• Title/Summary/Keyword: Physical workload

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The Interaction of Cognitive Interference, Standing Surface, and Fatigue on Lower Extremity Muscle Activity

  • Hill, Christopher M.;DeBusk, Hunter;Simpson, Jeffrey D.;Miller, Brandon L.;Knight, Adam C.;Garner, John C.;Wade, Chip;Chander, Harish
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.10 no.3
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    • pp.321-326
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    • 2019
  • Background: Performing cognitive tasks and muscular fatigue have been shown to increase muscle activity of the lower extremity during quiet standing. A common intervention to reduce muscular fatigue is to provide a softer shoe-surface interface. However, little is known regarding how muscle activity is affected by softer shoe-surface interfaces during static standing. The purpose of this study was to assess lower extremity muscular activity during erect standing on three different standing surfaces, before and after an acute workload and during cognitive tasks. Methods: Surface electromyography was collected on ankle dorsiflexors and plantarflexors, and knee flexors and extensors of fifteen male participants. Dependent electromyography variables of mean, peak, root mean square, and cocontraction index were calculated and analyzed with a $2{\times}2{\times}3$ within-subject repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: Pre-workload muscle activity did not differ between surfaces and cognitive task conditions. However, greater muscle activity during post-workload balance assessment was found, specifically during the cognitive task. Cognitive task errors did not differ between surface and workload. Conclusions: The cognitive task after workload increased lower extremity muscular activity compared to quite standing, irrespective of the surface condition, suggesting an increased demand was placed on the postural control system as the result of both fatigue and cognitive task.

Investigation of Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Mid-old Aged Woman Caregiver at a Long-term Hospital

  • You, Young-Youl;Lee, Byoung-Hee
    • Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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    • v.30 no.2
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    • pp.349-356
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    • 2011
  • Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze the risk factors of the musculoskeletal workload of mid-old-age female caregivers by identifying work postures and subjective symptoms. Method: This study was carried out on a total of 206 subjects 206 mid-old-age caregivers(45~65 years old) from November 2009 to April 2010: 206 mid-old-age caregivers (45~65 years old) at the long-term hospital. A questionnaires survey on general factors and subjective symptoms of subjects was conducted. The risk factors of the musculoskeletal workload evaluation method is based on OWAS, RULA, REBA according to occupation properties. Results: The analysis of the rates of the subjective symptoms showed that 78.6% subjects experience low back pain. The analysis of the work type showed that transfer is the highest rate(36.3%) and position change is the second(18.2%). The analysis of the work postures showed that the thrusted back with twisting position over $20^{\circ}$ is highest rate(37.4%), the bended back forward with twisting position is the second(27.5%). Conclusion: This study suggested that the need of preventive education for caregivers and workload improve. It is hoped that subsequent study on the difference of subjective symptoms between educated caregivers and non educated caregivers will be conducted.

The Effects of Human Touch on Turnover Intention of Airport Ground Handling Employees (휴먼터치가 지상조업 종사자의 이직의도에 미치는 영향)

  • Lee, Min-Hoo;Lee, Yung-Kil;Kim, Ki-Woong;Choi, Youn-Chul;Park, Sung-Sik
    • Journal of the Korean Society for Aviation and Aeronautics
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    • v.24 no.2
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    • pp.31-46
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    • 2016
  • The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of human touch on turnover intention of ground handling employees at airport. Additionally, this study examines a comprehensive mediating effect of the work schedule and workload between human touch and turnover intention. To examine them, over 700 ground handling employees from six international airports of South Korea were surveyed using the simple random sampling method. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire, and it was developed based on previous research results. The methodology adopted in this study is the structural equation modeling (SEM). According to SEM analysis, it was proven that both psychological and physical human touch have a significant effect on turnover intention of the employees. Work schedule played a mediating role among all three factors of human touch and turnover intention. However, workload has a mediating effect only between communication human touch and turnover intention. Based on the above findings, theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.

