Head Load Research Articles

Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorder in Fisherwomen by Extended Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire

Background: Musculoskeletal disorder are an important public health problem and leading cause of disability worldwide, but yet unknown prevalence among the fisherwomen. The work of these female involve head loading baskets, sitting for longer hours in ergonomically compromised position. Prolonged standing in wet floor and poor sanitation adds to MSD. This study has been undertaken due to lack of study in this genders. Objective: To assess musculoskeletal related disorder in fisher women with Extended Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire. Method: Total 319 subjects participated in the study. With the age group of 25-55 years of age and work experience of minimum 5 years. Extended Nordic Musculoskeletal questionnaire was used to examine the site of pain period wise and details were recorded. Results: The results revealed there is highest prevalence of low back pain in every age group in duration of 12 months, 4 weeks and current day. The prevalence was 34.8% in low back pain with high exposure of work performed in sitting with trunk flexion. Conclusion: the study concludes that these genders are highly prone to musculoskeletal disorder. Keywords: low back pain, musculoskeletal disorders, fisherwomen.

Heat Stress and Histopathological Changes of Vital Organs: A Novel Approach to Assess Climate Resilience in Farm Animals

Heat stress causes functional and metabolic alterations in different cells and tissues. There are several pathomorphological changes and biomarkers associated with head load in adaptive and productive organs of livestock. Heat stress-induced histopathological alterations in livestock were categorized as degenerative changes (fatty degeneration, steatosis, hydropic degeneration), necrosis (pyknosis, fibrosis), circulatory disturbances (hyperemia, edema, hemorrhage, congestion, thrombosis, ischemia), growth disturbances (hyperplasia, atrophy) and focal/diffuse inflammation (vascular changes, exudation). Upon immunohistochemical analysis, the biomarkers identified in growth-related organs were HSP70, HSP60, GABA, GABAAR, GABABR, HSP90, GnRH, LH, FSH, m6A, Nrf2, and C/EBPβ. The biomarkers in the reproductive organs were HSP70, Bax, Bcl-2, GABA, GABAAR, GABABR, Caspase-3, HSP90, HSPB9, HSPB10, HSF1, HSP40, T, E2, Cyt-C, CAT, BCL2L1, and VEGF. The identified biomarkers in the immune organs were CD3+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, HSP70, and Bcl-2. All these biomarkers could serve as reliable variables in heat stress assessment in livestock. Further, HSP70, HSP90, HSP60, NPY, HSP27, Bcl-2, NF-κB, AQP2, Insulin, CD3+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, CD172a, EGF, AQP1, AQP3, AQP4, AQP5, CRYAB, GHR, 5-HT, CCK, and GLP-1 are heat stress-related biomarkers in adaptive organs that help in assessing the climate resilience of a livestock species and improving understanding about adaptive mechanisms. Among these biomarkers, HSP70 was established to be the ideal cellular biomarker for scaling heat response in livestock. Thus, examining heat-stressed organ histopathology and identifying cellular markers by immunohistochemistry may lay the foundation for screening climate-resilient livestock breeds in the challenging climatic scenario. Further, such an approach could help in developing concepts to combat the detrimental consequences of heat stress to ensure sustainability in livestock production.

