developed to collect musculoskeletal discomfort information directly from the workforce presumably non-computer users. DAS has a graphical interface that uses a light pen as the only input device. Testing and evaluation of DAS revealed that most users found it easy to learn, easy to use and interesting despite the fact that most of them were inexperienced with computers. Most users found the light pen easy to use. Users also found the instructions on the screen easy to understand, clear and simple. Nevertheless, some users found the interaction with the computer tiresome.     

Self-administered questionnaire and direct observation by checklist: comparing two methods for physical exposure surveillance in a highly repetitive tasks plant

Background

We evaluated the agreement between a questionnaire and an observational checklist for exposure assessment in the setting of an upper-limb work-related musculoskeletal disorders (UWMSD) surveillance program in a population with a high level of physical exposures.

Methods

A surveillance program was implemented in a large shoe factory. Physical exposures were assessed in 1996 by a self-administered questionnaire and by the direct observation of work tasks assessed using a checklist filled out by trained assessors. Items were summed into a “questionnaire” score and an “observational” score. These scores were compared by Pearson's correlation. The association between exposure assessment by each method and UWMSD incidence between 1996 and 1997, defined by a standardized examination, was also studied.

Results

Correlation between the “questionnaire” score and the “observational” score was low among the 196 workers (77%) who received both evaluations (rho=0.06, p>0.05). Only exposure assessed by the questionnaire method was significantly associated with high incidence of UWMSD between 1996 and 1997, with good sensitivity (97%) and poor specificity (27%).

Conclusion

In this surveillance program, self-reported physical exposures assessed by questionnaire and by direct observation did not evaluate same dimensions of high physical exposures. In this sample, exposures assessed by questionnaire identified workers at high risk of incident UWMSD more precisely than exposures identified by direct observation.     

Estimation of the relative risks of musculoskeletal injuries in the Andalusian manufacturing sector

BackgroundHigher injury rates of workers with specific characteristics can show areas of interest for intervention. Worker characteristics can be a risk factor because there is a differential distribution of exposure or because a particular worker characteristic affects the worker's behavior and the effects of work in the musculoskeletal system.ObjectiveTo estimate the relative risk for the most frequent accident mechanisms and to present the usefulness of the information from the Continuous Sample of Working Lives for a better estimation of the relative risk based on epidemiological analysis of specific types of accident controlling for possible confounders.Materials and methodsThe most frequent accident mechanisms were identified by analyzing the official accident notifications. To estimate the exposed workers, the Continuous Sample of Working Lives dataset is used. The dataset contains employment variables such as occupational levels, sector of activity, contract type and duration of employment. It also includes relevant variables related to demographics such as location, age, sex and nationality.ResultsAdjusted relative risk confirms that female workers, foreign, non-manual and older workers have lower injury rates.ConclusionsThe use of the Continuous Sample of Working Lives is useful in the analysis of the risk factors for particular types of accidents and allows a better estimation of the relative risks of accident.     

Quantitative and qualitative assessment of musculoskeletal disorders and socioeconomic issues of workers of brick industry in Pakistan

Brick industry, in Pakistan, is prominent and provides job to 3.1 million people only in one province. The industry hires different percentage of workers for different stages of brick formation and these stages trigger musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in workers. This study identifies relation between 5 work stages and MSDs in 9 body parts and also finds socioeconomic sufferings inflicted by the industry and removal of research gap at national level. We conducted both qualitative and quantitative research. 105 men and 45 women from 15 brick kilns were selected as subject. Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) and Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) sheets, Standard Nordic MSDs Questionnaire along with general questionnaire, still photography and video recording were used to carry out the study. About 96% workers involved in mixing & molding complained tiredness at end of day. Similarly, 90% male and 83% female staff performing spreading task suffered tiredness after their duty hours. Workers engaged in different tasks reported varying levels of pain in observed body parts. Digging and carrying jobs caused significant pain in body parts including neck, upper back, shoulders, lower back and hips. Mixing and molding emerged most dangerous activities for most of the body parts and exhibited 7 score on RULA. Furthermore, mixing and molding demonstrated high to very high risk level by showing 9 and 13 higher score on REBA, respectively. The current study divulged that all observed work tasks during manufacturing and transportation of bricks are equally dangerous for pain generation in lower back. Many socioeconomic issues like residency of workers in muddy house (83%) low monthly income (<90.3 $) of 83% workers, higher tendency of alcoholism and smoking in men, lack of health facilities and higher illiteracy rate were also identified. The enhanced musculoskeletal disorders during brick making process render the brick industry unhealthy for work. This dismal picture requires an improvement in quality of life and occupational environment of workers of the industry. Well organized duty timings, modified working posture, job rotation and preliminary training perhaps manage these miseries and the output of the brick industry may increase many fold.     

