Hand Planter Ergonomics: Characterizing Physically Demanding Work in the Southeastern United States

Details

• Personal Author:
  Granzow R ; Schall M ; Smidt M
• Description:
  Low back and neck/shoulder musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are prevalent among reforestation hand planters. While previous investigations have documented the intense cardiovascular demands of manual planting, limited information is available regarding exposures to physical risk factors associated with the development of MSDs among hand planters. This study employed surface electromyography (EMG) and inertial measurement units (IMUs) to characterize the muscle activation patterns, upper arm and trunk postures, movement velocities, and physical activity (PA) of reforestation hand planters in the Southeastern United States over one entire work shift. Results indicate that hand planters are exposed to higher muscle activation patterns and more extreme upper arm and trunk postures and movement velocities than workers in several other occupational groups that commonly report a high prevalence of MSDs, including construction, automotive manufacturing, and healthcare workers. The findings indicate a need for continued field-based research among hand planters to identify and/or develop maximally effective intervention strategies and tools. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Ergonomics Forestry Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: MSDs Electromyography Forestry Workers MSD Muscle Activity Muscle Physiology Musculoskeletal Disorders Physical Activity Posture Upper Extremities
• ISBN:
  9783902762887
• Publisher:
  International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Alabama ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 6 ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070049
• Citation:
  IUFRO 125th Anniversary Congress 2017, September 18-22, 2017, Freiburg, Germany. Vienna, Austria: International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), 2017 Sep; :2
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Texas Health Center at Tyler
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20010901
• Source Full Name:
  IUFRO 125th Anniversary Congress 2017, September 18-22, 2017, Freiburg, Germany
• End Date:
  20270929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0df258eb7a9c2bc04cf8f770ddee4dfd077ca99da578d5b44ae664a08543d6e5d293db305fee12e98e2b569e8c27ccc42485fac8923aa7bcd33437dbd5a546a7
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208348/cdc_208348_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 387.38 KB ]