Passive Back Support Exoskeletons Do Not Effectively Reduce Physical Demands During Simulated Floor Tiling

Details

• Journal Article:
  Applied Ergonomics
• Personal Author:
  Usmani, Ahmad R. ; Rajabi, Mohammad S. ; Ojelade, Aanuoluwapo ; Kim, Sunwook ; Harris-Adamson, Carisa ; Barr, Alan ; Nussbaum, Maury A.
• Description:
  Back-support exoskeletons (BSEs) have the potential to reduce physical demands during many occupational tasks, but their effectiveness in flooring work remains underexplored. Eighteen participants performed simulated floor tiling work under three intervention conditions (HeroWear Apex(TM) = HW, Laevo Flex(TM) = LV, and no device = ND), across two tile sizes (small vs. large), and two task types (tiling vs. grouting). HW use increased back muscle activation by approx. 13-44 % compared to ND, while LV led to minimal changes. Some participants reported concerns with both BSEs, including movement restrictions, discomfort, and skin irritation. Significant interaction effects of intervention and tile size on muscle activity and subjective outcomes suggest the importance of considering task-specificity in BSE evaluations. Overall, the BSEs examined here did not effectively reduce physical demands during simulated floor tiling. Although we assessed BSE effects on tiling, our findings could also guide future implementation of exoskeletons in other similar construction tasks. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Construction
  • Ergonomics
  • Exoskeleton Device
  • Musculoskeletal System
  • Occupational Health
  • Safety
• Keywords:
  • Construction workers
  • Exoskeletons
  • Posture
  • Ergonomics
  • Tile workers
  • Muscle function
  • Task performance
  • Musculoskeletal disorders
  • MSD
  • Intervention effectiveness
  More +
• ISSN:
  0003-6870
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Maryland ; New York ; New York City Region OSHA ; Philadelphia Region OSHA ; San Francisco Region OSHA ; Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  9 pdf pages
• Volume:
  128
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071844
• Citation:
  Appl Ergon 2025 Oct; 128:104549
• Contact Point Address:
  Maury A. Nussbaum, Department of Industrial and System Engineering, Virginia Tech, 521 Whittemore Hall (MC 0118), 1185 Perry Street, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
• Email:
  nussbaum@vt.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2026
• Performing Organization:
  CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training, Silver Spring, Maryland
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  2009/09/01
• End Date:
  2024/08/31
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/260066/cdc_260066_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 4.80 MB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:08b688fcae7f4a8a8f37d59d6b88caaba9cceb73680dbd0990301a8fcb66b923232f74d09943c8e7a0e62787a6462e2a0eed641f05b669caaf9007c773358cb8