scholarly journals A Promising Wearable Solution for the Practical and Accurate Monitoring of Low Back Loading in Manual Material Handling

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 340
Author(s):  
Emily S. Matijevich ◽  
Peter Volgyesi ◽  
Karl E. Zelik
Keyword(s):  
Injury Risk ◽  
Material Handling ◽  
Wearable Sensors ◽  
Measurement Unit ◽  
Low Back ◽  
Distributed Sensors ◽  
Manual Material Handling ◽  
Low Back Disorders ◽  
Boosted Decision Tree ◽  
Alternative Solutions

(1) Background: Low back disorders are a leading cause of missed work and physical disability in manual material handling due to repetitive lumbar loading and overexertion. Ergonomic assessments are often performed to understand and mitigate the risk of musculoskeletal overexertion injuries. Wearable sensor solutions for monitoring low back loading have the potential to improve the quality, quantity, and efficiency of ergonomic assessments and to expand opportunities for the personalized, continuous monitoring of overexertion injury risk. However, existing wearable solutions using a single inertial measurement unit (IMU) are limited in how accurately they can estimate back loading when objects of varying mass are handled, and alternative solutions in the scientific literature require so many distributed sensors that they are impractical for widespread workplace implementation. We therefore explored new ways to accurately monitor low back loading using a small number of wearable sensors. (2) Methods: We synchronously collected data from laboratory instrumentation and wearable sensors to analyze 10 individuals each performing about 400 different material handling tasks. We explored dozens of candidate solutions that used IMUs on various body locations and/or pressure insoles. (3) Results: We found that the two key sensors for accurately monitoring low back loading are a trunk IMU and pressure insoles. Using signals from these two sensors together with a Gradient Boosted Decision Tree algorithm has the potential to provide a practical (relatively few sensors), accurate (up to r2 = 0.89), and automated way (using wearables) to monitor time series lumbar moments across a broad range of material handling tasks. The trunk IMU could be replaced by thigh IMUs, or a pelvis IMU, without sacrificing much accuracy, but there was no practical substitute for the pressure insoles. The key to realizing accurate lumbar load estimates with this approach in the real world will be optimizing force estimates from pressure insoles. (4) Conclusions: Here, we present a promising wearable solution for the practical, automated, and accurate monitoring of low back loading during manual material handling.

Relationship Between Lumbar Disc Injury and Manual Lifting: A Finite Element Model Study

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raghu N. Natarajan ◽  
Jamie R. Williams ◽  
Steven A. Lavender ◽  
Gunnar B. J. Andersson
Keyword(s):  
Material Handling ◽  
Lumbar Disc ◽  
Element Model ◽  
Economic Loss ◽  
The United States ◽  
Physical Work ◽  
Low Back ◽  
Back Disorders ◽  
Manual Material Handling ◽  
Low Back Disorders

Back pain has been described as one of the most common and significant musculoskeletal problems in the United States leading to substantial amounts of morbidity, disability and economic loss. Among people under 45 years of age, low back disorders (LBDs) are the leading cause of activity limitation and affects up to 47% of workers with physically demanding jobs. Low back disorders are associated with occupational lifting. Retrospective studies of industrial injuries have identified manual material handling (MMH) as the most common cause of LBD. Disc degeneration has also been associated with physical work. Thus, loading due to lifting and manual material handling is believed to be a significant factor in the development of occupationally related LBDs.

scholarly journals Assessing the effect of back exoskeletons on injury risk during material handling

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl E Zelik ◽  
Cameron A Nurse ◽  
Mark C Schall ◽  
Richard F Sesek ◽  
Matthew C Marino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Fatigue Failure ◽  
Real World ◽  
Injury Risk ◽  
Material Handling ◽  
Health Program ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Low Back ◽  
Low Back Disorders