Heavy load carrying and musculoskeletal health: An exploratory study of biomechanical risk factors among sand miners in Pokhara,Kaski District,Nepal

BackgroundTrends in urbanization contribute to the growing global demand for raw construction materials. The health effects of load carrying among occupational groups that mine and carry sand and stone used for construction of roads and buildings remains poorly understood.MethodsWe conducted an exploratory cross-sectional study among a convenience sample of sand miners working at an excavation site on the Seti River in Pokhara, Nepal. Load carrying weight, duration, and frequency were used to categorize miners as having “low” or “high” load-carrying exposures. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) were identified using self-reported symptoms of moderate to severe musculoskeletal pain, as well as physical examinations.ResultsThe average loads carried by female and male sand miners weighed 66 kg and 87 kg, respectively. Among all participants (N = 42), 45% reported moderate to severe musculoskeletal pain in at least one body region and 16 (38%) had MSDs identified using specified case criteria. The prevalence of MSDs was lower among miners carrying, on average, heavier loads compared to those carrying lighter loads (OR = 0.18; 95% CI: 0.04, 0.7), possibly indicative of the healthy worker survival effect. Miners carrying loads for longer durations had higher odds of MSDs compared with those carrying for shorter durations.ConclusionThis study has provided data on the extraordinary loads carried by sand miners in Nepal and preliminary evidence of health impacts associated with these loads. However, larger epidemiologic studies are needed to justify action to protect the health and safety of these unrecognized and understudied groups.     

Relationship between work constraints and the development of musculoskeletal disorders of the wrist: A prospective study

A 2-year prospective study was conducted on 184 workers about the relationship between the development of musculoskeletal wrist disorders (WD) and the occupational constraint parameters at their job (wrist angles, forces, repetitiveness and angular velocities), taking into account personal and occupational confounding factors. The results demonstrate a greater probability of developing WD for the workers suffering from chronic diseases, from psychological disorders, practising a sport involving the upper limbs and judging their work tiring.All occupational constraint factors are correlated except for the angles. Logistic correlation analyses show that the most significant associations with a greater probability of developing WD are observed for the mean relative EMG value recorded on the finger and hand flexors and the time during which the velocity in flexion–extension is greater than 50°/s. None of the angular parameters shows any association.Relevance to industryThe study shows that the main factor on which to act in order to reduce the risk of WD is clearly the forces exerted by the hand.The objective of the control measures should be to reduce the muscular activity of the finger and hand flexors below 15% of the maximum activity corresponding to the maximum voluntary contraction of the finger flexors.A reduction of these forces appears to be associated with a reduction of the angular velocities of the wrist and of the repetitiveness.     

DASH questionnaire for the analysis of musculoskeletal symptoms in industry workers: a validity and reliability study

Purpose

The disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) questionnaire is a self-administered region-specific outcome instrument developed as a measure of self-rated upper-extremity disability and symptoms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and the construct validity of the DASH questionnaire by establishing its correlation to the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36) in industry workers. Also we aimed to investigate whether the DASH can be used as a standardized questionnaire to evaluate the work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) in upper extremity in industrial settings and epidemiological studies.

Material and methods

The Turkish version's reliability and construct validity were evaluated in 240 industry workers with upper-extremity musculoskeletal complaints. Workers were asked to complete a packet that included the DASH and the SF-36. Test-retest reliability was assessed in all workers who filled in the DASH questionnaire 15 days later. Construct validity was evaluated by comparing the overall and work component DASH scores with SF-36 summary and subscales.

Results

The mean DASH score for the textile workers whose duties were confection, dyeing, sewing, quality control and packaging was calculated as 65, 55, 68, 54 and 67, respectively. As a result of this study, pain intensity in shoulder, wrist and hand was significantly associated with the DASH score (p<0.05). Internal consistency of the DASH was high (Cronbach alpha 0.91). Test-retest reliability was excellent for the overall DASH (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) 0.92). Moderate correlations (p<0.05) were found between the overall and work component DASH and the SF-36 summary scales. Pearson correlation coefficients of the overall and work component DASH to the SF-36 subscales ranged from −0.33 to −0.82.

