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Ageing work force is one of the leading causes behind the reduction in the rate of growth of the labour force in construction industries. Construction industry is a major source of employment worldwide after agriculture, and generally the primary one in urban areas. Manual material handling in construction industries causes musculoskeletal disorders affecting both upper and lower extremities of the body. Studies on lower limb problems due to dynamic work like handling of heavy loads in construction industries are scanty. To analyze the level of exertion, ergonomics risk factors and the prevalence of work-related lower limb disorders among the young and elderly construction workforce. 20 male construction workers in the age group of i) 20 to 30 years (golden age group); ii) 50 years and above were selected from a local construction site in Mumbai. Demographic data like age, height, weight, BMI, body fat, waist hip ratio and risk assessment by questionnaires study comprising QEC, NMQ, VAS, and LEFS were collected. Compared to the golden age group, the elderly subjects were found to feel uncomfortable to their lower back, knee and calf due to the immoderate forces and motions applied to their lower limbs during their daily work. Muscle pliability and proper coordination diminishes with age and it is appearing to be the most probable reason behind the pain experienced in their lower limbs might be due to improper techniques and postures. For elderly workers, age related limitations become an additional factor to maintain their normal work life.

Backpacks are commonly used by many, the carriage of backpacks, especially by schoolgoing children, has been reported to cause development of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). Students’ susceptibility to MSD not only relies on backpack weight, but it also depends on the backpack design, backpack location, frequency and duration of use and manner of its carriage. The goal of this study was to determine the suitability of the internal frame (IF) design for school children’s backpacks by analyzing key physiological and biomechanical responses and comparing these responses with the response parameters obtained for a frameless backpack. Twenty male schoolgoing participants of similar weight, age, and height were selected for this study. Additionally, two different types of backpacks were used, one without a frame and one containing an IF. The frame of the IF was comprised of two aluminum staves bent in the shape of the spine a flat surface supporting the bottom of the backpack. The results obtained from both backpacks were statistically evaluated using repeated measures ANOVA. Double-limb support time and L4/L5 compression force were significantly lower in the case of the backpack containing an IF and energy expenditure was also lower for IF backpack at 25% load condition. The repeated and prolonged experience of schoolgoing children carrying heavy backpacks can hamper their growth. Backpacks with a support system help to curb their ill effects.

Glass artware manufacturing activities are highly repetitive, labor-intensive, and demand prolonged standing during the working shift. This leads to the development of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) symptoms among the workers. However, there is a scarce of study on the prevalence of MSDs symptoms and their associated risk factors among the glass artware workers. To address this research gap, this study aims to evaluate the prevalence of MSDs and working conditions among Indian glass artware workers. Discomfort data is collected using Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire and working posture data is collected through direct observations using Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA). Multiple logistic regression model is developed for each body region to study the relationship between the associated risk factors and MSDs symptoms with the help of collected data. The findings of this study are first, MSDs symptoms are highly prevalent and severe, particularly in the lower back, thigh, and foot. Second, the average REBA grand score is 7.22, which reveals the high-risk level of worker's posture while performing the task. Third, Job characteristics and individual factors are associated with MSD symptoms in multiple logistic regression models. The results highlight the prevalence and severity level of MSDs and illustrate the demand for ergonomic interventions to alleviate musculoskeletal symptoms among these working groups. Relevance to industry This study draws attention to work-related and other associated risk factors, which would help the researchers and managers to understand the working environment of glass artware industry. These risk factors should be considered for designing and implementing ergonomic interventions to prevent and alleviate musculoskeletal discomfort among the glass artware workers.

A study was conducted with an aim to determine the changes of human lower limb biomechanics biomechanics while carrying loads in selective modes among industrial workers of India and to suggest the biomechanically efficient mode of load carriage. Industrial workers (n = 20) in the age range of 22 to 58 years were selected and asked to carry loads on head, across one shoulder and in hands. Qualisys Motion Capture System (Sweden), Kistler Force Plate (Switzerland) and Polar S810i HR monitor, Finland were used to record data. Heart rate was recorded at rest and during select modes of load carriage with 40% of individual body weight i.e. loads on head, shoulder and hand. Walking speed for head load, shoulder load and hand load were 4.19 ± 0.55 km.hr−1, 4.09 ± 0.82 km.hr−1 and 3.94 ± 0.84 km.hr−1 respectively. Double limb support time while carrying loads has been found lowest in case of head mode (0.65 ± 0.46 s) followed by hand mode (0.67 ± 0.14 s) and shoulder mode (0.68 ± 0.06 s) of load carriage. There is a gradual increase in hip flexon from head to shoulder and hand load condition and gradual decrease in ground reaction force from head to shoulder and hand load conditions. Considering the changes in the physiological parameters along with the biomechanical parameters, head load was found to be more productive in comparison to shoulder and hand load modes. Results demonstrated a significant changes in kinetic and kinematic parameters of workers at selective load conditions. Findings would provide substantial input for designing work and work rest cycle for different industrial manual workforce.