Workload Measurement of Home Health Care Nurses상 Services using Relative Value Units (가정간호행위 업무량의 상대적 가치 측정에 관한 연구)

  • 이태화;박정숙;김인숙
    • Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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    • v.30 no.6
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    • pp.1543-1555
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    • 2000
  • Home health care is moving into a set of new realities. An era of competition and cost containment has arrived. Before nurses are able to contain costs or describe the relationship between nursing activities, cost must be accurately measured based on the nurse's workload. Nurses in home health care usually desire to measure expenses for one of three reasons : reimbursement, management, or research. The purpose of the study was to investigate the work input by Registered Nurse in each of the home health care activities by relative value units and identify the factors affecting the nurses' total work input in health care services. To measure the work input by nurses, work was defined by four dimensions: time, physical effort, mental effort, and stress. This study used a descriptive-correlational design. Data collection consisted of two phases. In phase I, data on home health activities performed by nurses were collected. In phase II, data on nurses' time, physical effort, mental effort, and stress in each of home health care activities discovered phase I were collected. In this method, the respondent was asked to rate a service in relation to a reference service using a ratio scale. The sample included 39 home health care nurses. The results of the study indicated that home health care activities performed by the nurses were in 10 categories and 69 items. Measuring the relative work inputs in each of home health care activities, and foley catheterization was selected as the reference to service. In terms of time and physical effort dimensions, full bath service was rated as the most strenuous among 69 activities by the respondents, and intramuscular injection was rated as least. It was found that emergency treatment required the highest mental effort and the highest stress, while blood sugar tests required the lowest mental effort. Approximately 91.3% of the variance in total work input was accounted for by the linear combination of time, physical effort, mental effort judgement, and stress. Examining the regression coefficients of those variables, physical effort, time, and stress were found as the predictors which were significantly associated with the total work of nurses in home health care. Professional nursing's next step in the conundrum of economic volatility is to develop a tool to reflect the interaction of functional deficiency and direct professional nursing care. And this will be a more accurate predictor of nursing resource use and ultimately a great forcaeter cost.

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A Basic Study on the Fatigue Analysis Model for Marine Officers (항해사의 피로도 분석모델에 관한 기초연구)

  • Yang, Won-Jae
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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    • v.15 no.3
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    • pp.217-222
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    • 2009
  • Safe navigation is closely related to the fatigue of marine officers. Also, the fatigue of duty officer can cause serious marine accidents. In this study, the documentary survey about the marine officers' working environments, fatigue factors and symptoms was conducted. And the questionnaire survey which is related to the fatigue analysis factors such as sleepiness, mental physical workload and alcohol for apprentice officers was carried out, and the results of questionnaire survey were analyzed. Lastly, on the basis of this study, the fatigue analysis model was suggested in order to assess the marine officers' performance in the future.

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Risk Assessment in the Loaded Works of Muscular Skeletal Disorder for Mid-old Aged General Hospital Dining Workers (중고령 종합병원 식당종사자의 근골격계 부담 작업에 대한 위험성 평가)

  • Kim, Hee-Soo;You, Young-Youl
    • Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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    • v.29 no.3
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    • pp.375-382
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    • 2010
  • The purpose of this study was to analyze the risk factors of the musculoskeletal workload of mid-old-age food preparation workers by identifying the differences in the complaints of subjective symptoms between mid-old-age housewives and mid-old-age food preparation workers. This study was carried out on a total of 83 subjects from April 2009 through July 2009: 43 food preparation workers at the catering department of general hospital A, with a high rate of mid-old-age food preparation staff, and 40 full-time housewives (40~59 years old). The analysis of the relationship between the rates of the subjective symptoms of the two groups showed that the mid-old-age food preparation workers had a 7.8-fold higher risk of developing musculoskeletal diseases than the full-time housewives. The musculoskeletal workload of the mid-old-age food preparation workers included repetitive motions, uncomfortable postures, and heavy lifting. It is hoped that this study will help provide mid-old-age people with opportunities for appropriate economic activity and labor and will help improve their work postures and methods as well as their environmental-risk factors.

