Evaluation of objectivity, reliability and criterion validity of the key indicator method for manual handling operations (KIM-MHO), draft 2007

Upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms and disorders are common in the working population. The economic and social impact of such disorders is considerable. Long-time, dynamic repetitive exposure of the hand-arm system during manual handling operations (MHO) alone or in combination with static and postural effort are recognised as causes of musculoskeletal symptoms and disorders. The assessment of these manual work tasks is crucial to estimate health risks of exposed employees. For these work tasks, a new method for the assessment of the working conditions was developed and a validation study was performed. The results suggest satisfying criterion validity and moderate objectivity of the KIM-MHO draft 2007. The method was modified and evaluated again. It is planned to release a new version of KIM-MHO in spring 2012.     

Psychosocial indicators among aircraft maintenance workers with and without neck and shoulder musculoskeletal symptoms

In the aircraft maintenance industry, most of workers performs manual handling tasks of different materials, varying from small objects up to large pieces of the aircraft. It can increase the occurrence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), which are strongly associated with high physical demands required by the task. Moreover, psychosocial demands are considered as risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders in both the upper limbs and lumbar spine. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess psychosocial indicators among aircraft maintenance workers according to the presence of neck and shoulder musculoskeletal symptoms. Eighty workers of an aircraft maintenance company were evaluated (32.69 ± 8.25 years, 79.8 ± 13.4 kg, 175 ± 7 cm). According to physical examination, 50 workers were classified as asymptomatic (AS - 4.1 ± 3.17 positive signs) whilst 30 workers were classified as symptomatic (SS - 26.72 ± 11.44 positive signs). AS and SS have shown similar profile of demand (p = 0.62), control (p = 0.66) and social support (p = 0.74) according to the Job Content Questionnaire. However, the groups are different when considering work engagement variables. In general, SS have higher scores than AS (p < 0.05).     

Relationship between productivity, quality and musculoskeletal disorder risk among deboning workers in a Chilean salmon industry

The purpose of this ergonomic investigation is to establish a relationship between quality, productivity and risk of musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) in manual bone-removal process in the salmon fish industry. The method consists in a follow up study of 14 workers in a lane that processes salmon steak. Time between each steak (work cycle), quality of the steak's meat through inspection of deepness and length of the gapping generated by the manual bone-removal process and risk for musculoskeletal disorders through OCRA method were considered for this study. IMC and musculoskeletal Nordic Questionnaire of Kourinka were applied to the workers evaluated. Fourteen women worker's completed the evaluation, age 37.67 ± 8.1, with 65.27 ± 34.41 months of experience, with an IMC of 27.18 ± 3.87 (1.52 ± 0.057 meters of height) at the time of the evaluation. Time for deboning per steak averaged 38 ± 14 seconds with 68.33 ± 14.79 steaks per hour per worker. In quality terms, 74% of the steaks were qualified as "premium steaks" and 26% as "grade or industrial" (lower category and cheapest price). OCRA index for the right hand average 13.79 ± 4.59 and 3.59 ± 0.41 for the left hand. From Nordic questionnaire 80% of the workers manifested musculoskeletal symptoms in the right hand/wrist, followed up by shoulder with 60% of the workers and arm/elbow with over 50%. There was no statistically significant relationship between productivity and quality of the steak after manual bone removal process and between quality and MSD risk. However, there was a statistically significant relationship between productivity and MSD risk (p<0.05). Discussion around the results allows to see complementary results that did have strong correlation between MSD risk and the presence of lower grade salmon steaks and between areas that present musculoskeletal symptoms (MSS) and the intensity of the MSS (p<0.05). The results showed that further research is needed to validate these relationships, due to the increasing demands of health-care services from this productive sector, considering its importance for this region.     

Ergonomic factors and production target evaluation in eucalyptus timber harvesting operations in mountainous terrains

There are several forest operations involved in Eucalyptus timber harvesting. This study was carried out during brush-cutting; tree felling, bucking, delimbing, piling and manual extraction operations, with the following objectives: a) analyzing, ergonomically, two systems of brush-cutting: one manual and the other semi-mechanized, using two different machines; b) ergonomically evaluating three different brands of pruner machines used in delimbing felled trees. c) determining the feasible target of productivity as a function of ergonomic factors relevant to establish the time of resting pauses for workers in manual and semi-mechanized timber harvesting systems in mountainous terrain. Brush-cutting, either manual or semimechanized, is an activity carried out prior to timber harvesting. It is usually a hard work, with low productivity when compared with mechanized systems. Pruner machines have been used by forest companies, due to the great possibilities to improve productivity, quality and the health of workers. Ergonomics is a discipline that promotes the adequacy of work to the physical and mental characteristics of human beings, seeking to design production systems and products considering relevant aspects, including social, organizational and environmental factors. Companies should consider the ergonomic factor in the determination of daily worker production targets.     

