scholarly journals Evaluation of a Passive Upper-Limb Exoskeleton Applied to Assist Farming Activities in Fruit Orchards

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 757
Author(s):  
Hsien-Min Wang ◽  
Dang Khanh Linh Le ◽  
Wei-Chih Lin
Keyword(s):  
Upper Limb ◽  
Occupational Injury ◽  
Occupational Injuries ◽  
Muscle Tension ◽  
Physical Exertion ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Upper Limb Exoskeleton ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Fruit Orchards ◽  
Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorder

Work-related musculoskeletal disorder (WMSD) is a common occupational injury. Among the occupational injuries of agricultural workers, 93% are related to WMSD, with the shoulder being the second most affected area. This paper presents a passive upper-limb exoskeleton (PULE) with a gas spring and four-bar mechanism developed to aid the daily activities associated with orchard farming. The PULE is used to assist the arm-lifting process, reducing the physical exertion of farmers and the risk of developing WMSD. Electromyography (EMG) measurements of 26 participants were obtained to evaluate the difference in physical exertion with and without the PULE. Two arm activities: fruit thinning, with the arms raised and maintained at 100°, and pesticide spraying, with the hands swinging from 0° to 100° and back, were simulated. Using the PULE decreased muscle tension of the anterior deltoid (AD) by 17.64–19.86%. The PULE also decreased the AD activity by 37.67–39.57% during the actual orchard farming operations. The Qualisys motion capture system indicated that the difference in the lifting angle of the upper limb with and without the PULE was less than 1° and not significant (α > 0.05). Thus, the PULE did not affect the flexibility of the wearer in orchard farming activities.

One-Year Incidence of Occupational Injuries among Teenagers in a Swedish Rural Municipality

1988 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Jacobsson ◽  
Lothar Schelp
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Injury ◽  
Occupational Injuries ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Temporary Employment ◽  
Occupational Accidents ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Registration System ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Time Work ◽  
One Year

The aim of this study was to investigate occupational injuries among teenagers in a defined population and geographical area with regard to incidence and severity and to compare our registration system with that of the Swedish Occupational Injury Information System. All occupational accidents in the age group 15–19 years were registered at public health centres. We found a higher incidence compared to school accidents in the same age group as well as in relation to occupational accidents in the older population. Part-time work, lack of experience, temporary employment, unskilled work, and age-specific behavioural patterns are factors that might explain the higher incidence rate. The highest rates were found in service, military and unspecified occupations. Only 25 % of the work-related accidents in our study were registered by the Swedish Occupational Injury System (ISA). It seems possible to reduce the number of accidents through the instigation of fairly simple measures. The coverage of the registration by the ISA seems to be incomplete.

scholarly journals Ergonomic assessment of work-related musculoskeletal disorder and its determinants among commercial mini bus drivers and driver assistants (mini bus conductors) in Nigeria

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0260211
Author(s):  
Echezona Nelson Dominic Ekechukwu ◽  
Erobogha Useh ◽  
Obumneme Linky Nna ◽  
Nmachukwu Ifeoma Ekechukwu ◽  
Ogbonna Nnajiobi Obi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Job Stress ◽  
Musculoskeletal Disorder ◽  
Occupational Injury ◽  
Job Dissatisfaction ◽  
Bus Drivers ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Work Duration ◽  
Bus Conductors ◽  
Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorder

