The influence of rice plow handle design and whole-body posture on grip force and upper-extremity muscle activation

Details

• Personal Author:
  Kaber D ; Namkorn P ; Phimphasak C ; Puntumetakul R ; Saenlee K ; Swangnetr M ; Zhu B
• Description:
  A previous job screening study revealed ergonomics risk factors in rice field plowing. This work motivated the present experimental investigation of the influence of plow handle design and farmer whole-body posture on grip force and arm muscle activity. A total of 24 experienced farmers performed a simulated plowing task, including walking on even and uneven ground while rolling a tiller equipped with conventional horizontal and proposed vertical handles. Results revealed the proposed handles, designed to promote neutral wrist posture, to increase upper-arm muscle use between 47% and 70% across ground types, as compared with conventional handles. The ratio of grip force to forearm muscle activity (or efficiency in muscle use) increased from 1.85 when using conventional handles on uneven ground to 2.16 when using the proposed handles with symmetrical body posture on even ground. However, participants perceived higher discomfort when using the proposed handles, as they were accustomed to the conventional design. Practitioner Summary: The findings of this work may be used to educate farmers on the potential for hand and arm injury in rice cultivation activities. Results may also provide a basis for redesign of existing tiller handles to promote neutral wrist posture, greater efficiency in muscle use and machine control. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Ergonomics Farmers Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Agricultural-industry Agricultural-workers Arm-injuries Author Keywords: Tool Handle Design Body-mechanics Body-regions Body Part Discomfort Equipment-design Force Grip Force Hand-injuries Hand-tools Human-factors-engineering Injury-prevention Muscle-function Muscle Activity Musculoskeletal-system-disorders Physiological-effects Physiological-testing Posture Task-performance Tools Whole-body Posture

  More +
• ISSN:
  0014-0139
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  North Carolina ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  57
• Issue:
  10
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20044687
• Citation:
  Ergonomics 2014 Oct; 57(10):1526-1535
• Contact Point Address:
  M. Swangnetr, Research Center in Back, Neck, Other Joint Pain and Human Performance, Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
• Email:
  manida@kku.ac.th
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• Performing Organization:
  University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Ergonomics
• End Date:
  20270630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:63c76e3bbb2f334ac63b5667654db107d31a1a40b13cabe88f9dac00e738b5c5cecaf536a877db5c102d4fde3d2b9cf948cb4f7f332b1f268890bd0228cde0c7
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/200331/cdc_200331_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 258.83 KB ]