Ecology of village ecosystems of Odisha, India

Abstract. Upadhyay VP, Nayak BK, Mishra MK. 2022. Ecology of village ecosystems of Odisha, India. Asian J Ethnobiol 5: 138-155. The present study was conducted in eight villages in the Niyamgiri Hills of Odisha, India. The human population varies from 83 to 312 in uphill villages and 76 to 150 in foothill villages. The cultivated area constitutes 3.37% to 18.85% of the village’s total area. Per capita cultivated area varies from 0.117 to 0.329 ha. The families generally devote more time to agriculture, followed by Minor Forest Products (MFP) collection. The women and children collect leafy vegetables, tubers, fruits, seeds, leaves, and flowers. Collecting and marketing firewood in head loads is commonly practiced in the rainy season. The area of forest cover is not affected much, but the quality of the forest has changed. This suggests appropriate steps to restore the forest and enhance its productivity. All villages depend on rain-fed agriculture. The natural stream water is available to the paddy fields by gravity flow in valleys. The agriculture practices include shifting (podu) cultivation in high hill areas, mid-hill orchards below the podu area, home gardens adjoining habitation, and valley cultivation near Nala beds (streams). Podu is a mixed cultivation practice where cereals, pulses, and oil seeds are grown together. The village productivity is much lower than in other areas of settled agriculture. Improvements in seed quality, Soil and Moisture Conservation (SMC) measures, and the health condition of the tribal community will help support the sustainability of the traditional cultivation and livelihood system. To help protect the indigenous biodiversity, we suggest in this paper other alternatives of livelihood to the local population and options for shifting cultivation areas.

An Unequal Clustering Method Based on Particle Swarm Optimization in Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks

Underwater acoustic sensor networks (UASNs) currently provide an important technical means of underwater communication, but there are difficulties in power updating or power replenishment because the sensor nodes work in an underwater environment. Therefore, energy consumption optimization has become the focus of research on UASNs. Node clustering is widely considered to be able to optimize network energy consumption. Although the current clustering-based routing method prolongs the network life cycle to a certain extent, some nodes may fail due to excessive energy consumption caused by excessive data transmission tasks, and the problems of high and uneven energy consumption still exist. To extend the life cycle of UASNs, this article proposes an unequal clustering method based on particle swarm optimization. Our method uses iterative updates to dynamically adjust the cluster size based on the remaining energy of the cluster head, the distance from the cluster head to the Sink node, and the number of times the cluster head forwards data between clusters to balance the cluster head load. The energy consumption of the whole path from the cluster head to the Sink node and the number of hops required are considered in the intercluster transmission phase. Simulation results show that this method can effectively reduce the network energy consumption.

Semi-analytical solution for negative skin friction development on deep foundations in coastal reclamation areas

This paper derives a semi-analytical solution to predict the development of negative skin friction, caused by the consolidation of newly filled soil, on piles in the reclamation area. The simulation of the whole consolidation process of the filled soil is realized by coupling the one-dimensional consolidation model before the pile driving with the two-dimensional consolidation model after the pile driving. The negative skin friction generated at the pile shaft during the consolidation is calculated by accounting the pile-soil interactions with the introduction of the load-transfer method. To address the dramatic changes of the pore water pressure at the initial drainage stage in the classic Terzaghi drainage boundary, the continuous drainage boundary is implemented. A semi-analytical solution to the developed model is derived and subsequently validated through the comparisons with the field tests and finite element method (FEM). A comprehensive parametric study is also conducted to demonstrate the effects of the pile installation time, the surcharge load, the consolidation time before or after piling, and the pile head load on the development of negative skin friction. The negative skin friction was found to be vastly different for piles installed immediately after landfilling and those installed close to full consolidation. To optimize construction period while reducing the negative friction on piles, the pile is better to be driven after the time t=90%TvH2Cv1. It is also observed that the surcharge load on the ground could significantly enhance the stiffness and ultimate capacity of the soil, and the workload subjected at the pile head can transfer the “negative” skin friction into the positive shearing resistance.

Thermo-mechanical behaviour of energy piles in overconsolidated clay under various mechanical loading levels and thermal cycles

Energy pile foundations play the dual role of providing structural support to buildings and acting as heat exchanger units. Thus, they are subjected to different mechanical loads from the buildings and the cyclic temperature changes encountered in optimized hybrid systems. However, the effects of mechanical loading levels on the thermo-mechanical behaviour of energy piles under cyclic temperature changes are still to be investigated fully. This paper fills this knowledge gap through a series of model scale tests where the effects of different mechanical loading levels were investigated over multiple cooling-heating cycles in over-consolidated saturated clay. In this respect, ten cooling-heating cycles were applied while the pile's head load was maintained at 0, 25%, and 50% of the pile's ultimate bearing capacity, respectively. After ten thermal cycles, the pile's normalized settlement reached 0.05%, 0.37%, and 1.19%, respectively. The ultimate bearing capacity was 555 N, 535 N, and 520 N, respectively. The results indicate that the increase in load levels exacerbates the irreversible settlement while reducing the bearing capacity of the piles. Moreover, it also affects the stress distribution within the pile and further develops internal tension. The results from this study can be used for qualitative analysis of energy pile design.

