A Feasibility Study Comparing Objective and Subjective Field-Based Physical Exposure Measurements During Apple Harvesting with Ladders and Mobile Platforms

Details

• Personal Author:
  Galvin K ; Johnson PW ; Kim JH ; Tchong-French M ; Thamsuwan O
• Description:
  Objectives: Although mobile orchard platforms have been developed to improve apple harvesting productivity in the United States, the physical exposures of workers using the mobile platforms have not been well characterized, partly due to the lack of assessment tools specific to the tree fruit orchard environment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and utility of different subjective and objective methods for characterizing apple harvesting workers' posture, arm repetition, heart rate, and perceived exertion during platform- and conventional ladder-based harvesting. Methods: During a regular full shift work (8 hours), the objective physical exposure measures (arm elevation, torso inclination, and heart rate) of six platform, six ground, and eight ladder workers were measured with tri-axial accelerometers and heart rate monitor; subjective perceived exertion was collected using standardized Borg RPE and CR-10 scales, translated into Spanish. Results: The results showed that the arm elevation, torso forward bending, repetitiveness, heart rates, and perceived exertions were lower for the platform-based workers than for the ladder-based workers. The subjective measures (Borg RPE and Borg CR-10) appeared to be similar and mirror the general trends of the objective heart rate and posture measures. Conclusion: These results indicate the potential benefit of these low-cost subjective measures when direct measurements are too costly, complicated, or not permitted. This study determined that field measurements of objective and subjective physical exposures were feasible for evaluating apple harvesting work. In summary, all the methods used appear to be feasible for field use in orchard-based environments. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Cardiovascular System Ergonomics Feasibility Studies Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Workers Author Keywords: Borg RPE Body Mechanics Borg CR-10 Exposure Assessment Feasibility Assessment Foodstuff Heart Rate Inclinometry Ladders Mobile Equipment Posture Repetitive Work

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• ISSN:
  1059-924X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Oregon ; OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  268-278
• Volume:
  24
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20055086
• Citation:
  J Agromedicine 2019 Jul; 24(3):268-278
• Contact Point Address:
  Ornwipa Thamsuwan, Canadian Centre for Health and Safety in Agriculture, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
• Email:
  fahornwipa@gmail.com
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Washington
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Agromedicine
• End Date:
  20270929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:224c97e97d70d806276ee1c8ccecacbd7a5730658d88202288281324372cd5ae9a7d9ec724b817d230888a9342c9695088f0a43e40123dcb09c205341f57891e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/217457/cdc_217457_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.55 MB ]