Knowledge and opinions of designers of industrialized wall panels regarding incorporating ergonomics in design

Details

• Personal Author:
  Ikuma LH ; Kim S ; Nussbaum MA ; Seol H
• Description:
  As residential construction moves towards industrialized construction methods, ergonomic exposures of construction workers may increase due to heavier components and changes in construction activities. Ergonomic considerations early in the design stages are expected to have the most impact, provided that designers are aware of ergonomic risks and are willing to incorporate ergonomic principles into designs. To determine current knowledge and opinions regarding ergonomics in the context of one commonly used industrialized construction method (prefabricated wall panels), 12 panel designers completed a questionnaire, and seven of those designers participated in a semi-structured interview. Results showed that panel designers generally have little knowledge about the influence of panel designs on workers' ergonomic risks. Panel designers were neutral or slightly resistant to incorporating ergonomics into designs, due to perceptions of lack of responsibility and influence over workers' long-term health. Though the participants acknowledged the necessity of ergonomics in panel design, they were concerned with the possibilities of increased workload, costs, and decreased design flexibility. To advance the incorporation of ergonomics in panel design, panel designers need to recognize the potential ergonomic impact of their panel wall system designs. Current research represents an initial step in creating support tools for use in designing wall panel plans that decrease the risk of work-related injuries and illnesses in construction workers. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Construction Industry Ergonomics Men Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Surveys And Questionnaires Women Workplace
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Residential Construction Construction Construction-industry Construction Safety Design For Safety Exposure-levels Humans Injuries Panel Wall Construction Questionnaires Risk-factors Work-environment Workers

  More +
• ISSN:
  0169-8141
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement ; Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  150-157
• Volume:
  38
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20043296
• Citation:
  Int J Ind Ergon 2008 Feb; 38(2):150-157
• Contact Point Address:
  Maury A. Nussbaum, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering Virginia Tech 250 Durham Hall (0118) Blacksburg, VA 24061
• Email:
  nussbaum@vt.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2008
• Performing Organization:
  Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20040915
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics
• End Date:
  20100630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b04a9da4a130c20f8a408ea2c352a603f6ffadf247fd616b819dc65bbc6592aa6164364f5a7a63ea235795a61aad32807ce7096fc3ad6780c4b1bc58a260d457
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/195224/cdc_195224_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 157.14 KB ]