Assessment of Physical Workload and Maximum Working Capacity among Workers of Metallurgy Factories Processing Aluminum in Howrah District of West Bengal

IntroductionHigh physical workload and unhealthy lifestyle behaviors are common among blue-collar workers, both being separate risk factors for self-rated health. It may however be that the combination of high physical...

Introduction There is few research on the causal pathways in the link between obesity and work ability. Furthermore, there are indications that the effects of obesity on work ability differ for workers with different levels of physical workload. This study aimed to investigate the moderating effect of physical workload in the relation between obesity and work ability. Methods A longitudinal study was conducted among 36,435 Dutch construction workers who participated in at least two periodic medical examinations during the years 2008–2015. Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the effect of manual material handling and strenuous work postures on the association between obesity and work ability. Confounding effects were tested for age, educational level, smoking, vigorous physical activity, psychosocial work demands, and working hours. Additive interaction between obesity and physical workload on work ability was tested using the relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI). Results Construction workers with overweight (OR=1.09; 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.16) or obesity (OR=1.27; 95% CI: 1.17 to 1.38) had an increased risk of poor/moderate work ability. Exposure to manual material handling (OR=1.58; 95% CI: 1.49 to 1.68) or strenuous work postures (OR=1.80; 95% CI: 1.70 to 1.90) also increased the risk of poor/moderate work ability. The effect of the combination of obesity with high physical workload was greater than the sum of the individual effects (strenuous work postures: RERI=0.39; 95% CI: 0.10 to 0.67; manual material handling: RERI=0.26; 95% CI: 0.02 to 0.51). Discussion Obesity and high physical workload were associated with poor work ability and had a synergistic, negative effect on work ability. To prevent poor work ability, there is a need for interventions that promote a healthy lifestyle and increase physical capacity, as well as for interventions that tailor physical workload to the individual physical capacity.

Arasoe Bone Sugar Factory is one of the sugar factories in Bone Regency, South Sulawesi. The production process at this company entirely uses machines that run automatically. However, the sugarcane harvesting activity is still carried out manually. All sugarcane harvesting activities result in physical workload on workers, especially when lifting sugarcane since in one loading, the workers are able to lift more than 30 kg of sugarcane. This activity is carried out repeatedly which results in fatigue on the harvest workers. The other factors that affect fatigue on the harvest workers are the harvested sugarcane plantations that can reach approximately 7 hectares in area and the work that lasts for 7 hours each day. This study aims to determine how much physical workload is experienced by sugarcane harvest workers and to determine how long the rest break is based on the physical workload that is obtained while working for the sugarcane harvest workers. The assessment of physical workload was carried out using the Cardiovascular Load (%CVL) method and the calculation of the length of rest break was carried out using a physiological approach. Based on the results of calculating the percentage of Cardiovascular Load (%CVL), it was discovered that all respondents experienced fatigue consisting of 5 workers with a %CVL of 60%, 13 people with %CVL of 80%, and 2 people with %CVL of 100%. Therefore, all respondents were included into the category of heavy physical workload. The optimal rest break is 80.79 minutes, while the rest break given is only 60 minutes. Hence, an additional 20.79 minutes of rest break is needed. The rest break of 20.79 minutes is used for spontaneous breaks, i.e., short break after the workload.

Obesity and high physical workload are both associated with poor work ability, but the interaction between obesity and high physical workload on work ability is not yet fully understood. Obesity and high physical workload may share a common mechanical pathway, possibly leading to a synergistic negative effect on work ability. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of obesity on work ability in workers with high versus low physical work load. A longitudinal study was conducted among 36,435 Dutch construction workers who participated in at least two periodic medical examinations during the years 2008-2015. Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the effect of manual material handling and strenuous work postures in sports on the association between obesity and work ability. Work ability was measured using the self-reported Work Ability Index consisting of seven dimensions. Confounding effects were tested for age, educational level, smoking, vigorous physical activity, psychosocial work demands, and working hours. Additive interaction between obesity and physical workload on work ability was tested using the relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI). Construction workers with overweight (OR = 1.09; 95% CI 1.02-1.16) or obesity (OR = 1.27; 95% CI 1.17-1.38) had an increased risk of poor/moderate work ability. Exposure to manual material handling (OR = 1.58; 95% CI 1.49-1.68) or strenuous work postures (OR = 1.80; 95% CI 1.70-1.90) also increased the risk of poor/moderate work ability. The effect of the combination of obesity with high physical workload was greater than the sum of the individual effects (strenuous work postures: RERI = 0.39; 95% CI 0.10-0.67; manual material handling: RERI = 0.26; 95% CI 0.02-0.51). Obesity and high physical workload were associated with poor work ability and had a synergistic, negative effect on work ability. Interventions that prevent obesity and high physical workload might have a beneficial effect on work ability.

