Investigation of Select Ergonomic Interventions for Farm Youth. Part 1: Shovels

Details

• Personal Author:
  Davis, Kermit G. ; Kotowski SE ; Waters, Thomas R.
• Description:
  There is some evidence that performing farm chores may place youth at risk of musculoskeletal injuries. However, actual investigations of interventions for farm youth have been sparse. The objective of the current study was to investigate two different types of interventions (addon handles) for shovels, potentially reducing the risk of injury in farm youth. A lumbar motion monitor was used to capture trunk posture and motion while the youth performed a simulated shoveling task - removal of material from an animal stall. Ratings of perceived exertion and comfort of use were also assessed. The results indicate add-on handles decreased sagittal flexion but increased twisting as compared to regular shovels. Perceived ratings were worse for shovels with add-on handles. Overall, there appears to be a trade-off between sagittal and nonsagittal motion and appears to have minimal impact on risk of low back injury. However, further research is necessary to determine the complete ramifications of this trade-off with respect to the biomechanical load within the low back and on other joints. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Ergonomics Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety
• Keywords:
  Agricultural-industry Agricultural-workers Author Keywords: Farm Youth Back-injuries Children Equipment-design Interventions Manual Material Handling Musculoskeletal-system Musculoskeletal-system-disorders Musculoskeletal Disorders Posture Risk-factors Shoveling Skeletal-movement Skeletal-system-disorders

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• ISSN:
  1059-924X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DART - Division of Applied Research and Technology
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  33-43
• Volume:
  19
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20035155
• Citation:
  J Agromedicine 2009 Jan; 19(1):33-43
• Contact Point Address:
  Kermit G. Davis, PhD, Director, Low Back Biomechanics and Workplace Stress Laboratory, University of Cincinnati, Department of Environmental Health, Cincinnati, OH 45267-0056
• Email:
  kermit.davis@uc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2009
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Agromedicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c2995fac37063b8cb3ade758c73c7d1698b77c958d796d076b32ddbae766780016b248f56b66ee7cc95bec0e3761e8cabf68f2ca0f1e6464db20e2ec78f06599
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/187097/cdc_187097_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 592.39 KB ]