A Scoping Review on Emerging Technologies and Automation of Musculoskeletal Ergonomic Assessments

Details

• Journal Article:
  Ergonomics
• Personal Author:
  Iyer, Hari ; Kim, Eunsik ; Nam, Chang S. ; Jeong, Heejin
• Description:
  Ergonomic suitability is critical in tasks involving musculoskeletal movement. Many industries have examined best practices and assessed workers' ergonomic conditions during physical tasks. Prolonged awkward postures are a known cause of discomfort and restricted mobility in areas such as the arms, spine, and neck. Technologies like computer vision and human activity recognition can help identify and prioritize ergonomic improvements. This paper presents findings from a two-decade scoping review on the role of automation and study design in ergonomic assessments of physical workplace tasks. Articles were sourced from Scopus, PubMed, IEEE Xplore, Engineering Village, and Google Scholar. Eighty-four studies were analyzed to evaluate the use of technologies in data collection, experimentation, analysis, and validation. We examined how participant variables (e.g. sample size, body part of interest) and validation accuracy impact study outcomes across domains. Integrating advanced technologies into ergonomic evaluations can enhance worker safety and productivity by supporting real-time, evidence-based decision-making.
• Subjects:
  Ergonomics Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Musculoskeletal Disorders; Computer Vision; Neural Networks Emerging Technology; Ergonomics; Automation; Musculoskeletal Disorders; MSD; Posture; Neural Networks;
• Source:
  Ergonomics 2025 Aug; :[Epub ahead of print]
• ISSN:
  0014-0139
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  North Carolina ; Arizona ; Illinois ; Atlanta Region [OSHA] ; San Francisco Region [OSHA] ; Chicago Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  27 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071363
• Contact Point Address:
  Heejin Jeong, The Polytechnic School, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Arizona State University, Mesa, AZ, USA
• Email:
  heejin.jeong@asu.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Performing Organization:
  University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• End Date:
  20270630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:cf63b3a6f2be23ec43b7e1bc65f0b32cc07f70b536886471b9fc3fc4e3b4dca083446eaa5fecc1a6b992c2d3cad7728903665f2fd71817152b5eaabd365ccdb3
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/258838/cdc_258838_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 5.78 MB ]