Fine-tuning approach in metaheuristic algorithm to prolong wireless sensor networks nodes lifetime

Wireless sensor networks (WSN) have evolved a vibrant and lively research field. It comprises numerous wise and low-power consumption devices for gathering the contiguous atmosphere's data. However, the energy dissipation matter that distorts network lifetime remains the challenge since the sensor node battery is non-rechargeable and irreplaceable. Clustering and routing protocol has become the furthermost solutions and invariably minimizes depletion and prolongs the sensor node lifetime. Such protocols have adopted metaheuristic algorithms to secure the efficiency of the clustering and routing protocols. However, the cluster head's extensive task favors consuming and draining more energy. This study proposed a fine-tuning solution for the sensor node's population and generation sizes. It benefits from the modified problem-oriented genetic algorithm parameters in securing the sensor node lifetime. Besides, the solution works effectively to balance the load of the cluster head nodes. A set of simulations has been performed using MATLAB R2018b on the proposed solution, namely the energy efficient of genetic (EEG) algorithm and has revealed that the solution outperforms the network lifetime and cluster head load of the existing solution.

Reinforcement load in geosynthetic-reinforced pile-supported model embankments

The stress conditions of geosynthetic reinforcements (GRs) are crucial in achieving the accurate serviceability design of geosynthetic-reinforced pile-supported (GRPS) embankments. However, the sensitivity of load distribution to the settlement process has been reported in geosynthetic-reinforced embankment overlying cavities. In this study, a three-dimensional model embankment was used to perform experiments and evaluate the load acting on the GR. A flexible pressure-mapping sensor was introduced to investigate the pressure distribution for two types of supporting conditions: partitioned displacement by multiple movable trapdoors and even trapdoor settlement underneath different subsoil materials. The results showed that the load on the GR was concentrated on the strip areas between adjacent pile heads along with the settlement. The measured load on the GR strip area was related to the settlement process and finally exhibited a U-shaped distribution after detachment from the support underneath. The soil arch height in the subgrade continuously increased with the settlement; meanwhile, the pile head load increased rapidly at first and then decreased slightly or remained stable depending on the foundation support stiffness. For both types of settlement behaviours, soil arching exhibited stress history-related characteristics that influence the load transfer in GRPS embankments.

Mechanical Behavior of Piles in Typical Unsaturated Expansive and Collapsible Soils Upon Water Infiltration

Pile foundations are widely used in all types of soils including expansive and collapsible soils that are typically found in nature in a state of unsaturated condition. Opposite trends in volume change behavior are typically observed when water infiltrates into expansive and collapsible soils. The design of pile foundations in these soils is conventionally based on saturated soil mechanics assuming drained conditions ignoring the influence of unsaturated conditions. In this study, infiltration tests were performed on two model piles; one of these piles was tested in an expansive soil and the other in a collapsible soil. The focus of this study was to determine the pile mechanical behavior including the pile head load, displacement response, pile axial force, shaft friction, and pile base pressure taking account of suction changes associated with water infiltration. The pile mechanical behavior is significantly influenced due to changes in the pile shaft friction in both expansive and collapsible soils. The responses of the pile mechanical behavior variations were explained extending the concepts of unsaturated soil mechanics. The results of this study provide valuable information for the practicing engineers to gain a more comprehensive understanding of mechanical behaviors of pile foundations in expansive soils and collapsible soils upon water infiltration.

