• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.671-681
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• 2011

Objective: The purpose of this study is to compare the workload level at each lower limbs posture and suggest the ergonomic workstation guideline for working period by evaluating the imbalanced lower limbs postures from the physiological and psychophysical points of view. Background: Many workers like welders are working in various imbalanced lower limbs postures either due to the narrow working conditions or other environmental conditions. Method: Ten male subjects participated in this experiment. Subjects were asked to maintain 3 different lower limbs postures(standing, squatting and bending) with 3 different working conditions(balanced floor with no scaffold, imbalanced floor with 10cm height of scaffold, and imbalanced floor with 20cm height of scaffold). EMG data for the 4 muscle groups(Retus Femoris, Vastus Lateralis, Tibialis Anterior, Gastrocnemius) from each lower limbs posture were collected for 20 seconds every 2 minutes during the 8 minutes sustaining task. Subjects were also asked to report their discomfort ratings of body parts such as waist, upper legs, lower legs, and ankle. Results: The ANOVA results showed that the EMG root mean square(RMS) values and the discomfort ratings(CR-10 Rating Scale) were significantly affected by lower limbs postures and working time(p<0.05). The correlation was analyzed between the EMG data and the discomfort ratings. Also, prediction models for the discomfort rating for each posture were developed using physical condition, working time, and scaffold height. Conclusion: We strongly recommend that one should not work more than 6 minutes in a standing or squatting postures and should not work more than 4 minutes in a bending posture. Application: The results of this study could be used to design and assess working environments and methods. Furthermore, these results could be used to suggest ergonomic guidelines for the lower limbs postures such as squatting and bending in the working fields in order to prevent fatigue and pain in the lower limbs body.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.13-25
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between job stress and work-related musculo-skeletal symptoms among nurses working in general hospitals. Method: A descriptive correlational research design was utilized. The participants were 438 nurses currently working in 4 general hospitals. Data were collected from Jan 2007 to Feb 2007, with Korean Occupational Stress Scale(KOSS)-basic form, KOSHA code H-30 and a questionnaire for general characteristics. Descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, multiple logistic regression analyses were utilized. Result: Most participants(90.4%) complained of work-related musculo-skeletal symptoms. However, symptomatic nurses satisfying NIOSH screening criteria(symptomatic nurses) were 66.9%(293 persons). The most complained body part was back(39.5%). shoulder(37.7%), leg and foot(36.5%), wrist and hand(21.7%), neck(18.7%), and arm(9.8%). The mean of total score of occupational stress was 51.11. In multiple logistic regression analyses, age, working posture and total score of occupational stress showed significant associations with back symptoms. Exercise and total score of occupational stress were significantly related with shoulder symptoms. Hours of daily house keeping and working posture were related with leg and foot symptoms. Marital status and working posture were related with wrist and hand symptoms. Working posture only showed significant relations with neck symptom. Marital status, hours of daily house keeping, shift work, working posture, and total score of occupational stress were related with the symptoms in the arm. In conclusion, job stress of nurses might be related with work-related musculo-skeletal symptoms.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.55-64
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• 1998

In order to investigate and compare the health risk factors of nurses in the operating room(OR nurse) and ward (WARD nurse), the questionnaire survey for subjective symptoms was carried out on 553 nurses(132 OR nurses and 421 WARD nurses) who were employed at seven hospital. The self-administered questionnaries were composed of low back pain, subjective fatigue symptoms, musculo-skeletal symptoms, psychological stress and reproductive function. The results were as follows : 1. In the type of working posture and working environment, there were significant difference between two groups for working posture, waist form, height of working table, satisfaction of chair, lifting & carring. 2. Job satisfaction, duration of work, height of working table, satisfaction of chair, lifting & carring were significantly associated the low back pain. 3. In the complaints of subjective fatigue symptoms, the total mean score was higher in OR nurse than WARD nurse, but there was not significant. The items that the mean score of OR nurse was significantly higher than WARD nurse were 'head feels muddled', 'apt to forget', 'feel choky'. 4. In the complaints of musculo-skeletal syrrptoms, the total mean score was higher in OR nurse than WARD nurse, but there was not significant. The item that the mean score of OR nurse was significantly higher WARD nurse was 'wrist discomfort or pain'. 5. The comparison of spontatenous abortion in married nurses who had the experience of pregnancy were significantly associated the stress risk group. 6. In all of OR and Ward nurses, the job satisfaction is associated with subjective fatigue symptoms, musculo-skeletal symptoms, and stress. In conclusion, it suggested that working posture, working environment, stress, and job satisfaction were health risk factors of nurses working in the operating room. Further prospective intervention studies should be conducted to educate right working posture, improve of working environment, decrease of stress, and increase of job satisfaction.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2006.05a
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• pp.603-604
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• 2006