Increased of Brazilian productivity in the slaughterhouse sector: a review

Due to Brazil is a tropical country has activities in occupational exposure to cold restricted to few sectors especially the meatpacking industry. Taking into account that the country in 2010, was again the largest exporter of poultry meat in the world and consequently employing a large number of workers for their slaughter and processing. The search for greater productivity can result in an increase in work rate, as indicated in this sector as monotonous, repetitive and uncomfortable. According the Programa de Frigorífico it was found that within six years, about 20% of the six thousand workers in a slaughterhouse in southern Brazil, received welfare benefits due to musculoskeletal diseases. Adding to this, the lack of parameters for the Brazilian standardization concerning occupational activities carried out in cold. Although several epidemiological studies point to the cold as a risk factor for occurrence or aggravation of musculoskeletal disorders, research in this field is still limited and often contradictory conclusions. This article aims to review developments concerning the poultry industry and the fridge in Brazil, as well as raising the question about the increased productivity of the slaughterhouse, since it has already shown a high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders related to work.     

Training in manual material handling: what is going on in the field?

During the last five years, several research review studies have revealed insufficient or even no proof that courses in manual material handling (MMH) are effective at preventing musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). These revelations are placing the current daily practice of MMH trainers under scrutiny. This study analyses how the MMH courses are organised in practice. A web-based questionnaire was developed for trainers. Only trainers giving MMH courses on a regular basis were included. The questionnaire focussed on general characteristics of the courses, content issues and organisational aspects. The results clearly indicated that the MMH courses can only be considered as a means of making employees aware of good manual handling. Not all content issues that should be addressed in effective MMH courses, are looked at in practice. This is mainly due to time restrictions that trainers experience, often imposed by the company. In conclusion, these organisational restrictions might explain the ineffectiveness of the MMH courses and should therefore be resolved.     

Analysis of the lifted weight including height and frequency factors for workers in Colombia

Factors related to the height of the load and the frequency of handling have become a way to predict the acceptable standard weight lifted for workers whose main task is the manual lifting of materials and measuring the conditions is important to determine a maximum weight lifted. This study was conducted to twenty (20) workers between eighteen (18) and forty (40) years old with a minimum six months experience and belonging to the warehouse and packaging area of a dairy products company. Consideration was given to three different heights such as knuckle, shoulder and total height as well as frequencies of 2, 4 and 6 times per minute. Average values for lifted weight were 17.9306 ± 2.37 kg. The conclusions and recommendations included a review of legislation related to Colombian maximum acceptable weight of lifting due to the current law does not match the acceptable weight handled in this research.     

Biomechanical analysis of loading/unloading a ladder on a truck

Loading/unloading a ladder on vehicles are frequent tasks and involve overhead handling that may expose workers to risk factors of shoulder musculoskeletal disorders. The objective of the present study was to evaluate posture, forces required and perceived exertion when loading and unloading the ladder on a utility truck. Thirteen male overhead line workers from an electric utility in Brazil participated in this study. Shoulder elevation angle was measured using inclinometers. The required force to load/unload the ladder was measured by dynamometer. Subjective assessment of the perceived exertion was recorded to compare the exertion reported during the test conditions to the field conditions. The task of loading/unloading the ladder presented risks of shoulder musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) to workers because it requires high levels of force (approximately 60% of the maximal force) combined with overhead posture of the shoulders (more than 100° from the neutral posture). Age and height presented to interfere in biomechanical risks presented in load/unload task. There was no significant difference between the subjective exertion during the test conditions and handling the ladder in the field. Ergonomic intervention is recommended to reduce these risks for shoulder MSDs.     

An ergonomic study on the onset of mental fatigue among the load handling workers of a central market area in Kolkata

It is a well recognized fact that manual material handling (MMH) entails enormous physical labor and associated discomfort feeling, which invariably culminate into musculoskeletal disorders. However mental fatigue, in such instances, becomes an unexplored parameter that needs definite attention during assessment of work status of MMH workers. The present study is being performed among 75 porters of a central market in Kolkata to ascertain the extent of physical and mental exhaustion among them. SF-12 health status questionnaire followed by another questionnaire involving psychosocial questions were performed among them. The analysis of both the questionnaires clearly revealed that most of the porters are under severe physical exertion as they alone carry about 120 kg load at a time and such activity is repeated at least 40 times throughout the day. They always suffer from pain and discomfort feeling at different body parts and this interferes with their normal work activity to a great extent. Moreover absenteeism means no financial return and even a day's rigourous work fetches meagre income. The inability to support family convincingly even after performing such hazardous tasks makes them feel low. Monotony, boredom, fatigue and mental trauma form an integral part of their daily work schedule.     

