Abstract
The paper explores the risk of work-related musculoskeletal injury in tying steel reinforcement bars. Three tools are compared to determine the extent to which ergonomic tools can reduce the risk of injury to the back and wrist in steel-tying. A whole body system of wearable sensors was used to measure biomechanical risk in tying. Three tools were assessed to determine their impact on the risk of work-related musculoskeletal injury when used at different heights. These were: a conventional pincer-cutting tool; a power-driven tying tool, and a long handled stapler tool.
 No tool was found to work best in all situations. The long handled stapler tool significantly reduced trunk inclination when used from ground to shoulder height, but produced higher trunk extension (backward bending) when used above shoulder height. The power tying tool did not reduce the need to bend when working at lower work heights. The power-tying tool produced significantly lower peak wrist flexion values compared to the conventional pincer-cutter tool at all work heights except overhead. The power tying tool involved significantly lower levels of wrist rotation than the conventional pincer-cutter tool at all work heights above knee level.
 Many assessments of ergonomic risk factors in construction rely on observational methods. The use of small, lightweight wearable sensors permits the objective measurement of biomechanical risk factors for work-related musculoskeletal injury, as well as providing objective performance data that can be used in the design and selection of task-specific tools. Our analysis of work by height also provides insight into the way in which risk factors and reduction opportunities afforded by different tools vary depending on the height at which work is to be performed.
Highlights
WORK-RELATED MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS (MSDS)Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) generally occur when a worker’s physical workload exceeds the physical capacity of the human body
WorkSafe Victoria’s Manual Handling Code of Practice identifies working with a trunk inclination greater than 20 degrees combined with undertaking a task for more than 2 hours over a whole shift, or continually for more than 30 minutes at a time, as a risk factor for work-related MSDs (WorkSafe Victoria, 2000)
The results suggest that the benefits of using a long handled tool are limited to tying steel at ground level, and that the potential to use a power tying mechanism in a long handled tool could reduce the risks of back and wrist injury in some circumstances
Summary
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) generally occur when a worker’s physical workload exceeds the physical capacity of the human body. Risk factors associated with work-related MSDs include repetition, force required, awkward posture, vibration, and contact stress (Wang, Dai and Ning, 2015). Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the most common work-related conditions in Australia and are associated with hazardous manual tasks and poorly designed work. In 2014-15, 43,555 serious workers’ compensation claims were lodged for body stressing in Australia. 10 per cent were lodged by labourers (Safe Work Australia, 2017). The Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2012-2022 targets a reduction in the incidence rate of claims for work-related MSDs (resulting in one or more weeks off work) of at least 30 per cent to be achieved by 2022. The Strategy identifies construction as a priority industry for this reduction (Safe Work Australia, 2012)
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