Due to the high cost of conducting field measurements, questionnaires are usually preferred for the assessment of physical workloads and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). This study compares the physical workloads of whole-body vibration (WBV) and awkward postures by direct field measurements and self-reported data of 45 occupational drivers. Manual materials handling (MMH) and MSDs were also investigated to analyse their effect on drivers' perception. Although the measured values for WBV exposure were very similarly distributed among the drivers, the subjects' perception differed significantly. Concerning posture, subjects seemed to estimate much better when the difference in exposure was significantly large. The percentage of measured awkward trunk and head inclination were significantly higher for WBV-overestimating subjects than non-overestimators; 77 and 80% vs. 36 and 33%. Health complaints in terms of thoracic spine, cervical spine and shoulder–arm were also significantly more reported by WBV-overestimating subjects (42, 67, 50% vs. 0, 25, 13%, respectively). Although more MMH was reported by WBV-overestimating subjects, there was no statistical significance in this study.

There is a lack of quantification of occupational physical activity (OPA) and leisure time physical activity (LTPA) among construction workers. To describe physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE), physical workload, and the effect of a PA-intervention among construction workers. Sixty-seven Construction workers self-reported their physical activity (PA), had PA assessed directly (PAEE), and observed OPA using the tool "Posture, Activity, Tools and Handling." The PA-intervention (Intervention; n=29, Controls; n=24) included 3x20-min training/week for 12weeks. Baseline median OPA was 5036 MET-min/week and LTPA 2842 MET-min/week, p<0.01. OPA directly recorded was (mean±SE): 56.6±3.2J/kg/min and LTPA was: 35.7±2.2J/kg/min (p<0.001). Manual material handling was performed for ≥ 25% of working time by more than 50% of the participants. Post-intervention, the training group reduced overall PAEE compared to the control group but not specifically during work. OPA was within the maximum recommended level of 1/3 proposed in consensus guidelines but did not decrease with PA-intervention.

While evaluating the physical workload on workers, the force exerted needs to be estimated in a convenient way because biomechanical analysis for physical workload evaluation requires data on both posture and exerted force. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of exerted force estimation using a wearable device that can be easily utilized even by ordinary workers. We measured eight electromyograms (EMGs) on the forearm and the forearm posture with an armband type wearable sensor during manual material handling with varying holding weights and heights. The measurement results showed that the EMGs monotonically increased with an increase in weight. In addition, the EMGs varied with the holding height even when the same weight was held. We constructed an estimation function of the weight using multiple regression analysis. Two sets of explanatory variables were used to investigate the effectiveness of the forearm posture data: the eight EMGs (i.e., SET 1) and the eight EMGs and the two forearm angles (i.e., SET 2). Multiple regression analysis showed that the accuracy of SET 2 was better than that of SET 1. In addition, the average absolute error of the estimation function with SET 2 was 1.49 kg; thus, we concluded that the accuracy of this estimation function has sufficient accuracy for the evaluation of physical workload.

According to a recent research, manual working with high levels of static contraction, repetitive loads, or extreme working postures involving the neck and shoulder muscles causes an increased risk of neck and shoulder musculoskeletal disorders. We investigated the effects of the forwardly worktable position on head and shoulder angles and shoulder muscle activity in manual material handling tasks. The forward head and shoulder angles and the activity of upper trapezius, levator scapulae, and middle deltoid muscle activities of 15 workers were measured during performing of manual material handling in two tasks that required different forward head and shoulder angles. The second manual material task required a significantly increased forward head and shoulder angle. The upper trapezius and levator scapulae muscle activity in second manual material task was increased significantly compared with first manual material task. The middle deltoid muscle activity in second manual material task was not significantly different compared with first manual material task. Based on this result, the forward head and shoulder angles while performing manual work need to be considered in selection of the forward distance of a worktable form the body. The high level contractions of the neck and shoulder muscles correlated with neck and shoulder pain. Therefore, the forward distance of a worktable can be an important factor in preventing neck and shoulder pain in manual material handling workers.

