Development and testing of the aerial porter exoskeleton

Back pain is one of the largest drivers of workplace injury and lost productivity in industries around the world. Back injuries were one of the leading reasons in resulting in days away from work at 38.5% across all occupations, increasing for manual laborers to 43%. While the cause of the back pain can vary across occupations, for materiel movers it is often caused from repetitive poor lifting. To reduce the issues, the Aerial Porter Exoskeleton (APEx) was created. The APEx uses a hip-mounted, powered exoskeleton attached to an adjustable vest. An onboard computer calculates the configuration of the user to determine when to activate. Lift form is assisted by using a novel lumbar brace mounted on the sides of the hips. Properly worn, the APEx holds the user upright while providing additional hip torque through a lift. This was tested by having participants complete a lifting test with the exoskeleton worn in the “on” configuration compared with the exoskeleton not worn. The APEx has been shown to deliver 30 Nm of torque in lab testing. The activity recognition algorithm has also been shown to be accurate in 95% of tested conditions. When worn by subjects, testing has shown average peak reductions of 14.9% BPM, 8% in VO2 consumption, and an 8% change in perceived effort favoring the APEx.

What Do We Know About Interventions to Prevent Low Back Injury and Pain Among Nurses and Nursing Students? A Scoping Review

Study background Back injuries are common among nurses worldwide with lifetime prevalence of lower back pain ranging from 35% to 80%, making nursing a profession at great risk for back injuries. Purpose This systematic scoping review explored and mapped existing evidence regarding the prevention of low back injury and pain among nurses and nursing students. Methods Using a scoping review methodology, six databases were searched initially in September 2017 and updated June 2020. Studies investigating interventions designed to reduce back injuries and pain among regulated nurses and student nurses, published in peer-review journals and written in English, were eligible for inclusion in this review. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies of regulated nurses, nursing students, and nursing aides were included. Two independent reviewers screened, critically analysed studies using a quality appraisal tool, extracted data, and performed quality appraisals. Results Two searches yielded 3,079 abstracts and after title, abstract and screening, our final synthesis was based on 48 research studies. Conclusions Forty years of research has demonstrated improvements in quality over time, the efficacy of interventions to prevent back injury and pain remains unclear, given the lack of high-quality studies. Further research, using multi-dimensional approaches and rigorous study designs, are needed.

ANALISIS MANUAL MATERIAL HANDLING UNTUK MEMINIMALISIR TERJADINYA MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDER PADA PEKERJA TAHU

Penggunaan tenaga manusia sebagai sumber tenaga kerja memiliki resiko terjadinya cidera pada tulang belakang. Fleksibilitas gerakan merupakan satu-satunya alasan industri masih memanfaatkan tenaga manusia dalam penanganan material secara manual. Berdasarkan hasil kuisioner Nordic Body Map (NBM) pada 2 orang responden di UKM. Sederhana, yaitu responden pertama menunjukan scoring NBM sebesar 43, yang artinya masuk dalam kategori tinggi dan perlu dilakukan perbaikan segera. Pada responden kedua menunjukan nilai skoring NBM sebesar 38 yang artinya masuk dalam kategori sedang dan mungkin perlu dilakukan perbaikan. Dari hasil analisis kuisioner tersebut, apabila responden bekerja dengan durasi waktu yang lama dan repatitif, kondisi ini akan beresiko terjadinya gangguan sistem musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) yang berakibat pada masalah back injuries yakni cedera karena adanya gaya tekan pada tulang belakang. Penelitian menggunakan metode NIOSH yang terdiri dari perhitungan MPL (Maximum Permissible Limit) dan RWL (Recommended Weight Limit) pada 2 orang responden di UKM sederhana, sehingga diperoleh hasil yaitu pada responden I terjadi gaya tekan pada segmen L5/S1 sebesar 1907,625 N dan responden II sebesar 1331,843 N dan kemudian berat beban angkat yang direkomendasikan untuk kedua responden tersebut adalah tidak lebih dari 3,763 kg untuk responden I dan tidak lebih dari 3,90 kg untuk responden II.

Design, Optimization and Analysis of Lifting Tackle using Ansys software

Lifting of heavy products and machinery’s is one of the major causes of injury in the working place or station. One of the incidents which took place in 2001, the Bureau of labor statics reported that over 28-35 percentage of disaster injuries were shoulder & back injuries. • Musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs) to arms, legs and joints and repetitive strain injuries of various sorts. • Overexertion. • Cumulative trauma. The above stated problems are the biggest factors in the injuries, which are noticed in labours while lifting and moving of heavy parts or machineries. • For detailed & more information about the injuries caused during lifting of heavy parts is mentioned in the site which is in bibliography. When an employee makes use of smart lifting practices, which are in means of mechanical gears or elements and electronics configuration which makes ease to lift any heavy products or machineries.

Injuries, Suffered by Nurses, Changing Patients’ Position

As recently as 20 years ago, the International Labor Organization has drawn the attention to the nurses’ working conditions, nursing and health. Nursing is one of the professions, mostly exposed to the risk of experiencing back injuries. One of the main precautions to prevent nurses' back injuries is the use of technical aids and the work environment provision with ergonomic means. There must be a lot and diverse devices in the workplace available for nurses to protect them from injuries [1]. The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work identifies several groups of risk factors that affect the health of nurses. They are work-related risks (monotonous movements, use of physical force, an uncomfortable body position), patient-related risks (a heavy patient, immobility, etc.), environment-related risks (slippery work surfaces, limited area, etc.), and other risks (lack of knowledge, inappropriate clothing and footwear, etc.) [2]. The aim of the research was to analyze the injuries experienced by nurses in changing the situation of patients. A quantitative survey was conducted, providing the questionnaires; its participants were nurses, working in Utena City health care institutions. The nurses usually experience various types of sprains of back, lumbar and shoulder girdle muscles. Injuries, suffered by nurses, are related to the lack of additional facilitators and knowledge on how to lift a patient in a correct manner.