Low back disorders (LBDs) are a leading injury in the workplace. Back exoskeletons (exos) are wearable assist devices that complement traditional ergonomic controls and reduce LBD risks by alleviating musculoskeletal overexertion. However, there are currently no ergonomic assessment tools to evaluate risk for workers wearing back exos. Exo-LiFFT, an extension of the Lifting Fatigue Failure Tool, is introduced as a means to unify the etiology of LBDs with the biomechanical function of exos. We present multiple examples demonstrating how Exo-LiFFT can assess or predict the effect of exos on LBD risk without costly, time-consuming electromyography studies. For instance, using simulated and real-world material handling data we show an exo providing a 30 Nm lumbar moment is projected to reduce cumulative back damage by about 70% and LBD risk by about 20%. Exo-LiFFT provides a practical, efficient ergonomic assessment tool to assist safety professionals exploring back exos as part of a comprehensive occupational health program.

scholarly journals Trunk Flexion Monitoring among Warehouse Workers Using a Single Inertial Sensor and the Influence of Different Sampling Durations

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (19) ◽  
pp. 7117
Author(s):  
Micaela Porta ◽  
Massimiliano Pau ◽  
Pier Francesco Orrù ◽  
Maury A. Nussbaum
Keyword(s):  
Inertial Measurement Unit ◽  
Inertial Sensor ◽  
Measurement Unit ◽  
Low Back ◽  
Trunk Flexion ◽  
Acceptable Error ◽  
Low Back Disorders ◽  
Exposure Variation Analysis ◽  
Warehouse Workers ◽  
Future Work

Trunk flexion represents a risk factor for the onset of low-back disorders, yet limited quantitative data exist regarding flexion exposures in actual working conditions. In this study, we evaluated the potential of using a single inertial measurement unit (IMU) to classify trunk flexion, in terms of amplitude, frequency, and duration, and assessed the influence of alternative time durations on exposure results. Twelve warehouse workers were monitored during two hours of an actual shift while wearing a single IMU on their low back. Trunk flexion data were reduced using exposure variation analysis integrated with recommended exposure thresholds. Workers spent 5.1% of their working time with trunk flexion of 30–60° and 2.3% with flexion of 60–90°. Depending on the level of acceptable error, relatively shorter monitoring periods (up to 50 min) might be sufficient to characterize trunk flexion exposures. Future work is needed, however, to determine if these results generalize to other postural exposures and tasks.

Identifying Safe Load Moment Exposures for the Back

2009 ◽  
Vol 53 (14) ◽  
pp. 883-883
Author(s):  
Steven A. Lavender ◽  
William S. Marras ◽  
Sue A. Ferguson ◽  
Riley E. Splittstoesser ◽  
Gang Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Injury Risk ◽  
Physical Workload ◽  
Back Injury ◽  
Low Back ◽  
Distribution Centers ◽  
Back Disorders ◽  
Low Back Injury ◽  
Low Back Disorders ◽  
Back Disorder

Low back disorders continue to be the most common and significant work-related musculoskeletal disorders in the US. Identifying what constitutes a “safe” physical workload has been the biggest challenge facing injury prevention efforts. Prior low back injury risk models have focused on manufacturing activities where there is limited variability in the parameters used to describe the exposures to low back disorder risk factors. Lifting tasks in distribution centers can have considerably more variability in load and physical layout. The goal of this project was to identify and quantify measures that characterize the biomechanical risk factors, including measures of the load moment exposure, and measures that characterize the duty cycle that are predictive of low back disorders in distribution centers. Thus, our hypothesis was that we could define a relationship between moment exposure parameters and the low back disorder incidence rates. A cross-sectional study was designed to examine the mechanical risk factors responsible for reported low back injury in distributions centers. The physical exposure was measured on 195 workers on 50 jobs in 21 distribution centers using a sonic-based Moment Exposure Tracking System (METS). The METS measures load, force, load moment, torso kinematics, and temporal parameters of the job simultaneously. For each job, low back injury rates were collected retrospectively from the company's records over the prior 3-year period. The data were used to develop a risk model designed to predict back injury risk based upon direct measures of load and load moment exposure. The model incorporates biomechanical variables which include the load moment and horizontal sliding forces, as well as a temporal variable indicating the opportunity for micro-breaks during the work process. Overall, the presented model has very good sensitivity (87%) and specificity (73%).

scholarly journals Usulan Perbaikan Postur Kerja Aktivitas Pemuatan Barang menggunakan Metode Loading On The Upper Body Assessment (LUBA)

