Vertical Trellises Best for Vineyard Pruning, UC-Davis Researcher Finds

Details

• Personal Author:
  Fathallah F ; Faucett J ; Garcia E ; Janowitz I ; Kato A ; Meyers J ; Miles J ; Miller B ; Reiter D ; Tejeda D
• Description:
  A study conducted by a University of California-Davis researcher shows that an increasingly popular trellising system in California vineyards also is yielding protection from musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) for field workers. A team headed by Dr. Fadi Fathallah, assistant professor at the university's Biological and Agricultural Engineering department, studied 23 workers using five simulated types of trellising systems. His team found that the vertical shoot positioning (VSP) system, which is commonly found in the Napa and Sonoma winegrowing regions and is finding increasing acceptance throughout California, showed the lowest level of risk, on average, wrist and back injuries during pruning and harvesting. The optimum height range for pruning and hand-harvesting fruit is between 32 and 40 inches, the study determined. Workers using the VSP system were found to be in the "neutral" positioning range during pruning the largest percent of the time, with an average of more than 73 percent. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Ergonomics Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Processes Agricultural Workers Humans MSD Musculoskeletal System Disorders Repetitive Strain Injury RSI
• ISSN:
  1054-1209
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  30
• Issue:
  25
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20058292
• Citation:
  Cal-OSHA Report 2003 Jun; 30(25):8019-8020
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2003
• NORA Priority Area:
  Disease and Injury: Low Back Disorders
• Performing Organization:
  University of California Davis, Davis, California
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20000601
• Source Full Name:
  Cal-OSHA Reporter
• End Date:
  20040531
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5d6c2b98aee8871b65d8f6aa51ef653b10d3182cfdef50ebc8614574bc4405cb5e9a035621f07eb544b77d2001db5cf3e2ffb3c7ef292a26bef83bde33b41163
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/221419/cdc_221419_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 401.01 KB ]