A practical approach to the assesment of manual handling equipment for cargo: multinational abrasives in Brazil

The Manual Handling of Loads is an activity present in virtually all production system, when developed without ergonomic principles of design and sizing can generate several instances of discomfort and musculoskeletal disorders. This work was carried out to measure, set limits and risks and guide specifications for the cargo handling carts in a specific company, tracing the anthropometric profile of the productive population and performing a quantitative evaluation of forces and design models of cars used in the company.     

Ergonomic assessment methodologies in manual handling of loads--opportunities in organizations

The present study was developed based on the analysis of workplaces in the engineering industry, particularly in automotive companies. The main objectives of the study were to evaluate the activities present in the workplace concerning manual handling, using assessment methodologies NIOSH Ergonomic Equation [1] and Manual Material Handling [2], present in ISO 11228 [3-4], and to consider the possibility of developing musculoskeletal injuries associated with these activities, an issue of great concern in all industrial sectors. Similarly, it was also shown the suitability of each method to the task concerned. The study was conducted in three steps. The first step was to collect images and information about the target tasks. As a second step proceeded to the analysis, determining the method to use and to evaluate activities. Finally, we found the results obtained and acted on accordingly. With the study observed situations considered urgent action, according to the methodologies used, and proceeded to develop solutions in order to solve the problems identified, eliminating and / or minimizing embarrassing situations and harmful to employees.     

Injury prevention in physiotherapists--a scientific review

This review targeted all research previously conducted on the topic of musculoskeletal disorders and injury among physiotherapists, with a particular focus on studies that had examined individual, physical and psychosocial risk factors and provided suggestions or recommendations to prevent such injuries. Scientific literature published in English languages was searched using electronic way. A total of 17 appropriate studies were located and examined, most of which had focused on the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders/pan or any other injury. From the review, it was shown that major risk factors among the physiotherapist were manual therapy, repetitive movement, awkward and static posture, physical load, lifting and transferring, treating large number of patients treating in a single day, working while injured, years of experience. The preventive measures that described in these literatures were awareness of reporting of injury, use of less manual therapy, proper exercise, formulation of new devices, intervention at the level of workplace, work schedule allocation, proper training, ongoing risk assessment and control.     

Perceived contra observed physical work load in Swedish dentists

In an earlier questionnaire study, dentists reported high experienced physical work load in their profession, but low to moderate complaints from their musculoskeletal system. The correlation between reported physical work load and pain from the musculoskeletal system was weak. This discrepancy could not be satisfactorily explained. Therefore, a second study was undertaken, in which the same 27 dentists who reported musculoskeletal problems were video recorded during one hour of clinical work, and the records were later analyzed using PEO (Portable Ergonomic Observation). PEO is a frequency analysis method which allows observation of work in real time using a portable computer or video recordings. PEO can be adjusted for registration of single or multiple work operations. Output data are presented as frequency, duration, and sequence of the various work operations. The aim of the present study was to investigate if there was a relation between observed work load recorded with PEO, and subjectively estimated work load and musculoskeletal complaints recorded with a questionnaire based on Visual Analogue Scales. Sitting and standing postures, and head, trunk and arm movements were analyzed. The PEO observations showed that dentists generally perform their clinical work in a sitting position, with the head bent forward almost half of the time. Only weak to moderate correlations (r =0.0-0.6) were found between observed physical work load and subjective estimations of experienced physical work load and musculoskeletal complaints. These findings support the results in our previous study, but they do not explain the large difference between the observed low work load and the subjectively experienced high work load. The study will be followed up by EMG measurements and free interviews, where both muscular load and psychosocial factors will be evaluated.     

Ergonomic evaluation of a situation of coexposure to solvents and noise in a printing of flexible packaging

The purpose of this paper is to present an ergonomic evaluation of a situation of co-exposure to solvents and noise in a flexible packaging printer. We discuss how such an approach carried out in the field of printing industry work has made it possible to highlight serious shortcomings in the effectiveness of the prevention actions that are supposed to protect workers from chemicals risks and noise. The ergonomic analysis identified a strain working conditions. Indeed, some jobs expose to noise and toxic risk. Lamination operations, winding and cutting are purveyors of noise. Some physical and spatial factors contribute to amplify the toxic risk. The not wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) by the operators maybe explained by the fact that it doesn't any possibility to do "otherwise". Indeed, operators adopt a compromise to achieve the objectives of production to the detriment of their health and safety. These constraints are causing gene and psychosocial factors. The interviews revealed a state of psychosis in the workshop, which was accentuated by the reclassification of an operator which has created a climate of panic and anxiety especially for older operators who have more than 20 years exposed to handling of toxic and more exposure to high noise level.     