Cluster selection for load balancing in flying ad hoc networks using an optimal low-energy adaptive clustering hierarchy based on optimization approach

PurposeFlying ad hoc networks (FANETs) have a major effect in various areas such as civil projects and smart cities. The facilities of installation and low cost of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have created a new challenge for researchers. Cluster head (CH) selection and load balancing between the CH are the most critical issues in the FANETs. For CH selection and load balancing in FANETs, this study used efficient clustering to address both problems and overcome these challenges. This paper aims to propose a novel CH selection and load balancing scheme to solve the low energy consumption and low latency in the FANET system.Design/methodology/approachThis paper tried to select the CH and load balancing with the help of low-energy adaptive clustering hierarchy (LEACH) algorithm and bat algorithm (BA). Load balancing and CH selection are NP-hard problems, so the metaheuristic algorithms can be the best answer for these issues. In the LEACH algorithm, UAVs randomly generate numerical, and these numbers are sorted according to those values. To use the load balancing, the threshold of CH has to be considered; if the threshold is less than 0.7, the BA starts working and begins to find new CH according to the emitted pulses.FindingsThe proposed method compares with three algorithms, called bio-inspired clustering scheme FANETs, Grey wolf optimization and ant colony optimization in the NS3 simulator. The proposed algorithm has a good efficiency with respect to the network lifetime, energy consumption and cluster building time.Originality/valueThis study aims to extend the UAV group control concepts to include CH selection and load balancing to improve UAV energy consumption and low latency.

The Effect of Axial Compression and Distraction on Cervical Facet Cartilage Apposition During Shear and Bending Motions

During cervical spine trauma, complex intervertebral motions can cause a reduction in facet joint cartilage apposition area (CAA), leading to cervical facet dislocation (CFD). Intervertebral compression and distraction likely alter the magnitude and location of CAA, and may influence the risk of facet fracture. The aim of this study was to investigate facet joint CAA resulting from intervertebral distraction (2.5 mm) or compression (50, 300 N) superimposed on shear and bending motions. Intervertebral and facet joint kinematics were applied to multi rigid-body kinematic models of twelve C6/C7 motion segments (70 ± 13 year, nine male) with specimen-specific cartilage profiles. CAA was qualitatively and quantitatively compared between distraction and compression conditions for each motion; linear mixed-effects models (α = 0.05) were applied. Distraction significantly decreased CAA throughout all motions, compared to the compressed conditions (p < 0.001), and shifted the apposition region towards the facet tip. These observations were consistent bilaterally for both asymmetric and symmetric motions. The results indicate that axial neck loads, which are altered by muscle activation and head loading, influences facet apposition. Investigating CAA in longer cervical spine segments subjected to quasistatic or dynamic loading may provide insight into dislocation and fracture mechanisms.

Design of type-2 fuzzy fractional-order proportional-integral-derivative controller and multi-objective parameter optimization under load reduction condition of the pumped storage unit

Pumped storage unit (PSU) is an effective regulation tool of the smart power grid system. The inherent “S” characteristics caused by the reversible design of the pump-turbine will make the PSU run into a state of instability, resulting in severe hydraulic fluctuation, unit speed, and frequency oscillation. PSU load reduction is an operation condition often encountered in the process of peak load regulation and frequency regulation. The operation stability of this condition is very important to the safety of the power station and power grid. Firstly, a mathematical model suitable for the numerical calculation of all working conditions transition process in the power generation direction of pumped storage unit regulating system (PSURS) is established. Further, the load reduction condition under typical water heads is selected. Through numerical calculation and analysis, it is found that when the PSU operates in the low water head-small load area and encounters load reduction to no-load, the PSURS is easy to fall into an unstable state. Therefore, an interval type-2 fuzzy fractional-order proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller is proposed for the load reduction condition of the PSU under low water head and small load operation. And a multi-objective joint optimization strategy is proposed for tuning controller parameters. The experimental results show that the interval type-2 fuzzy fractional-order PID controller after parameters optimization has better control performance than traditional controllers. Compared with the PID control method, the double objective optimal result index is reduced by 0.025 and 47.98 respectively, the rotational speed regulation time of the PSU is reduced by 20.27 s, the maximum water hammer pressure is reduced by 9.2 m. The novel method effectively solves the instability problem of PSU under low water head load reduction conditions.