Introduction Work-related musculoskeletal disorder (WMSD) is a leading causes of occupational injury and disability among drivers and workers in the transport industry. This study evaluated the ergonomically assessed WMSD and its determinants among Nigerian commercial mini bus drivers (BD) and mini bus conductors (BC) Method A total of 379 participants (BD = 200, BC = 179) were purposively sampled for this exploratory cross-sectional study. Participants’ WMSD and work related variables were respectively assessed using the standardized Nordic questionnaire and a content-validated, Driving Work Station Assessment (DWSA) form. Data were analyzed descriptively and inferentially using chi-square and logistic regression. The level of significance was set at α = 0.05. Results The participants were aged between 20 and 66 years, with a mean age of 33.26±10.76years (BD = 38.42±10.22years, BC = 27.50±8.13years); most of whom consumed alcohol (84.4%) and experienced severe job stress (73.4%). There was a high prevalence (95.8%; BD = 94.5%, BC = 97.8%) of WMSDs, the lower back (66.8%) and upper back (54.1%) had the highest regional prevalence of WMSD. The BC (BC vs BD) had significantly (p<0.05) higher prevalence of Neck (47.7% vs 21.5%) and upper back (80.4% vs 30.5%) WMSDs. Conversely, the BD (BD vs BC) had significantly (p<0.05) higher prevalence of low-back (85.0% vs 46.4%), knee (25.0% vs 9.5%), elbow (11.5% vs 3.9%), and wrist (10.5% vs 3.4%) WMSD. There was a significant association between WMSD and each of work duration (X2 = 11.634, p = 0.009), work frequency (X2 = 8.394, p = 0.039), job dissatisfaction (X2 = 10.620, p = 0.001) and job stress (X2 = 16.879, p = 0.001). Working beyond 4days/week (OR = 10.019, p = 0.001), job dissatisfaction (OR = 1.990, p = 0.031), constrained working postures (OR = 5.324, p = 0.003) and fatigue (OR = 4.719, p = 0.002) were the predictors of WMSD. Conclusion Job stress, work duration and work frequency, posture and fatigue are important determinants of WMSDs among mini bus drivers and their assistants in Nigeria. Ergonomics training intervention for this population is recommended.

CLASSIFICATION OF OCCUPATIONAL INJURY CASES USING THE REGRESSION TREE APPROACH

2006 ◽  
Vol 13 (02) ◽  
pp. 171-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALESSANDRO PERSONA ◽  
DARIA BATTINI ◽  
MAURIZIO FACCIO ◽  
MAURIZIO BEVILACQUA ◽  
FILIPPO EMANUELE CIARAPICA
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Injury ◽  
Occupational Injuries ◽  
Regression Tree ◽  
Parametric Modeling ◽  
Classification And Regression Tree ◽  
Great Effort ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Injury Data ◽  
Non Parametric

Occupational safety and illness surveillance has made a great effort to spread a "safety culture" to all workplaces and a great deal of progress has been made in finding solutions that guarantee safer working conditions.This paper analyses occupational injury data in order to identify specific risk groups and factors that in turn could be further analyzed to define prevention measures. A technique based on rule induction is put forward as a non-parametric alternative tool for analyzing occupational injury data which specifically uses the Classification And Regression Tree (CART) approach. Application of this technique to relevant work-related injury data collected in Italy has been encouraging. Data referring to 156 cases of injury in the period 2000–2002 were analyzed and lead to the factors that most affect work-related injuries being identified. According to the literature, up to the time of writing computer-intensive non-parametric modeling procedures have never been used to analyze occupational injuries. The aim of this paper is to use a real world application to illustrate the advantages and flexibility of applying a typical non-parametric epidemiological tool, such as CART, to an occupational injury study. This application can provide more informative, flexible, and attractive models identifying potential risk areas in support of decision-making in safety management.

Determinants of occupational injury for US home health aides reporting one or more work-related injuries

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 351-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanadi Hamadi ◽  
Janice C Probst ◽  
Mahmud M Khan ◽  
Jessica Bellinger ◽  
Candace Porter
Keyword(s):  
Work Environment ◽  
Injury Risk ◽  
Occupational Injury ◽  
Occupational Injuries ◽  
Home Health ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Home Health Aides ◽  
Work Related Injury ◽  
Environment Scale

ObjectivesHome health aides (HHAs) work in a high-risk industry and experience high rates of work-related injury that have been significantly associated with reduction in workers and organisational productivity, quality and performance. The main objective of the study was to examine how worker environment and ergonomic factors affect HHA risk for reporting occupational injuries.MethodWe used cross-sectional analysis of data from the 2007 National Home Health and Hospice Aide Survey (NHHAS). The study sample consisted of a nationally represented sample of home health aides (n=3.377) with a 76.6% response rate. We used two scales 1 : a Work Environment Scale and 2 an Ergonomic Scale. Univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted to describe HHA work-related injury across individual, job and organisational factors. To measure scale reliability, Cronbach’s alphas were calculated. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine predictors of reported occupational injury.ResultsIn terms of Work Environment Scale, the injury risk was decreased in HHAs who did not consistently care for the same patients (OR=0.96, 95% CI: 0.53 to 1.73). In terms of Ergonomic Scale, the injury risk was decreased only in HHAs who reported not needing any other devices for job safety (OR=0.30, 95% (CI): 0.15 to 0.61). No other Work Environment or Ergonomic Scale factors were associated with HHAs’ risk of injury.ConclusionThis study has great implications on a subcategory of the workforce that has a limited amount of published work and studies, as of today, as well as an anticipated large demand for them.

