Presentation
The Effect of Worker Experience and Force Orientation on Effort Durations for Automotive Tasks
SessionOE8: Effort and Fatigue
DescriptionWork-related musculoskeletal disorders frequently result from acute and/or chronic overexertion to occupational work demands. Along with frequency, effort duration is a common input in ergonomics tools to determine acceptable force demands for repetitive tasks. It is currently difficult to measure effort durations in the field and normative data are not readily available. Furthermore, it is not clear how effort durations might be affected by individual (i.e. experience) or task-specific factors (i.e. direction of exertion). As such, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of experience and force direction on effort duration for 14 common automotive tasks. Both an experienced automotive and inexperienced student group completed automotive force exertion tasks using real parts mounted to a force plate (e.g., electrical connectors, radiator hoses). Force exertions were completed in either a forward and downward push direction. Effort durations for the downward exertions resulted in shorter durations on average due to the effects of gravity. Experience level possessed mixed results as prior quality training likely affected effort durations in the experienced group. These findings will strengthen ergonomic risk assessments by offering insights into variables that influence effort duration in manual work.
Event Type
Industry/Practitioner Content
Lecture
TimeWednesday, October 15th3:20pm - 3:40pm CDT
LocationGrand C/D South
Occupational Ergonomics