An improved calibration technique to address high dimensionality and non-linearity in integrated groundwater and surface water models

The calibration of integrated groundwater-surface water models is often associated with high dimensionality and stagnation around local optimum solutions. Since these models are computationally demanding and also non-linear, finding their global optimum solution requires efficient optimization techniques. Here, we introduce the Multi-Memory Particle Swarm Optimization (MMPSO) algorithm. The swarm cognitive capacity is enhanced to minimize the number of local optimums and calibrate the model based on sub-objective functions. We used the MMPSO to simultaneously calibrate groundwater head, streamflow, baseflow, and nitrate loads in the SWAT-MODFLOW-RT3D model with 78 sensitive parameters. The results demonstrate that enhancing the cognitive capacity led to a marked improvement in discovering the global optimum solution. Furthermore, we evaluated the calibrated model's performance to quantify groundwater nitrate loads to streams and characterize the shallow surficial aquifer under intensive fertilizer land use. The results show the effectiveness of the MMPSO algorithm for calibrating complex hydrogeochemical models for large-scale applications.

Quantification of Head Acceleration Events in Rugby League: An Instrumented Mouthguard and Video Analysis Pilot Study.

Instrumented mouthguards (iMG) were used to collect head acceleration events (HAE) in men’s professional rugby league matches. Peak linear acceleration (PLA), peak angular acceleration (PAA) and peak change in angular velocity (ΔPAV) were collected using custom-fit iMG set with a 5 g single iMG-axis recording threshold. iMG were fitted to ten male Super League players for thirty-one player matches. Video analysis was conducted on HAE to identify the contact event; impacted player; tackle stage and head loading type. A total of 1622 video-verified HAE were recorded. Approximately three-quarters of HAE (75.7%) occurred below 10 g. Most (98.2%) HAE occurred during tackles (59.3% to tackler; 40.7% to ball carrier) and the initial collision stage of the tackle (43.9%). The initial collision stage resulted in significantly greater PAA and ΔPAV than secondary contact and play the ball tackle stages (p < 0.001). Indirect HAE accounted for 29.8% of HAE and resulted in significantly greater ΔPAV (p < 0.001) than direct HAE, but significantly lower PLA (p < 0.001). Almost all HAE were sustained in the tackle, with the majority occurring during the initial collision stage, making it an area of focus for the development of player protection strategies for both ball carriers and tacklers. League-wide and community-level implementation of iMG could enable a greater understanding of head acceleration exposure between playing positions, cohorts, and levels of play.

Numerical Analysis to Study Lateral Behavior of Cement Fly Ash Gravel Piles under the Soft Soil

Cement Fly ash and Gravel Piles are modern soil improvement techniques widely used in China for infrastructure development. It significantly impacts the fundamental characteristics of load-carrying capacities and deformation. The cement fly ash and gravel (CFG) piles are located on highways, railway embankments, essential projects, and problematic soil. These are often subjected to high risk of external load like flooding, seismic, etc. In such a case, foundation design can be governed by a required lateral resistance. The present study is based on the deformation behaviour of a CFG pile subjected to axial, lateral, and combined loading in soft clay. Numerical analysis using Plaxis 3D on a CFG pile with various influencing parameters soil condition, diameters, length, length to diameter ratio, and pile head loading condition to observe its effect. Overall, the pile study found variations in initial stress level, pile type, and pile head constraint. Still, these were minor compared to the impact of soil behaviour and mobility. The soil models varied stiffness and strength properties. The effects originating from the boundary conditions used were responsible for significantly decreasing lateral resistance for inner CFG piles under the active and passive loading.

