Interventions for Overhead Drilling in Construction

Abstract

Drilling into concrete or metal ceilings is a strenuous task that construction workers perform to hang ductwork, piping, and electrical equipment. The task can be associated with pain and disorders at the wrist, forearm, shoulder, neck and back due to the high forces and awkward postures applied during drilling. Previously we described field usability testing of a foot lever and an inverted drill press intervention device compared to the usual method for overhead drilling. Both interventions were rated as inferior to the usual method on setup time and mobility. For this study we used the inverted drill press design but tested 3 different wheeled bases. Construction workers (N=16) evaluated usability and upper body fatigue after using the 3 devices and the usual method in commercial construction settings. Across almost all usability measures the usual method received the poorest ratings and was associated with the greatest level of regional upper body fatigue. Overall, the wheeled ‘Collar Base’ intervention received the best usability ratings. The study demonstrates that several rounds of field testing may be necessary to identify health and safety interventions that both reduce musculoskeletal risk and are acceptable to workers.