Visualizing Stressful Aspects of Repetitive Motion Tasks and Opportunities for Ergonomic Improvements Using Computer Vision

Details

• Personal Author:
  Azari DP ; Greene RL ; Hu YH ; Radwin RG
• Description:
  Patterns of physical stress exposure are often difficult to measure, and the metrics of variation and techniques for identifying them is underdeveloped in the practice of occupational ergonomics. Computer vision has previously been used for evaluating repetitive motion tasks for hand activity level (HAL) utilizing conventional 2D videos. The approach was made practical by relaxing the need for high precision, and by adopting a semi-automatic approach for measuring spatiotemporal characteristics of the repetitive task. In this paper, a new method for visualizing task factors, using this computer vision approach, is demonstrated. After videos are made, the analyst selects a region of interest on the hand to track and the hand location and its associated kinematics are measured for every frame. The visualization method spatially deconstructs and displays the frequency, speed and duty cycle components of tasks that are part of the threshold limit value for hand activity for the purpose of identifying patterns of exposure associated with the specific job factors, as well as for suggesting task improvements. The localized variables are plotted as a heat map superimposed over the video, and displayed in the context of the task being performed. Based on the intensity of the specific variables used to calculate HAL, we can determine which task factors most contribute to HAL, and readily identify those work elements in the task that contribute more to increased risk for an injury. Work simulations and actual industrial examples are described. This method should help practitioners more readily measure and interpret temporal exposure patterns and identify potential task improvements. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Ergonomics Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Software
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Occupational Ergonomics Computer Programs Computer Software Etiology Exposure Limits Motion Studies Physical Stress Exposure Physiological Effects Physiological Stress Physiology Repetitive Work Risk Factors Spatial Perception Task Performance Threshold Limit Values TLV Video Visual Aids Work Design Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders

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• ISSN:
  0003-6870
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 5 ; Wisconsin
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  461-472
• Volume:
  65
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20051527
• Citation:
  Appl Ergon 2017 Nov; 65:461-472
• Contact Point Address:
  Robert G. Radwin, 1550 Engineering Drive, Madison, WI 53706, United States
• Email:
  radwin@discovery.wisc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• Performing Organization:
  University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20120701
• Source Full Name:
  Applied Ergonomics
• End Date:
  20150630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:028daf871e94297b6bafc3955303a91ad868a25aee7ea82c3248a98922eb1f4aaf2b9a17a6bbd5f3d83f9e2be03ed90718ec365e61c9243756e9aa8bb6092e34
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/211433/cdc_211433_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.44 MB ]