How was a national moving and handling people guideline intended to work? The underlying programme theory

In healthcare, moving and handling people (MHP) often cause musculoskeletal disorders. To prevent musculoskeletal disorders due to MHP, many national evidence-based guidelines have been developed. However, little is known about how these guidelines were intended to work, i.e. their ‘programme theory’, how implementation by intended users is influenced by contextual factors and mechanisms to produce outcomes. This paper identifies the programme theory of a national MHP guideline (MHPG) using thematic analysis of the MHPG document, three organisational planning documents, and interviews with MHPG developers. The analysis identified the intended users of the MHPG as health and safety managers and MHP coordinators. The programme theory comprised contextual factors, potentially hindering (e.g. budget constraints) or facilitating (e.g. changing demographics) implementation, being influenced by mechanisms mainly based on ethical (quality of care, evidence-based practices), and economic reasoning (reducing cost of MHP, return on investment) to reduce injuries caused by MHP – the intended outcome.     

The ergonomics approach for thin film transistor-liquid crystal display manufacturing process

The thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) has been used all over the world. Although the manufacture process of TFT-LCD was highly automated, employees are hired to do manual job in module assembly process. The operators may have high risk of musculoskeletal disorders because of the long work hours and the repetitive activities in an unfitted work station. The tools of this study were questionnaire, checklist and to evaluate the work place design. The result shows that the participants reported high musculoskeletal disorder symptoms in shoulder (59.8%), neck (49.5%), wrist (39.5%), and upper back (30.6%). And, to reduce the ergonomic risk factors, revising the height of the work benches, chairs and redesigning the truck to decrease the chance of unsuitable positions were recommended and to reduce other ergonomics hazards and seta good human machine interface and appropriate job design.     

Analysis of the workload imposed on the workers of the imprint and cutting/welding sectors of a flexible packaging manufacturer

This article presents a study on the evaluation of the workload imposed to workers of two sectors of a flexible packaging manufacturer that operates in three shifts. The workers are allocated in one of the shifts (morning, evening and night shifts) without evaluation of their chronotype and/or social needs. The Imprint sector has a more dynamic work, which is done only by man due to the effort demanded by handling loads. The work in the Cutting/Welding sector is static, done mainly by women. The results showed that the overall workload was the same in the Imprint and Cutting/Welding sectors, because physical effort for load handling is higher in the former but the latter involves high static load. The levels of urinary catecholamines and salivary cortisol were consistent with the workers biological clock showing that none of the workers changed his/her biological cycle to accommodate to the time of the shift schedule.     

CORPORATE TAX POLICY AND INDUSTRY LOCATION WITH FULLY ENDOGENOUS PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH

This paper considers how national corporate tax policy affects productivity growth through adjustments in geographic patterns of industry in a two‐country model of trade. With trade costs and imperfect knowledge spillovers between countries, production concentrates partially and innovation concentrates fully in the country with the lowest tax rate. A rise in the international corporate tax differential accelerates productivity growth through an increase in the production share of the low‐tax country that improves knowledge spillovers from industry to innovation. The paper also investigates the relationship between the corporate tax differential and the level of market entry, and analytically characterizes the effects of changes in tax policy on national welfare. (JEL F43, O30, O40, R12)     

Electricity Cost as a Driver of Competitiveness in Northern Europe: The Case of Estonia

The Estonian electricity market will be fully opened in 2013. Given ever-stricter environmental standards limiting the use of domestically available oil shale as main fuel for electricity generation and expansion of regional power pools, it is widely believed that Estonia’s currently low electricity prices are set to increase. Authors argue that cost differentiation and regional competition will be based on transmission charges and add-on fees. Measuring exporting industry’s total electricity costs as a share of total production costs shows that for the majority of Estonian producers electricity costs make up only around 1–2 % of production costs, but noteworthy exceptions exist.     

Are cutout handles used when available in real occupational settings? Description of grips and upper extremities movements during industrial box handling

In order to achieve better postures and decrease musculoskeletal risks adequate design of hand/box couplings for manual materials handling (MMH) are still needed. No studies evaluating upper limb movement thorough direct measurements during box handling in workplace were identified in the literature. In this study we describe the types of grip and movements adopted by ten workers when handling redesigned boxes with cutout handles between different heights on industrial pallets. The new handles were used by 90% of the workers through different types of grip. Electrogoniometric measurements showed relatively safe forearm and wrist movements, although elbow inadequate range of movement was recorded. Despite the good acceptance of the cutout by workers, the new design requires extra internal space in the boxes reducing applications for this alternative of box.