The worker who is responsible for Airless Pump maintenance have a high possibility to suffer from WMSDs, because a height of Airless Pump workbench is too low. In this paper, I'm going to introduce a research about 1) analysis of working environment through a interview with an actual field worker, 2) Ergonomic simulation modeling of an Ariless Pump worker to suggest a advanced working environment and a working instructions. I have used a DELMIA S/W as a tool for ergonomic simulation and performed a posture & activity to analyze a RULA methodology. Applying the Digital Human Simulation to analyze working posture would be helpful to preventing WMSDs.

• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.117-122
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• 2022

This paper proposes a method for evaluating the work of manufacturing workers using MediaPipe as a risk factor for musculoskeletal diseases. Recently, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) caused by repeated working attitudes in industrial sites have emerged as one of the biggest problems in the industrial health field while increasing public interest. The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency presents tools such as NIOSH Lifting Equations (NIOSH), OWAS (Ovako Working-posture Analysis System), Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), and Rapid Entertainment Assessment (REBA) as ways to quantitatively calculate the risk of musculoskeletal diseases that can occur due to workers' repeated working attitudes. To compensate for these shortcomings, the system proposed in this study obtains the position of the joint by estimating the posture of the worker using the posture estimation learning model of MediaPipe. The position of the joint is calculated using inverse kinetics to obtain an angle and substitute it into the REBA equation to calculate the load level of the working posture. The calculated result was compared to the expert's image-based REBA evaluation result, and if there was a result with a large error, feedback was conducted with the expert again.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.117-124
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• 2015

In forest work, working conditions are very hard to improve. The good posture is believed to bring about direct improvements such as accident prevention. Therefore, this research carried on analysis of working posture in forest work (construct in stepping-stone) using OWAS analysis system. According to the analytical results provided by OWAS, the ratio of category III (Work posture has a distinctly harmful effect on the musculoskeletal system) has shawn that worker 2 was 32.2%, worker 1 was 25.2% and worker 3 was 15.5%. Furthermore, the ratio of category IV (Work posture with an extremely harmful effect on the musculoskeletal system) has shown that worker 2 was 9.8%, worker 3 was 1.4% and worker 1 was 1.2%. According to the OWAS method, percentage of OWAS action categories III and IV in the worker 2 was higher than another workers.

• Korean Journal of Rural Living Science
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.107-115
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• 1994

This study was conducted to provide a counterplan for preventing so celled “plastic house syndrome” revealed among farmers spending much time in the plastic houses. For this, working environment inside a plastic house was observed. Then, experiments were carried out mostly in a climatic chamber with three kinds of working posture on uneven($D_1-F_1$) or even($D_2-F_2$) ground surface. Tested work loads with three kinds of working posture were : moving in a sitting posture with attaching breast to legs and waving arms ($A_1$), moving in a bending posture with waving arms ($B_1$), and moving a 6kg weighting luggage in a standing posture ($C_1$) Physiological responses in the workers to three different work loads were observed in a climatic chamber, with or without using some instruments, to evaluate work efficiencies. The results obtained are summerized as follows. 1. $C_1$ was the hardest work and $B_1$ was harder than $A_1$ on the even ground. 2. Worker's physiological fatigue and physical loads remarkably decreased when using the instruments such as a chair and a cart with some rollers on the even ground. 3. Working with pushing a cart($F_1$) was the hardest work, and standing($D_1$) was harder than walking($E_1$) on the uneven ground. 4. Worker's physiological fatigues and physical loads remarkably decreased on the even ground. 5. Similar results were obtained when the same experiment was carried out in a plastic house.