Experimental study on load sharing characteristics of long-short CFG pile composite foundation adjacent to rigid retaining wall rotating about its base

Practicing geoengineers and researchers generally consider the load sharing behavior in multi-type pile composite foundation as an important design aspect. On the other hand, due to urbanization, such foundation system in cities will inevitably appear next to supported excavation. This paper discusses the result from relatively large-scale indoor experiment conducted to investigate the load sharing behavior of loaded long-short CFG pile composite foundation behind a neighboring rigid retaining wall undergoing rotation around the bottom. It was found that with progression of wall movement, the hidden load from soil displacement was borne by the piles with marked reduction in soil load sharing. At the end of wall rotation, the percentage of long piles’ head load increment needed to arrive at a new static equilibrium was about 12.57~32.22% while the end bearing increased by more than 97%. The consequences on the short piles, however, were manifested with an increasing pile head (13.42%) and toe (28.9%) load for the pile far from the wall whereas the closest one experienced a certain increment up to 15×10-4rad wall rotation and finally the head load and end bearing decreased to 8.28% and 12.63%, respectively. The 3D numerical back analysis conducted using FE software ABAQUS yielded the pile – soil stress ratio lower than the value obtained from the experiment but provided great insight into pile settlement characteristics during wall rotation.

Rig Load Prediction Model in Horizontal Directional Drilling within Water-Rich Unstable Strata

In horizontal directional drilling (HDD) construction, the rig pulling load is the load directly applied to the rig, which is an important basis for selecting power and checking capability of drilling equipment. Existing models cannot directly calculate the rig pulling load during the pull-back process. In this study, a model that takes into account the influence of the drill string and the soil pressure was developed to predict rig pulling load. The accuracy of the model is verified by comparison with existing models and field tests. The results show that pullback capability of rig should be determined by the maximum rig load instead of the maximum pull head load. For lighter high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes, using the mud with good lubrication function is the most effective to reduce the maximum rig load, however, for heavier steel pipes, the most effective way to reduce the maximum rig load is choosing pipe delivery method with less resistance. The field test proves that the model can predict the rig load accurately when installing pipes in water-rich unstable strata.

Fuzzy Logic-based Data Controlled Wireless Sensor Network Routing Protocol for Flood Early Warning

Floods account for 15% of all natural disasters related deaths. Therefore, early flood warning systems using wireless network of sensors installed in flood prone areas is necessary to provide early notice of impending flood. This research focuses on the use of an energy efficient routing protocol to prolong the life time of the Network. The importance of this is to minimize energy consumption as necessary for reliable field operations. It adopts the use of mandami Fuzzy logic-based data controlled routing protocol (F-DCRP).Simulation was carried out for the F-DCRP, LEACH and Crisp Data controlled routing protocol (DCRP). The performance of the three protocols were obtained and compared. The result showed that Cluster head (CH) load was better shared uniformly among all the nodes. Percentage of packets dropped showed that the proposed F-DCRP was 10% lower compared to DCRP and 50% lower compared to LEACH resulting in more packets sent per round and greater reliability compared to LEACH and DCRP. The network lifetime was also improved by 40 % when compared to LEACH and DCRP.

Tunnel–piled structure interaction: Numerical simulation of hybrid centrifuge tests