The purpose of this study was to assess the General Health-Related Physical Fitness Levels of college-going girls of Maharashtra. For this purpose, 58 students were measured for Body composition (BMI, WHR and Fat.%), Muscular Strength (Hand and pinch, standing high Jump), Muscular endurance (Sit-ups, Push-ups and Trunk lift), Flexibility (Sit and Reach and Shoulder Stretch) and Aerobic Fitness (Queens College Step Test). Results indicate that around 52 and 21% of girls fell in Acceptable and Obese category of Body Fat.%. Girls demonstrated poor scores for hand and pinch strength, but performed averagely in standing high jump. It is crucial to note that girls had a lot of difficulty while performing Push-ups and Sit-ups, thus indicating poor muscular endurance. Majority of them were having good shoulder flexibility, but average low back flexibility. Aerobic test was not completed by 9% of girls and 14% had poor VO2 max scores. Overall the health status of the girls needs to be improved in hand strength, muscular endurance, aerobic fitness and low back flexibility.

Compared to work-related musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremity and lower back area, much less investigative focus has been found on the prevention of lower limb musculoskeletal disorders and injury (LLD) in the workplace. A higher incidence of musculoskeletal injuries in lower extremities when carrying a heavy load during daily activities was found among Indian construction workers. The objective of this study was to examine the changes in temporal and distal gait parameters of healthy Indian men and women construction workers with different modes of load carriage. Five healthy male and five female construction workers were selected to walk at self-selected speed along a 7 m walkway, crossing two Kistler force platforms with unloaded and different loaded (15 kg) conditions. Indian males and females displayed significantly different gait patterns under all load conditions while the changes were relatively small in males. The results also indicated that the walking patterns of both the male and female subjects among the Indian construction labours were affected while carrying loads in different modes. It was found that due to differences in the ability to carry heavy loads in different modes, females are more prone to injuries compared to males and so considering the biological differences load carriage task should be assigned carefully to the female labours.

The present study was undertaken to assess the causal risk factors for discomfort among Indian percussionists (Tabla players) and to suggest if possible, any recommendation strategies. Quick Exposure Check (QEC) was used to evaluate the exposure to risk factors and a modified questionnaire was used to identify the risk factors. The scores from QEC showed that back and shoulder of Tabla players were at very high risks, neck at high risks category and wrist at moderate risks. Another questionnaire was administered to assess the causal factors for PRMDs. Subsequently, factor analysis was carried out on the causal factors. Consequently, two factors emerged with higher factor loadings. Factor 1 comprised of long practice sessions, tour, insufficient rest, performance frequency and stress. Factor 2 comprised of lack of flexibility, poor posture, and technical flaws. Based on the results some recommendation strategy was suggested to minimize PRMDs.

A pair of faulty footwear can alter your gait pattern as well as can cause stress on your lower extremity. Study emphasis impact of high heels and flat heels on gait and also highlights pain and aches due to faulty footwear of young female adults. A group of 18 females with mean age, height and weight 22.67 ± 1.49 years, 157.65 ± 6.70 cm and 55.72 ± 10.89 kg respectively were selected for the study. Subjects were allowed to walk at self-selected speed for three test conditions, i.e., barefoot walk, flat heel walk, and high heel walk. Their gait was captured by Qualisys Motion Capture System with Oqus infrared camera (6 no.) Sweden. Speed and stride length decreased whereas stride width and double limb support increased. Consumer perspective while purchasing and using footwear was examined on 90 young females, poor choice of footwear negatively influenced the gait pattern. Footwear design is proposed in the study to reduce stress on lower extremity while acquiring natural gait.