scholarly journals Chronotype, Sleep Characteristics, and Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Hospital Nurses

2017 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Zhang ◽  
Jeanne F. Duffy ◽  
Elizabeth Ronan de Castillero ◽  
Kefang Wang
Keyword(s):  
Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽  
Occupational Injury ◽  
Occupational Injuries ◽  
Sleep Onset ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Sleep Onset Latency ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Increased Risk

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) persist as the leading occupational injury, accounting for nearly half of nurses’ total occupational injuries. Musculoskeletal pain is a known cause of sleep disruption, and individuals with WMSDs that interfere with sleep often report more pain. Evening chronotype has been associated with poor sleep among nurses. However, the associations among chronotype, sleep, and WMSDs are still unclear, and were explored in the present study. A cross-sectional survey was administered to 397 nurses, with 47.4% reporting WMSDs. Robust Poisson regression modeling suggested that evening type (PR = 1.32, p < .05), prolonged sleep onset latency (PR = 1.37, p < .05), and using sleep-promoting substances (PR = 1.35, p < .01) were associated with increased risk of WMSDs among nurses, after adjusting for shift work, regular exercise, body mass index, and other covariates. This study suggests that well-designed evidence-based nonpharmacological interventions to improve sleep may reduce the risk of WMSDs among nurses.

scholarly journals Prevalence and injury patterns among electronic waste workers in the informal sector in Nigeria

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 185-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chimere May Ohajinwa ◽  
Peter M van Bodegom ◽  
Martina G Vijver ◽  
Adesola O Olumide ◽  
Oladele Osibanjo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Informal Sector ◽  
Occupational Injury ◽  
Occupational Injuries ◽  
Electronic Waste ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Multistage Sampling

BackgroundDespite the large volume of e-waste recycled informally, the prevalence of work-related injuries among e-waste workers is unknown. Therefore, this study assessed the prevalence, patterns and factors associated with occupational injuries among e-waste workers in the informal sector in Nigeria.MethodsThis cross-sectional study adopted a multistage sampling method to select 279 respondents from three cities (Ibadan, Lagos and Aba) in Nigeria. A questionnaire was used to obtain information on sociodemographics, work practices and injury occurrences from the respondents in 2015. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and standard logistic regression.ResultsWe found high injury prevalence of 38% and 68% in 1–2 weeks and 6 months preceding the study, respectively. The most common injuries were cuts (59%). Injuries were mainly caused by sharp objects (77%). The majority (82%) of the injuries occurred on the hands/fingers. Despite the high occurrence of injury, only 18% of the workers use personal protective equipment (PPE) and 51% of those that use PPE got at least an injury in 1–2 weeks and 88% got at least an injury in 6 months preceding the study. The factors associated with injury in 1–2 weeks were job designation and the geographical location, while the factors associated with injury in 6 months were job designation, geographical location and age.ConclusionsThere is a high prevalence of injury and low use of PPE among the e-waste workers in Nigeria. Occupational injury can be reduced through health education and safety promotion programmes for e-waste workers.

Work-Related Injuries: Injury Characteristics, Survival, and Age Effect

2011 ◽  
Vol 77 (6) ◽  
pp. 702-707 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agathoklis Konstantinidis ◽  
Peep Talving ◽  
Leslie Kobayashi ◽  
Galinos Barmparas ◽  
David Plurad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Illicit Drugs ◽  
Injury Severity ◽  
Occupational Injury ◽  
Occupational Injuries ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Work Related ◽  
National Trauma ◽  
Significant Burden ◽  
Study Population ◽  
Type Of Injury