Tunnel excavation in urban areas causes ground movements that could damage existing nearby piled structures. Geotechnical centrifuge modelling has been widely used as a tool to study problems related to tunnelling activities and its interaction with existing infrastructure systems. Recent hybrid centrifuge tests using the Coupled Centrifuge-Numerical Modelling (CCNM) approach have provided high-quality experimental data of soil–piled structure interactions in dry sand, demonstrating the role of structure stiffness on head load transfer among piles and the subsequent impact on pile shaft resistance with tunnel volume loss. This paper extends the experimental data set with a finite element numerical analysis of the problem, providing additional insights into the complex interactions. An advanced hypoplastic constitutive model was adopted for the soil and, to enable appropriate comparison of numerical and experimental results, the conditions within the centrifuge tests were replicated numerically. Despite some discrepancies between numerical and experimental results, in particular related to limitations of the adopted soil–pile interface model, results from the numerical simulations are shown to broadly agree with the centrifuge test data. Numerical analysis results are used to explore the effect of tunnelling on pile settlements and the development of radial stresses around piles, as well as the stress paths at the soil–pile interface. These data provide additional insights to complement and extend current understanding of the complex soil–pile interactions taking place.

Effects of load carrying techniques on gait parameters, dynamic balance, and physiological parameters during a manual material handling task

PurposeSince construction workers often need to carry various types of loads in their daily routine, they are at risk of sustaining musculoskeletal injuries. Additionally, carrying a load during walking may disturb their walking balance and lead to fall injuries among construction workers. Different load carrying techniques may also cause different extents of physical exertion. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of different load-carrying techniques on gait parameters, dynamic balance, and physiological parameters in asymptomatic individuals on both stable and unstable surfaces.Design/methodology/approachFifteen asymptomatic male participants (mean age: 31.5 ± 2.6 years) walked along an 8-m walkway on flat and foam surfaces with and without a load thrice using three different techniques (e.g. load carriage on the head, on the dominant shoulder, and in both hands). Temporal gait parameters (e.g. gait speed, cadence, and double support time), gait symmetry (e.g. step time, stance time, and swing time symmetry), and dynamic balance parameters [e.g. anteroposterior and mediolateral center of pressure (CoP) displacement, and CoP velocity] were evaluated. Additionally, the heart rate (HR) and electrodermal activity (EDA) was assessed to estimate physiological parameters.FindingsThe gait speed was significantly higher when the load was carried in both hands compared to other techniques (Hand load, 1.02 ms vs Head load, 0.82 ms vs Shoulder load, 0.78 ms). Stride frequency was significantly decreased during load carrying on the head than the load in both hands (46.5 vs 51.7 strides/m). Step, stance, and swing time symmetry were significantly poorer during load carrying on the shoulder than the load in both hands (Step time symmetry ration, 1.10 vs 1.04; Stance time symmetry ratio, 1.11 vs 1.05; Swing time symmetry ratio, 1.11 vs 1.04). The anteroposterior (Shoulder load, 17.47 mm vs Head load, 21.10 mm vs Hand load, −5.10 mm) and mediolateral CoP displacements (Shoulder load, −0.57 mm vs Head load, −1.53 mm vs Hand load, −3.37 ms) significantly increased during load carrying on the shoulder or head compared to a load in both hands. The HR (Head load, 85.2 beats/m vs Shoulder load, 77.5 beats/m vs No load, 69.5 beats/m) and EDA (Hand load, 14.0 µS vs Head load, 14.3 µS vs Shoulder load, 14.1 µS vs No load, 9.0 µS) were significantly larger during load carrying than no load.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings suggest that carrying loads in both hands yields better gait symmetry and dynamic balance than carrying loads on the dominant shoulder or head. Construction managers/instructors should recommend construction workers to carry loads in both hands to improve their gait symmetry and dynamic balance and to lower their risk of falls.Practical implicationsThe potential changes in gait and balance parameters during various load carrying methods will aid the assessment of fall risk in construction workers during loaded walking. Wearable insole sensors that monitor gait and balance in real-time would enable safety managers to identify workers who are at risk of falling during load carriage due to various reasons (e.g. physical exertion, improper carrying techniques, fatigue). Such technology can also empower them to take the necessary steps to prevent falls.Originality/valueThis is the first study to use wearable insole sensors and a photoplethysmography device to assess the impacts of various load carrying approaches on gait parameters, dynamic balance, and physiological measures (i.e. HR and EDA) while walking on stable and unstable terrains.