Factors Associated with Musculoskeletal Pain and Quality of Life among Personal Assistants for People with Severe Disabilities (중증장애인 활동보조인의 근골격계 통증과 삶의 질에 미치는 영향요인)

  • Song, Eesul;Kim, Giwon
    • Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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    • v.29 no.4
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    • pp.530-540
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    • 2019
  • Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify factors related with demographic and work characteristics that affect musculoskeletal pain and quality of life among personal assistants for people with severe disabilities. Methods: The subjects were recruited among personal assistant for people with severe disabilities who participated in refresher training held in K-si, Gyeonggi-do Province through convenience sampling. Using a survey instrument developed by the authors, subjects responded to questionnaires concerning muscluloskeletal pain and quality of life. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS 21.0. Basically, collected data was analyzed in terms of frequency, t-test or ANOVA and multiple regression analysis. Results: Total years of work experience and subjective physical workload were associated with the number of pain sites and intensity. Additionally, for quality of life, subjective physical workload was related in the regression model. Conclusions: Based on this study, we identified that characteristics of work affected the musculoskeletal pain and quality of life of personal assistants for the severely disabled, and suggested improvement of the working environment, including musculoskeletal pain prevention education programs during the refresher education for assistants to the severely disabled.

Fatigue and Associated Factors among Airline Pilots

  • Kim, Hye Jin;Choi, Yun Young
    • Korean journal of aerospace and environmental medicine
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    • v.31 no.2
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    • pp.38-44
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    • 2021
  • Purpose: This study aimed to identify the prevalence of fatigue and its associated factors leading to the fatigue among Korean commercial airline pilots. Methods: An anonymous, web-based questionnaire collecting data on sleep related characteristics was completed by airline pilots. The final 1,029 samples of completed questionnaires were analyzed. The association of the risk factors with fatigue was determined using logistic regression analysis. Results: The prevalence of fatigue was 60% (Fatigue Severity Scale index≥3.2), disturbed sleep 28% (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index≥9), daytime sleepiness 17% (Epworth Sleepiness Scale≥10), and sleep apnea (Berlin Questionnaire≥2) 11%. The fully adjusted logistic regression showed that quality of life (odds ratio [OR]=0.16, confidence interval [CI]=0.11-0.24), daytime sleepiness (OR=1.26, CI=1.18-1.34), sleep quality (OR=1.44, CI=1.29-1.61), mental workload (OR=1.10, CI=1.05-1.14), vigorous physical activity (OR=0.82, CI=0.72-0.92), late starts (OR=1.25, CI=1.06-1.46) and average weekly flying hours (OR=1.02, CI=1.00-1.03) were associated with higher levels of fatigue. Conclusion: Lower quality of life, disturbed sleep, more subjective sleepiness, shorter sleep duration, higher mental workload, less vigorous physical activity, frequent late starts, and longer flying hour were shown to be risk factors for fatigue in airline pilots. These findings should be taken into account in the development of sleep and fatigue countermeasures for airline pilots.

An Ergonomic Study on the Work Loads of Manual Workers (현장근로자의 생체부하에 관한 인간공학적 연구)

  • 이상도;우동필
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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    • v.14 no.3
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    • pp.174-180
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    • 1999
  • The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of carrying postures and weight of load carried one time on a worker when carrying heavy loads. Six male students participated in this study to perform a manual materials carrying task as subjects. To make comparison of work loads with physical work capacity, maximal oxygen uptake measurement tests were performed with submaximal test. The average oxygen consumption for the tasks of this study was 27.59~31.93% $VO_2$max. The results showed that the weight of load carried one time affects on working heart rate and oxygen consumption($VO_2$). It was found that the workload was significantly lower when handling a 20kg load at a frequency rate of 3times/min than when handling a 40kg load at a frequency rate of 1.5 times/min. There was no difference between carrying postures. It is concluded from the results of this study that the workload can be reduced by controlling conditions of a manual materials handling task.

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