Work-related injuries impose a significant burden on society. The goal of this study was to delineate the epidemiology and the effect of age on type and mortality after occupational injuries. Patients 16 years of age or older sustaining work-related injuries were identified from the National Trauma Databank 12.0. The study population was stratified into four age groups: 16 to 35, 36 to 55, 56 to 65, and older than 65 years old. The demographic characteristics, type of injury, mechanism of injury, setting of injury, use of alcohol or other illicit drugs, and mortality were analyzed and related to age strata. Overall 67,658 patients were identified. There were 27,125 (40.1%) patients in the age group 16 to 35 years, 30,090 (44.5%) in the group 36 to 55 years, 6,618 (9.8%) in the group 56 to 65 years, and 3,825 (5.7%) older than 65 years. The injury severity increased significantly with age. Elderly patients were significantly more likely to sustain intracranial hemorrhages, spinal, and other skeletal injuries. The overall mortality was 2.9 per cent (1938) with the latter increasing significantly in a stepwise fashion with progressing age, becoming sixfold higher in patients older than 65 years (OR, 6.18; 95% CI, 4.78 to 7.80; P < 0.001). Our examination illustrates the associations between occupational injury and significant mortality that warrant intervention for mortality reduction. There is a stepwise-adjusted increase in mortality with progressing age.

scholarly journals Nonfatal Occupational Injuries among Workers in Microscale and Small-Scale Woodworking Enterprise in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hailemichael Mulugeta ◽  
Yifokire Tefera ◽  
Meaza Gezu
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Occupational Injury ◽  
Occupational Injuries ◽  
Addis Ababa ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Operational Definition ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Work Related

Background. Microscale and small-scale industries have been widely expanded in low-income countries, including Ethiopia, as a job opportunity for young workers, which makes workers vulnerable to injury. Woodworking is one of the high-risk jobs in this sector due to the use of hazardous tools and machineries. Therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of injury and associated contributing factors of this sector. Methods. A cross-sectional study design was conducted among 634 workers selected from 194 microscale and small-scale woodworking enterprises in Addis Ababa. Data were collected using a structured interview questionnaire and observation checklist from February to March 2016. Occupational injuries were documented according to the ILO operational definition. Descriptive statistics and multivariable analyses were used to characterize the data and to identify the factors associated with injury at a p value <0.05, respectively. Result. A total of 625 (98.6%) workers were interviewed. The prevalence of occupational injury was 92 (14.7%) in the past 12 months. Workers with khat chewing behavior (AOR: 2.25, 95% CI (1.04, 4.85)), job dissatisfaction (AOR: 2.89, 95% CI (1.75, 4.76)), work-related stress (AOR: 4.79, 95% CI (1.69–13.58)), job categories (AOR: 3.52, 95% CI (1.08, 11.41)) and workplace characteristics such as unguarded machines (AOR: 3.32 (1.21, 9.11)), and inadequate work space (AOR: 3.85 (1.14, 13.04)) were significantly associated with occupational injury. Conclusion. The prevalence of nonfatal occupational injuries among workers in this study was substantially high. Workers’ behavior, psychosocial issues, and work-related characteristics played a causal role in the occurrence of occupational injury. Therefore, workers' safety protection and behavioral intervention should be initiated.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Health and Safety Training in Reducing Occupational Injuries Among Harvesting Forestry Contractors in KwaZulu-Natal

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (10) ◽  
pp. 499-507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hloni Nkomo ◽  
Ivan Niranjan ◽  
Poovendhree Reddy
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Injury ◽  
Occupational Injuries ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Safety Training ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Adequate Knowledge ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Kwazulu Natal

Forestry work is generally characterized by a combination of personal and environmental risks in health and safety. Employers need to ensure intensive and continuous safety training to mitigate these risks; however, the efficacy of this training is seldom evaluated. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of health and safety training in reducing injuries and improving knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions toward safety among forestry workers in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 harvesting contract workers employed at a forestry company in KZN. A questionnaire to assess the efficiency of health and safety training was administered. In addition, a retrospective review of the injury register and medical records of employees who sustained work-related injuries from 2009 to 2013 was completed. The company injury data for harvesting contractors reported 68 lost-time injuries during postcommencement of training. Slip, trip, and fall injuries were the most reported cause of injuries, particularly among manual harvesters. Respondents who were male, younger in age, and with less experience had an increased risk of occupational injury. Most participants displayed adequate knowledge of safety and were able to translate training into practice. The health and safety training initiative was successful in reducing injuries and increasing workers’ awareness of, and responsibility for, health and safety issues.

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