Introduction: Musculoskeletal disorders complaints occur due to excessive muscle contraction, excessive workloads and monotonous movements such as when nurses perform various nursing task such as moving patients, carrying patients from bed to wheelchair, awkward posture during infusion placement. This study aims to determine the correlation between physical workload and musculoskeletal disorders complaints among nurses at Regional General Hospital (RSUD) of Indramayu District in 2019. Methods: The design of this study uses quantitative with cross sectional. The method of data collection was crried by means of interview using the Nordic Body Map (NBM) questionnaire and observing the pulse calculation manually using a watch. Among the populations of 348 nurses, the samples of 75 nurses were selected based on the accidental sampling method. Statistical test used the chi-square test with a confidence level of 95% (α=0.05). Results: The study findings showed that most of 40 nurses who had heavy physical workload, 35 nurses (87.5%) had high musculoskeletal disorders complaints and 5 nurses (12.5%) had moderate musculoskeletal disorders complaints. On the other hand, of the 35 nurses who had moderate physical workload, 26 nurses (74.3%) experienced moderate musculoskeletal complaints and 9 nurses (25.7%) had high musculoskeletal disorders complaints. Chi-Square test results obtained p value = 0.000 (p &lt;0.05). Thus, it can be concluded that there was a significant correlation between physical workload and musculoskeletal disorders complaints among nurses. Conclusion: The heavier the physical workload, the higher the musculoskeletal disorders complaints among nurses.Keywords: musculoskeletal disorders, nurses, physical workload

This study investigated the influence of slope and floor slipperiness on subjective rating of manual material handling (MMH), and identified the consistence between the subjective rating and objective measurement of floor slipperiness under various physical workloads. The COF measurements under slopes (0 ̊~10 ̊), three different floors and two surface conditions were conducted in this study. Thirty adults were recruited to carry four kinds of loads (0~15 kg) and walk on the slope. A survey was immediately conducted to obtain their rating of perceived exertion and perceived sense of slip while handling the loads. The results showed that the influences of gender, slopes, and loads on subjective ratings were significant statistically. The correlation between subjective rating and objective measurements of slipperiness was significantly high. Furthermore, the results also suggested that the floor materials should be selected to avoid the slip accidents. The limitations of slope and load also should be considered for different gender to prevent the disorders on the slopes for MMH tasks. As a result for obtaining the rating of perceived exertion, it was suggested that the combinations of slope angle and load are 5o and 15 kg for male and 5oand 10 kg for female.

Ergonomic epidemiology is a rapidly increasing field of research providing data on the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders and possible risk factors. The present paper states, on the basis of a literature overview, that physical work load (mechanical exposure) is poorly defined and measured in most studies on ergonomic epidemiology. On this background the paper: (1) suggests adjustments of mechanical exposure concepts and terminology; (2) concludes that invalid exposure assessment may, to a large extent, explain the lack of quantitative data on relationships between mechanical exposures and musculoskeletal disorders; and (3) suggests some guidelines for future quantitative assessments of mechanical exposure in large populations.

