Empirical evaluation of neck muscle fatigue generated by healthcare related exertions

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cartwright ED ; Chowdhury SK ; Nimbarte AD
• Description:
  In this study, the effect of healthcare related physical and psycho socially stressful exertions on neuromuscular fatigue of the neck muscles was investigated. Eighteen healthy individuals (16 male, 2 female) performed force exertions commonly used during bed-to-stretcher patient transfer tasks under both the presence and absence of psycho socially stressful conditions. Sur face electromyography (SEMG) data from two neck muscles and subjective workload ratings using the NASA Task Load Index (TLX) were collected. The SEMG data was processed and analyzed using discrete wavelet transform (DWT) to quantify development of neuromuscular fatigue. The power of the lower fatigue frequency band (12-23 Hz) was found to be significantly higher during physical exertions performed under psychosocially stressful conditions than physical exertion alone, indicating a faster fatique development. Significantly higher NASA TLX workload scores for mental demand, temporal demand, and frustration were observed during combined physical and psychosocial exertions. The results of this study suggest that, in addition to the actual physical work, overall psychosocial stress in the work environment should be considered when designing work-rest schedules during long work shifts to reduce incidences of highly prevalent work-related neck musculoskeletal disorders among healthcare workers. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Movements Coal Coal Mining Methane Mining Occupational Health Safety Ventilation
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Fatigue Discrete Wavelet Transform Electromyography Fatigue Force Health Care Healthcare Health Care Personnel Health Care Workers Humans Men MSD Muscles Musculoskeletal System Musculoskeletal System Disorders Neck Neck Injuries Neuromuscular Function Neuromuscular System Neuromuscular System Disorders Physiological Stress Physiology Psychology Psychosocial Factors Stress Stress-related Injuries Women

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• ISSN:
  0925-7535
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  100-107
• Volume:
  57
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20049207
• Citation:
  Saf Sci 2013 Aug; 57:100-107
• Contact Point Address:
  Ashish D. Nimbarte, Industrial and Management Systems Engineering, PO Box 6070, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506-6107
• Email:
  Ashish.Nimbarte@mail.wvu.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2013
• Performing Organization:
  West Virginia University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Safety Science
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:71162b12bed392dddb1fd1047e3a941df312ae448580616d5e2a4d505cd093e537933ca2e273eca55760b6575025844af6782fe2eb5713887c1142788bf426df
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/203740/cdc_203740_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.28 MB ]