Identification and Assessment of Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) Risk for Concrete Formwork Systems

Details

• Journal Article:
  Identification and assessment of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) risk for concrete formwork systems
• Personal Author:
  Gambatese, John ; Jin, Ziyu
• Description:
  Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) account for more than half of all the injuries and illnesses in the construction industry. Concrete formwork construction is recognized as one of the work tasks in which workers have a high risk of developing MSDs. Previous research has focused extensively on the use of conventional job-built formwork. Given the growing use of prefabricated/engineered (including modular) formwork systems, this research study was designed to investigate the differences in work tasks and activities for different types of formwork systems, assess MSD risks associated with different types of formwork systems, and determine the prevalence and nature of MSDs in concrete formwork construction. A mixed-method research approach was adopted that included surveys of form workers, site observations, and worker posture evaluations using the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) method. The findings reveal a high prevalence of work-related MSD symptoms among form workers, and the majority of formwork tasks and activities impose medium- to high- MSD risk on workers. The use of modular formwork systems may create less ergonomic exposure to workers because modular forms are preassembled and relatively lightweight. The study provides an improved understanding of formwork activities, as well as the prevalence of work-related MSD symptoms in workers who perform formwork operations, and can be used by formwork designers and constructors to improve worker health and safety. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Construction Industry Engineering Ergonomics Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Construction industry; Musculoskeletal disorders; MSD; Repetitive work; Posture; Engineering controls; Ergonomics; Exposure assessment
• Source:
  Silver Spring, MD: CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training, 2021 Aug; :1-46
• Series:
  CPWR - Center for Construction Research and Training Publications
• Publisher:
  CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  production of this document was supported by cooperative agreement OH 009762 from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; Oregon ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  52 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20067597
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction
• Performing Organization:
  CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training, Silver Spring, Maryland
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e80801699a8d02c1b37bc0f5d2647d9f809db7427ee2a619c736817d2676d68f896f7873317fcfdee2f8f9176ab76476e7b89887dd4251bc697e65d67d770618
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/140615/cdc_140615_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.42 MB ]