Conclusion

These results support that DASH is a reliable and valid instrument to measure functional disability and investigate the ergonomic risk factors in textile workers with upper-extremity musculoskeletal complaints.     

Prevention of musculoskeletal disorders at work: Validation and reliability in a multicenter intervention study

During the years 1986–1989 The Finnish Work Environment Fund initiated a multicenter, intervention study (programme) to prevent musculoskeletal disorders at work. The programme consisted of four different projects comprising methodological, epidemiological, and interventive themes. The main results were as follows: (1) More than half of the occupational physiotherapists and physicians involved in the project felt that they did not have adequate training for testing the performance capacity of the musculoskeletal system. Several of the most commonly used musculoskeletal tests had either poor validity in predicting future musculoskeletal troubles or had poor reliability. (2) A controlled intervention study showed that active training of neck-shoulder muscles can prevent musculoskeletal troubles, even more than ergonomic actions. (3) It is possible to reduce sick-leave due to low-back disorders by intervention measures directed toward both the work (environment, tools) and the workers (working methods, positive attitude to work, preparedness to keep fit). (4) The identification of ergonomic hazards with the help of teamwork proved to be feasible. The practical improvements, however, were difficult to implement in the prevailing conditions. Some of the improvements increased the work load and the stress of the workers. This aspect needs further consideration.     

Stakeholder perspectives on managing the occupational health of UK business drivers: a qualitative approach

Musculoskeletal disorders are one of leading causes of work related ill health and sickness absence. Those drive as part of their job may be at particular risk, with evidence suggesting that prolonged exposure to driving is associated with increased absence from work due to low back pain. Business drivers often work away from a traditional office environment. Such mobile working may pose greater risks to occupational health due to increased ergonomic risks, for example working from the car, longer working hours and a lack of concern amongst drivers about health and safety. It has been suggested that occupational health practices have not adapted to meet the needs of peripatetic workers. The current study explored how occupational health services are delivered to business drivers. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with a sample of 31 stakeholders in 4 organisations. Respondents included, health and safety professionals, occupational health nurses, fleet managers and high mileage business drivers. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using ‘Template Analysis’. The data revealed that, within these organisations, the provision of occupational health services was often fragmented and drivers and other key stakeholders were often unaware of the existing systems within their organisations. The peripatetic nature of business drivers meant that they were difficult for occupational health teams to reach. The paper concludes by presenting recommendations for occupational health professionals and researchers engaged with improving the health of peripatetic workers, namely that occupational health policies should be integrated in company strategy and widely disseminated to drivers and those with responsibility for managing their occupational health provision.     

Real-time smart video surveillance to manage safety: A case study of a transport mega-project

There is a tendency for accidents and even fatalities to arise when people enter hazardous work areas during the construction of projects in urban areas. A limited amount of research has been devoted to developing vision-based proximity warning systems that can determine when people enter a hazardous area automatically. Such systems, however, are unable to identify specific hazards and the status of a piece of plant (e.g., excavator) in real-time. In this paper, we address this limitation and develop a real-time smart video surveillance system that can detect people and the status of plant (i.e. moving or stationary) in a hazardous area. The application of this approach is demonstrated during the construction of a mega-project, the Wuhan Rail Transit System in China. We reveal that our combination of computer vision and deep learning can accurately recognize people in a hazardous work area in real-time during the construction of transport projects. Our developed systems can provide instant feedback concerning unsafe behavior and thus enable appropriate actions to be put in place to prevent their re-occurrence.     

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders in home care nurses: Study of the main risk factors

BackgroundNurses are a risk group for work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). Several studies reveal that nurses have high prevalence rates of injuries and symptoms related to WMSDs. However, many of these studies focus mostly on hospital nurses. Worldwide, few studies include home care nurses.ObjectiveThis work aimed to identify the body region most affected by musculoskeletal complaints in home care nursing, and subsequently develop a statistical model, that includes the main risk factors, to predict the risk of having musculoskeletal complaints in the identified region.MethodsThe research method was based on the Standardised Nordic Questionnaire applied to home care nurses working at Health Centres of northern Portugal. Univariate and multivariate models of logistic regression were used to meet the goals of this work.ResultsHome care nurses have a three times greater chance of having lumbar complaints than their counterparts working only at Health Centres (OR = 3.19 (p < 0.05), with a 95% confidence interval [1.256; 8.076]). A statistical model with seven variables (forearm posture; static postures; arm posture; arm supported; bed height; job satisfaction; assistive devices) was obtained to predict lumbar complaints.ConclusionsThe lumbar region was identified as the most affected by musculoskeletal complaints. These complaints were associated with seven factors.     

