Abstract
In manual material handling, workers are often at risk for work-related injuries and musculoskeletal diseases. This study used an ergonomic risk assessment methodology to motivate development of a worker muscle stretching program, towards injury rate reduction in gas cylinder handling. We followed a three-phase approach: (1) an OSHA log analysis of the gas cylinder delivery company; (2) a tasks analysis including ride-alongs and ERA to gas delivery operations to identify tasks posing the greatest number of risk factors; and (3) design of a job-readiness program with a focus on stretching and targeting muscles of vulnerable body segments. The study yielded a novel and productive approach to stretching program development for workplace injury risk reduction. The exercise card will be evaluated in a follow-on field test.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
da Costa, B.R., Vieira, E.R.: Stretching to reduce work-related musculoskeletal disorders: a systematic review. J. Rehabil. Med. 40(5), 321–328 (2008)
Gartley, R.M., Prosser, J.L.: Stretching to prevent musculoskeletal injuries: an approach to workplace wellness. AAOHN J. 59(6) (2011)
Smith, K.: Evaluation of a stretching program to increase worker flexibility. AAOHN J. 61(8) (2013). https://doi.org/10.3928/21650799-20130726-30
Kellett, K.M., Kellett, D.A., Nordholm, L.A.: Effects of an exercise program on sick leave due to back pain. Phys. Ther. 71(4), 283–291 (1991)
Zebis, M.K., Andersen, L.L., Pedersen, M.T., Mortensen, P., Andersen, C.H., Pedersen, M.M., Sjøgaard, G.: Implementation of neck/shoulder exercises for pain relief among industrial workers: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Musculoskelet. Disord. 12(1), 205 (2011)
Muyor, J.M., López-Miñarro, P.A., Casimiro, A.J.: Effect of stretching program in an industrial workplace on hamstring flexibility and sagittal spinal posture of adult women workers: a randomized controlled trial. J. Back Musculoskelet. Rehabil. 25(3), 161–169 (2012)
Liberty Mutual: Workplace safety index. From Research to Reality (2008). www.mhi.org/downloads/industrygroups/ease/technicalpapers/Liberty-Mutual-2008-Safety-index-most-disabling-injuries.pdf
Borg, G., Ottoson, D.: The perception of exertion in physical work. In: Wennergren Center International Symposium Series (1986)
Borg, G.: Psychophysical scaling with applications in physical work and the perception of exertion. Scand. J. Work Environ. Health 16, 55–58 (1990)
Borg, G.: Borg’s Perceived Exertion and Pain Scales. Human Kinetics, Champaign (1998)
McAtamney, L., Corlett, E.N.: RULA: a survey method for the investigation of work-related upper limb disorders. Appl. Ergon. 24(2), 91–99 (1993)
Steven Moore, J., Garg, A.: The strain index: a proposed method to analyze jobs for risk of distal upper extremity disorders. Am. Ind. Hyg. Assoc. 56(5), 443–458 (1995)
Rogers, M., Kaber, D.B., Taylor, K.: Identifying and evaluating risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders in equine veterinary work. In: Proceedings of the 2012 Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics Conference. Taylor & Francis CRC Press, Boca Raton (2012)
Swangnetr, M., Namkorn, P., Phimphasak, C., Saenlee, K., Kaber, D., Buranruk, O., et al.: Ergonomic analysis of rice field plowing. In: 4th International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics, San Francisco, CA (2012)
Kisner, C., Colby, L.A.: Therapeutic Exercise: Foundations and Techniques. F.A. Davis, Philadelphia (2007)
Schneiders, A.G., Zusman, M., Singer, K.P.: Exercise therapy compliance in acute low back pain patients. Man. Ther. 3(3), 147–152 (1998)
Bovenzi, M., Rui, F., Negro, C., D’Agostin, F., Angotzi, G., Bianchi, S., Rondina, L.: An epidemiological study of low back pain in professional drivers. J. Sound Vib. 298(3), 514–539 (2006)
Magnusson, M.L., Pope, M.H., Wilder, D.G., Areskoug, B.: Are occupational drivers at an increased risk for developing musculoskeletal disorders. Spine J. 21(6), 710–717 (1996)
Goldenhar, L.M., Stafford, P.: If you’ve seen one construction worksite stretch and flex program… you’ve seen one construction worksite stretch and flex program. J. Saf. Res. 55, 73–79 (2015)
Elberson, K.L., Daniels, K.K., Miller, P.M.: Structured and nonstructured exercise in a corporate wellness program. A comparison of physiological outcomes. Outcomes Manag. Nurs. Pract. 5(2), 82–86 (2000)
Bernacki, E.J., Baun, W.B.: The relationship of job performance to exercise adherence in a corporate fitness program. J. Occup. Environ. Med. 26(7), 529–531 (1984)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this paper
Cite this paper
Morejon, O., Wadeson, A., White, M., Zhang, W., Kaber, D. (2019). Ergonomic Risk Assessment of Gas Delivery Operations and Stretching Program Design. In: Goossens, R. (eds) Advances in Social and Occupational Ergonomics. AHFE 2018. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 792. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94000-7_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94000-7_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-93999-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-94000-7
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)