Comparisons of physical exposure between workers harvesting apples on mobile orchard platforms and ladders, part 2: repetitive upper arm motions.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Aulck L ; Boyle LN ; Ching RP ; Galvin K ; Johnson PW ; McQuade KJ ; Tchong-French M ; Thamsuwan O ; Aulck L ; Boyle LN ; Ching RP ; Galvin K ; Johnson PW ; McQuade KJ ; Tchong-French M ; Thamsuwan O
• Description:
  Farmworkers are exposed to physical risk factors including repetitive motions. Existing ergonomic assessment methods are primarily laboratory-based and, thus, inappropriate for use in the field. This study presents an approach to characterize the repetitive motions of the upper arms based on direct measurement using accelerometers. Repetition rates were derived from upper arm inclination data and with video recordings in the field. This method was used to investigate whether harvesting with mobile platforms (teams harvesting apples from the platform and the ground) increased the farmworkers' exposure to upper arm repetitive motions compared to traditional harvesting using ladders. The ladder workers had higher repetitive motions (13.7 cycles per minute) compared to the platform and ground workers (11.7 and 12.2 cycles per minutes). The higher repetitions in the ladder workers were likely due to their ability to work independently and the additional arm movements associated with ladder climbing and walking. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Biomechanical Phenomena Ergonomics Farmers Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Workers; Agriculture; Farm Workers; Ladders; Ergonomics; Repetitive Work; Posture; Biomechanics; Upper Extremities; Musculoskeletal Disorders; MSD; Author Keywords: Accelerometer; Agriculture; Productivity; Repetition
• ISSN:
  0003-6870
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article ; Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health ; Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America ; North America
• Volume:
  89
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20065435
• Citation:
  Appl Ergon 2020 Nov; 89:103192
• Contact Point Address:
  Ornwipa Thamsuwan, #305 - 920 9th St E, Saskatoon, SK S7H 0N1, Canada
• Email:
  fahornwipa@gmail.com
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing ; Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Washington
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  Applied Ergonomics
• End Date:
  20270929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f5e5cfe3fd3ef931cc14462e4e66e38c5e4757dbe3292042c29999ba8100b3b8b3dbda44ec7a3e673f3a123f1992092731cf771a445314f3ffc3dd280aff96c4
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/248816/cdc_248816_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.58 MB ]