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Nur ◽  
Ario Dariatma
Keyword(s):  
Material Handling ◽  
Upper Body ◽  
Low Back ◽  
Manual Material Handling ◽  
Body Map

Aktivitas Manual Material Handling (MMH) dalam dunia industri beresiko besar sebagai penyebab penyakit tulang belakang (low back paint). Ini terjadi akibat dari  penanganan material yang cukup berat dan posisi tubuh yang salah dalam bekerja. Melalui observasi ditemukan penanganan material secara manual terdapat pada aktivitas pemuatan barang  di salah satu ekspedisi pengiriman barang  di PT. XYZ Pekanbaru. Berdasarkan hasil kuesioner Nordic Body Map menunjukan bagian tubuh sangat sakit pada pergelangan tangan, siku, bahu, leher, dan punggung. Hasil metode NIOSH posisi awal diperoleh rata-rata nilai LI (1,98) dan posisi akhir LI (4,79). LI 1 artinya kegiatan tersebut beresiko cedera. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk memperbaiki postur kerja aktivitas pemuatan barang. Metode LUBA diperoleh indeks beban postur rata-rata kegiatan menggangkat sebesar 19, membawa 17, dan meletakkan 15. Postur dengan MHT kurang dari 2 menit dan indeks beban postur 15 atau lebih, kategori tindakan ini membutuhkan perbaikan menyeluruh dengan segera. Setelah dilakukan perancangan ulang Troli Dorong diperoleh indeks beban postur pekerja kegiatan mengangkat sebesar 4,  membawa sebesar 5 dan meletakkan sebesar 4. Postur dengan lebih dari 10 menit dan indeks beban postur 5 atau kurang, kategori postur ini dapat diterima dan tidak ada tindakan perbaiakan yang dibutuhkan

scholarly journals PENILAIAN POSTUR KERJA MANUAL MATERIAL HANDLING (MMH) PADA GEDUNG BERTINGKAT MENGGUNAKAN METODE RAPID UPPER LIMB ASSESSMENT (RULA)

Sebatik ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nur Miswari ◽  
Lina Aulia ◽  
Rizqi Wahyudi
Keyword(s):  
Low Back Pain ◽  
Back Pain ◽  
Upper Limb ◽  
Material Handling ◽  
Low Back ◽  
Manual Material Handling

Aktivitas penanganan bahan secara manual masih banyak kita temui dalam kehidupan sehari-hari saat melaksanakan sebuah pekerjaan. Ketidak ergonomis pekerjaan manual material handling (MMH) akan menimbulkan risiko keluhan muskuloskeletal disorder (MSDs). Selain dapat menyebabkan risiko-risiko muskuloskeletal, pekerjaan MMH dapat meningkatkan kelelahan otot lokal akibat banyaknya kontraksi otot yang terlibat dan low back pain (LBP). Aktivitas mengangkat dan membawa galon air secara pada gedung bertingkat tentu menjadi tugas yang cukup berat. Penelitian ini dilakukan terhadap aktivitas MMH mengangkat dan membawa air kemasan galon dengan menggunakan metode Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) untuk menilai postur aktivitas MMH dan  mengklasifikasikan dalam tingkatan risiko. Untuk analisis tekanan pada sendi antara lumbal lima dan sacral pertama (L5/S1) dilakukan dengan software prediksi kekuatan dan ketahanan statis tubuh. Hasil yang diperoleh dari penilaian postur dengan metode RULA aktivitas MMH pengangkatan dan membawa galon air mineral secara manual pada gedung bertingkat adalah nilai 7 (tujuh) yang masuk dalam kategori risiko tinggi sehingga perlu adanya perbaikan segera. Hasil analisis gaya tekan L5/S1 pada sikap kerja MMH yaitu sebesar 1644N untuk posisi angkat dan 2475N saat membawa. Usulan perbaikan yaitu posisi tubuh agar tetap tegak, mengurangi sudut yang terbentuk agar memperkecil momen gaya, menggunakan alat bantu material handling lifting secara mekanis maupun elektrik agar pekerjaan MMH tidak menggunakan kekuatan operator yang berlebihan baik saat mengangkat maupun membawa beban.

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