Residential Wall Panel Designers’ Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Ergonomics

Details

• Personal Author:
  Babski-Reeves KL ; Hughes LE ; Hurley MJ ; Kim S ; Nussbaum MA
• Description:
  There is increasing use of panelized (prefabricated) wall systems in residential construction, requiring construction workers to handle larger and heavier components. Panel designers can make a substantial impact on ergonomic exposures of on site workers if ergonomics is considered in the design phase. A survey and a semi-structured interview were conducted to assess current knowledge and opinions of ergonomics among panel designers. Twelve panel designers from 11 different panel companies participated in the study. Results of the survey and the interview suggested that panel designers are rather resistant to the inclusion of ergonomics in their design, and they generally lack training in ergonomics. Designers considered themselves least responsible for construction worker safety and health, likely because they are disconnected from on site workers. Thus, it is essential that panel designers are supported with ergonomic assessment tools that can evaluate ergonomic exposures and provide alternative (improved) designs. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Construction Industry Construction Materials Ergonomics Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Construction Materials Construction Workers Equipment Design Equipment Testing Materials Handling Materials Testing
• ISSN:
  1071-1813
• Publisher:
  Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant ; Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  50
• Issue:
  13
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054061
• Citation:
  Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 50th Annual Meeting, October 16-20, 2006, San Francisco, California. Santa Monica, CA: Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 2006 Oct; 50(13):1892-1895
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2007
• Performing Organization:
  Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20040915
• Source Full Name:
  Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 50th Annual Meeting, October 16-20, 2006, San Francisco, California
• End Date:
  20100630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0446b796e168d9bf8b81f8a4318186eabe8d1b7c1704970cc44332519f7035bb738e7f23b9e2ccb09114aff0e140f65cc497bf8c62811663f46cf1ee32ab1f61
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/216703/cdc_216703_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 236.20 KB ]