Associations of ergonomic and psychosocial work hazards with musculoskeletal disorders of specific body parts: A study of general employees in Taiwan

Background and aimsMusculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are major occupational health concerns. This study examined the associations of ergonomic and psychosocial work hazards with the risks of MSDs of specific body parts and their distribution across a wide range of occupational groups.MethodsStudy participants comprised 8,937 male and 7,052 female employees aged 20–65 years from a nationwide survey in 2016. A self-report questionnaire was administered to obtain information regarding demographic characteristics, work conditions, ergonomic and psychosocial work hazards, and MSDs of different body parts in 12 months. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate prevalence ratios of MSDs in relation to ergonomic and psychosocial work hazards.ResultsIn professionals and skilled workers, MSDs of the neck and shoulders were more prevalent, whereas in manual workers, MSDs of the hands, wrists, and lower back were more prevalent. Psychosocial work hazards, including high psychological demand and low workplace justice, were major work-related risk factors for shoulder and neck disorders, whereas ergonomic hazards were major work-related risk factors for lower back and wrist or hand disorders.ConclusionDifferent workplace hazards contribute to the risks of different MSDs. To prevent the development of MSDs, occupational health professionals should evaluate both ergonomic and psychosocial work hazards and develop health prevention programs tailored to the risk profiles of working populations.     

The role of whole-body vibration in back pain: A cross-sectional study with agricultural pilots

ObjectiveA cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the role of whole-body vibration as a risk factor for spinal musculoskeletal symptoms among agricultural pilots.MethodThe study was conducted in two stages that included measuring the pilots’ exposure to whole-body vibration during the flight procedures and applying a self-administered questionnaire about musculoskeletal symptoms of the spine.ResultsNone of the four aircraft texted exposed the pilot above the Exposure Limit Value (ELV) established by the standards. However, in a few specific situations, two of them exceeded the Exposure Action Value (EAV). About 62% of the pilots who operated these aircraft reported some musculoskeletal symptoms of the spine in the last few 12 months.ConclusionUsing the data from this study, it was possible to calculate the odds ratio of the agricultural pilot suffering low back pain, based on eight personal and work-related factors.Relevance for the industryBased on the results of the present study, it was possible to define strategies to reduce whole-body exposure in agricultural aircraft and, consequently, improve the pilots’ health. Strategies included management of the exposure and aircraft improvement.     

Study protocol and baseline results for a quasi-randomized control trial: An investigation on the effects of ergonomic interventions on work-related musculoskeletal disorders,quality of work-life and productivity in knowledge-based companies

IntroductionWork-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are the major causes of lost workdays, increased costs, and occupational diseases in all countries. The prevalence of WMSDs among the workers in small and medium-sized enterprises in Iran was reported as 73%. This paper aimed to describe the design of an interventional study to investigate the effects of ergonomic interventions on work-related musculoskeletal disorders, quality of work-life, and productivity among office workers of knowledge-based companies and introduce the results obtained from the baseline survey.Methods/designIt was a quasi-randomized control trial study on 313 participants with four parallel groups including ergonomic training intervention; management training and work changes intervention; ergonomic training, management training and work changes intervention; and non-interventional control group. The primary outcome was WMSDs, and the secondary outcomes were occupational stress factors, quality of work-life, and productivity. All primary and secondary outcomes were measured before the interventions, one, three, and six months after the interventions.ResultsAt this phase of study only baseline results were reported. 328 participants, with a mean age of 31.97 years (SD = 5.39), completed the baseline survey and entered the study. The highest prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders was found in neck (52.13%), right shoulder (41.16%) and right forearm (37.2%), respectively.ConclusionErgonomic interventions were conducted based on baseline data of the participants at individual and management levels. The focus of training program interventions was to reduce musculoskeletal disorders in upper limbs; in management training and work changes program, the focus was to increase social support.Trial registrationIRCT registration number: IRCT20181204041840N1 (date of registration: 2019-02-05).     