This paper discusses about the manual material handling activities in the UD. Santosa. The activities give a particular injury because of the excessive load. Minimizing manual material handling can decrease and prevent a big number of injuries and fatigue. The increased rate of the injury that happened on the workers is also one of the indicator that there is excessive physical workload. This study aims to minimize the manual material handling and the physical workload by making multifunction trolley using anthropometrics. The method that used in this research is Cardiovascular Load, Anthropometrics. The result shows that the recommended weight load for each operator is 7.30411 kg, 5.93229 kg, 4.949725 kg, 2.88399 kg, and 2.594356 kg to avoid the risk of injury. For the physical workload for operators classified into 60% need to be improved and 40% no fatigue. The size for the multifunction trolley based on anthropometrics is 72.54 cm for the height of incline mode, 134.56 cm for the height of the trolley, 105.813 cm for the height of the of the hand holder, and 9.19177 cm for the width of the hand holder.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the work strategies of obese and healthy-weight workers in manual materials handling. Seventeen obese and 20 healthy-weight manual materials handlers participated in this laboratory study. The tasks consisted of transferring four boxes between a hand trolley and a conveyor. The weight of the box (15 vs. 23 kg), the handling height and the working configuration were modified to see what impact these changes had on the participants’ manual materials handling. Biomechanical measures included net moments, expressed in the pelvic system (flexion–extension, lateral bending and torsion moments), kinematics of body segments and box displacements. The results indicated that trunk and knee postures and horizontal hand distances from L5/S1 were not significantly different between the two groups. Peak moments of force around the transverse, sagittal and longitudinal axes at L5/S1 were 13.3% to 59.0% higher during box lifting and lowering for the obese than for the non-obese workers. The individuals’ body weight explained 57% of the variability in the maximal transverse moments of force at L5/S1 during the lifting of the boxes from the ground. These results suggest that the extra mass of an obese worker causes additional stress for the musculoskeletal structures of the back. These biomechanical differences potentially place obese workers at a greater risk of developing musculoskeletal problems during manual materials handling.

PT PJC is a company synthetic resin. Synthetic resin is that produced by PT PJC is sold to the market in three types of packing, one of then is the drum packing type that weigh 208 kg. One of the activities that use the manual handling product (manual material handling) is the activity of filling, the drum-packed product will be transfered with drum packaging to the finishing goods area which done by the man force. Manual material handling concept has several advantages, one of which is easy to do by humans. However, manual handling material handling becomes an issue if the material load exceeds the maximum lifting of the worker because of the potential risk of injury to the human body, especially if it is carried out simultaneously for a relatively long period of time. One of the risks of human injury that can be experienced is Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs). This research will investigate the musculoskeletal complaints on Filling workers which will form the basic of the ergonomically-based Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) design basic. Data is taken by a Nordic Body Map (NBM) questionnaire. The result shows that most of the dominant body pain felt by the worker as the impact of previous day’s work was the complaints of pain on the left and right wrists, left and right palms, left and right knees, left and right calves, left and right ankles, while the pains felt by the workers after the activity are pain in the back, waist, left and right elbow, left and right thighs, left and right calvs, left and right ankles. The pain work will disappear after the night rest, but there is no guarantee that the worker’s body will be fit in the morning, because of the remnants of body pain that have not been fully fit, thus affecting the readiness of physical conditions at work in the morning. These body pain can be reduced by designing the right standard operating procedure (SOP) based on an ergonomic work attitude. Musculoskeletal pain before the activity were 39.3 ± 10.6 and after activity was 76.5 ± 14.9 or an increase in musculoskeletal pain of 94.66%.

In Germany, several tools for the risk assessment of physical workload are available for different applications. Besides different screening methods, there are technical systems that can be used in the field and/or laboratory. The focus of the work of the Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the German Social Accident Insurance (IFA) is located on the risk assessment of physical workload using technical measurements (CUELA 1 ). By providing assessment procedures for different body regions, an important gap in the prevention of work-related MSDs is to be closed here. Regarding risk assessment for upper limb MSDs, the IFA develops procedures for evaluating workload on the wrist, elbow and shoulder. To newly develop an assessment procedure for the elbow load a systematic review was carried out, for instance. The activities for assessing the shoulder load are also part of the PEROSH joint research project ‘PEROSH recommendations for procedures to measure occupational physical activity and workload’ having one focus on the assessment of upper arm elevation at work with technical systems. 2 Within the framework of a joint project of the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) and the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) (MEGAPHYS – multilevel risk assessment of physical workload) it is intended to use the IFA assessment procedures for about 120 workplaces where the physical workload was measured by CUELA. The workload data is for example to be correlated with subjectively perceived strain and complaint data from questionnaires, interviews and physical examinations collected from about 1000 employees. References . Ellegast R, Hermanns I, Schiefer C. Workload assessment in field using the ambulatory CUELA system. In (Duffy VG ed.). Second International Conference on Digital Human Modelling – ICDHM 2009 : Held as Part of HCI International 2009July 19–24. San Diego. Berlin: Springer:221–6. . http://www.perosh.eu/research-projects/perosh-projects/perosh-recommendations-for-procedures-to-measure-occupational-physical-activity-and-workload/