• IE interfaces
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.288-296
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• 2005

Many jobs and activities in our daily lives require squatting postures. The fore part includes housekeepers, farmers, and welders and the latter includes a wide variety of activities such as housekeeping; planting, cultivating and harvesting various agricultural products; grinding, welding, etc. It is speculated that prolonged squatting postures without any supporting stool would gradually cause musculoskeletal injuries to workers. This study is conducted to examine the proper height of stools according to the position of the working materials and to develop wearable stools for workers with squatting posture. Forty male and female subjects participated in the experiment to find the proper height of stools according to the position of the working materials. Subjects were asked to squat and work with 3 different working positions: floor level; ankle level; shank level of 3 different stool height conditions: 10cm height; 15cm height; and 20cm height. After 5 minutes of maintaining a squatting work posture while sitting on the different height stools, Likert summated rating method as well as pairwise ranking test was applied to evaluate the user preferences for provided stools under the conditions of different working positions. The results of statistical analysis show that the subjects preferred 10cm height stool for floor level, 15cm height stool for ankle level, 20cm height stool for knee level. We thus strongly recommend to use appropriate height stools in accordance with the different working positions. Moreover, a prototype wearable stool was designed such that workers with squatting posture do not need to move the stool while they are moving about. The purpose of developing wearable stool was to decrease the physical stress and hence promote worker's health who work with squatting posture.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.97-102
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• 2011

This study was performed to design and develop an ergonomic equipment for strawberry sorting and packing in agricultural working environments. Potential risk of work related musculo-skeletal disorders associated with farm workers performing strawberry sorting and packing was analyzed through interviews, field surveys, work measurement, and working posture evaluation. For the evaluation of working posture, we used REBA, OWAS, and RULA assessment methods to identify multi-factorial risk factors. Based on the result of comprehensive assessment, a new concept of multi-level rotating table for strawberry sorting and packing was proposed to modify awkward working postures and improve the effectiveness of the farm work. Finally, the characteristics and effectiveness of new equipment was discussed in terms of improvements in productivity, safety, and subjective ratings of farm workers. The results of analysis showed that working conditions improved significantly.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.101-108
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• 2011

In forest work, working conditions are very hard to improve. The proper distribution of work time and good posture is believed to bring about direct improvements such as accident prevention. On this, this study has analyzed forest workers' posture and their working hours in order to improve their working conditions in stone channel work. Authors has chosen several core elements of stone channel work to focus on, which include stone masonry, excavation of bed, moving stone, directing work, choosing stone, and breaking stone. The ratio of real working time over total working time was shown as 84.6%. As for the time ratio of each elemental work over the real working time, the stone masonry was 60.4%, the directing work was 15.1%, moving stone was 12.1%, choosing stone was 7.1%, breaking stone was 3.3%, and excavation of bed was 2.0%. According to the analytical results provided by OWAS, the ratio of category III (Work posture has a distinctly harmful effect on the musculoskeletal system) has shown that moving stone turned out 65.2%, choosing stone was 61.5%, stone masonry was 46.1%, breaking stone was 14.3%, excavation of bed was 12.5% and directing work was 6.8%. Furthermore, the ratio of category IV (Work posture with an extremely harmful effect on the musculoskeletal system) has shown that excavation of bed turned out 37.5%, breaking stone was 28.6%, stone masonry was 27.3%, choosing stone was 7.7%, moving stone was 6.1% and directing working was 4.5%. These results are expected to be utilized for the improvement with respect to both working methods in the stone channel work and the workers' working posture.