Development of Acceptable Hand Impact Force Limits

Details

• Personal Author:
  Esfahani M ; Iman M ; Kim S ; Nussbaum M ; Rashedi E ; Sedighi A
• Description:
  Tech Intermediate level Upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders, including the hand/wrist, are common in the workplace. Repetitive impacts using the hand may be a risk factor for these disorders and such impacts often occur in the automotive industry (e.g., during final trim assembly, using the "hand as a hammer"). Currently, there is limited evidence regarding acceptable exposures to these impacts or the influences of important task characteristics. We used a psychophysical approach, very similar to an earlier study. Twenty females completed a simulated trim installation task, which captured the typical force profiles required for trim installation. Participants were asked to repetitively strike a load cell with the highest amount of force that would not cause pain, undue discomfort, etc. After initial practice and familiarization, the task was performed for different strike frequencies and locations/postures and in each participant could adjust the "resistance" required. Several outcomes measures were derived from each impact force profile. Force limits were affected by strike frequency and location/posture and distributions of acceptable forces were compiled for each of the task conditions. These data can be used to develop guidelines for tasks involving repetitive hand impact. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Force Guidelines Hand Injuries MSD Musculoskeletal Disorders Posture Repetitive Work
• Publisher:
  GOErgo, the Global Organization of Ergonomics, Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• 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:
  34-35
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20066069
• Citation:
  The 20th Annual Applied Ergonomics Conference: Optimize business through applied ergonomics, March 27-30, 2017, Orlando, Florida. Norcross, GA: GOErgo, the Global Organization of Ergonomics, Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, 2017 Mar; :34-35
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• Performing Organization:
  Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20010701
• Source Full Name:
  The 20th Annual Applied Ergonomics Conference: Optimize business through applied ergonomics, March 27-30, 2017, Orlando, Florida
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:49fc24fa4e034791f34151f4b941d60945b6edf29b97e05798bc5acc4724e71ad67ff3c58d271024061670cd91ac401a6ec9ec865a433e4ec45d7d90d17316f1
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/209141/cdc_209141_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 7.34 MB ]