Understanding Contributing Factors to Exoskeleton Use-Intention in Construction: A Decision Tree Approach Using Results from an Online Survey

Details

• Personal Author:
  Barr A ; Gutierrez N ; Harris-Adamson C ; Kim S ; Moore A ; Nussbaum MA ; Ojelade A ; Rempel DM ; Srinivasan D
• Description:
  Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are a major health concern in the construction industry. Occupational exoskeletons (EXOs) are a promising ergonomic intervention to help reduce WMSD risk. Their adoption, however, has been low in construction. To understand the contributing factors to EXO use-intention and assist in future decision-making, we built decision trees to predict responses to each of three EXO use-intention questions (Try, Voluntary Use, and Behavioural Intention), using online survey responses. Variable selection and hyperparameter tuning were used respectively to reduce the number of potential predictors and improve prediction performance. The importance of variables in each final tree was calculated to understand which variables had a greater influence. The final trees had moderate prediction performance. The root node of each tree included EXOs becoming standard equipment, fatigue reduction, or performance increase. Important variables were found to be quite specific to different decision trees. Practical implications of the findings are discussed. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Construction Industry Decision Making Ergonomics Fatigue Musculoskeletal Diseases Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Exoskeleton Acceptance Construction Industry Decision Making Ergonomic Intervention Exoskeletons Implementation MSD Musculoskeletal Disorders Workplace Injuries
• ISSN:
  0014-0139
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement ; Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Maryland ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 9 ; South Carolina ; Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  67
• Issue:
  9
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20068977
• Citation:
  Ergonomics 2024 Sep; 67(9):1208-1221
• 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:
  2024
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction
• Performing Organization:
  CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training, Silver Spring, Maryland
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20090901
• Source Full Name:
  Ergonomics
• End Date:
  20240831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:02ea0b769b5d82355e1397b4b76b2ded2f9a3a71b577fe6a196a21ad99854756655399369a21aa202273e4f8192bdce541d2d54592564983f85e25e4fd1faa5d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/207534/cdc_207534_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.71 MB ]