The Suitability for the Work‐Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Checklist Assessment in the Semiconductor Industry: A Case Study

Musculoskeletal disorders and symptoms are common among workers in the semiconductor and related industries. Ergonomic‐related checklists are used to identify musculoskeletal disorder risk factors in the workplace. This study explores the suitability of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) checklist for use in the semiconductor manufacturing industry. Six companies were enrolled in the current study, and 122 subjects, ranging in age from 21 to 54 years old, were evaluated through a questionnaire survey and field observation using the OSHA MSDs checklist. The observers were administered an ergonomics‐based checklist training course with a duration of 36 hours. Experimental results demonstrated that nearly 50% of subjects reported physical discomfort, with shoulder symptoms (38.5%) being the most common complaint. In addition, the aggregated sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive values for the MSDs checklist in the six companies were 47.3%, 62.4%, and 30.0%, respectively. This study concluded that the OSHA MSDs checklist appeared to contain better estimates for capturing musculoskeletal discomfort and found that the OSHA MSDs checklist provided an easily administered, proactive surveillance instrument to assist in early identification of musculoskeletal discomfort. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Ergonomic evaluation of the musculoskeletal risks in a banana harvesting activity through qualitative and quantitative measures,with emphasis on motion capture (Xsens) and EMG

The objective of this study was to evaluate the risk of musculoskeletal injuries in a banana processing task. A sample of three workers were evaluated with the Nordic questionnaire as well as according to effort, discomfort and usability levels, hand grip dynamometry, inertial sensor motion capture (Xsens) and surface electromyography in the right arm. The workers had musculoskeletal complaints throughout the spine and hips, low effort and discomfort levels, and a satisfactory usability level. The hand grip strength values (dominant: 54.8 Kgf; non-dominant: 54.2 Kgf) were above the reference values for the Brazilian population. Regarding movement analysis, we identified risks related to cervical protrusion, forward and lateral trunk flexion, abduction and flexion in the shoulders, flexion, extension, radial and ulnar deviation in the wrists, as well as repetitive movements. Surface electromyography showed that the greatest demand during the task was on the extensor carpi radialis, although the trapezius and flexor carpi radialis showed a tendency toward fatigue. Thus, the set of evaluations showed that the tool used and worker adaptation to the position of the bunches, together with the repetitious movement, led to inadequate postures and musculoskeletal risks.Relevance to industryThe banana processing activity generates employment and income in several regions of the world and in Brazil. However, it is still rudimentary and may present risks to the worker's health. This study seeks to elucidate ergonomic risks through technological instrumentation in order to have a quantitative assessment of the ergonomic risks.     

Machine learning-based identification and classification of physical fatigue levels: A novel method based on a wearable insole device

Construction is known for being a labor-intensive and risky industry. Within various occupational settings such as construction, physical fatigue is an underlying health condition that may lead to musculoskeletal disorders and fall-related injuries. Identifying a worker's physical fatigue could enable safety managers to mitigate fatigue-related injuries and improve workplace operations. However, current physical fatigue assessment and identification methods include subjective, physiological, biomechanical, and computer vision approaches, which may be unreliable, intrusive, and require extensive post-processing, thus, rendering them impractical for continuous monitoring of workers' movements and automated identification of physical fatigue. Given the above, this study aims to utilize a wearable insole device to identify and classify physical fatigue levels in construction workers. Ten asymptomatic subjects were recruited to perform a fatiguing manual rebar tying activity in a laboratory setting. Borg's rating of perceived exertion (RPE) was applied as a subjective measure for collecting the levels of physical fatigue of each subject. Three sub-classification problems for identifying physical fatigue levels (i.e., PFL1, PFL2, and PFL3) were assessed. Numerous features were evaluated from the collected data samples after data segmentation. The classification performance of supervised machine learning algorithms was evaluated at a sliding window of 2.56 s. Our results from 10-fold cross-validation show an accuracy of 86% for the Random Forest (RF) algorithm, indicating the best performance among other algorithms. In addition, precision, recall, specificity, and F1-score metrics of the RF algorithm were between 52.63% and 82.62%, 52.63%–84.32%, 89.60%–92.33%, and 52.63%–83.46%, respectively. These results indicate that data samples such as acceleration and plantar pressure acquired from a wearable insole device are reliable for identifying and classifying physical fatigue levels in construction workers. In summary, this study would contribute to providing a proactive physical fatigue assessment method and guidelines for early identification of physical fatigue in construction.     

视频监控系统中云台控制模块的设计与实现

针对目前嵌入式视频监控系统中,云台控制模块开发周期长且运行不稳定的问题,提出了基于简单网络管理协议(SNMP)的远程云台控制方案.该方案运用Net-SNMP作为开发工具,通过扩展MIB库在嵌入式系统上移植SNMP代理,成功地实现了IP网上云台的远程控制.实验表明,该方案不仅稳定可靠而且开发周期短,已被运用于某单位的视频...