Many examinations of various load configurations on healthy men of other professions like military services have been made but not much on men engaged in manual labour work in construction industries Construction workers were found to have higher prevalence of lower extremity problems when carrying heavy load during daily activities at the construction sites The purpose of this study was to examine the changes in gait patterns of Indian construction workers while carrying a Kg load on their head on the hand and across one shoulder Twenty healthy daily wage male workers without existing clinical orthopaedic problems were selected for this study ranging in ages from to years Thirty six reflective markers were placed on the subjects lower limb Six Qualisys Motion Capture Oqus cameras were used to film the subjects walking along a meter walkway Each worker was asked to walk at his self selected speed without any load to establish a baseline and then in random order walked with a kilograms load on the head on the hand and diagonally across one shoulder The influence of load carrying methods on different gait parameters like speed stride length stride width step time stance time swing time cadence cycle time double limb support and etc were observed Workers n walked with significantly different gait parameters when walking with three different load carrying configurations compared with the baseline at p lt Carrying a heavy load on head appeared to cause the least deviation from normal gait pattern among the Indian manual construction workers nbsp

Received: September 2014, Accepted: February 2015 Background: Musculoskeletal diseases are quite common among healthcare professionals including medical laboratory technicians. This cross-sectional study aimed to identify the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms and ergonomic risk factors in Indian medical laboratory technicians. Materials and Methods: The study sample comprised of 130 male and female laboratory technicians from the Indian healthcare industry. Samples were selected based on convenient random sampling. Data was collected using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) and Quick Exposure Checklist (QEC) to evaluate the ergonomic risk factors present in Indian medical laboratories. Statistical tools applied in the present study include frequencies, percentage, mean and standard deviations, independent ttest, and chi-square test. Results: Results indicated that the major percentage of technicians (66.9%) had suffered from some kind of musculoskeletal symptoms during the last 12 months. The highest prevalence was reported in the back (44%), knees (20.7%), and neck region (18.4%). This indicated that musculoskeletal problems are prevalent among Indian medical laboratory technicians. The results showed that the levels of exposure to musculoskeletal risks were high or very high among 85.3% of technicians. The statistical analysis showed an insignificant association between the level of risk factors and the prevalence of musculoskeletal issues (P>0.05). The most common risk factors found to be awkward postures, prolonged standing, inappropriate workstation arrangement. Conclusions: Ergonomic interventions in terms of reducing risk factors, improving workstation design, eliminating awkward postures, and providing some physical training to improve upon their musculoskeletal fitness level are recommended.

Thirty male school children from primary school, aged 12 years, were selected to carry backpacks of 10% body weight where 0% body weight was used as a baseline. Heart rate and blood pressure tests were conducted on the subjects. Subjects had walked on a treadmill for 20 min at each load condition at 1.1 m/s. This was done in both cases when subjects followed the normal pattern of packing and wearing and when they followed the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) recommendations. Heart rate was recorded before, during and 5 min after walking on treadmill whereas blood pressures were measured before and immediately after trial, and at 3 and 5 min after every trial. The results showed a significant difference in heart rate, blood pressure and its recovery for 10% body weight load conditions before and after recommendations. The packing, carrying, wearing of backpack should be done as per the AOTA guidelines.

Subjective Visual Disturbances are silent adversaries that appear over a period of continued exposure and arise when the visual demands of the tasks exceed the visual abilities of the user. Jewellery manufacturing activity involves precision designs, setting the metal and stones, polishing and filing which requires higher visual demand. Therefore, it is expected that the jewellery manufacturing workers may experience subjective visual disturbances. This study was taken up with the following objectives 1) To study the presence of subjective visual disturbances among jewellery manufacturing workers and compare the same with VDT operators 2) To study the effect of work exposures on subjective visual disturbances and 3) to ascertain whether subjective visual disturbances have any permanent vision related problems. The study was carried out on jewellery manufacturing workers, VDT operators and on graduate students. The symptoms of subjective visual disturbances were identified using a questionnaire developed by Sheedy (2003). Viewing distances were measured and visual angles were calculated. The eye check--ups were also carried out. The subjective visual disturbances were higher in jewellery manufacturing workers. The findings suggest that work exposure has an impact on the causation of subjective visual disturbances. No pathological conditions of the eyes were observed.

The study was taken up to investigate the effects of heel heights on lumbar kinematics and the risk of Low Back Disorder (LBD) in females. Nineteen female university students (24.5 ± 3.36 yrs) volunteered in the study. Lumbar kinematics was measured by using Industrial Lumbar Motion Monitor (iLMM). The volunteers were asked to walk for a distance of 50 meters in 3 different given conditions i.e bare foot (Heel 0), with flat heels (Heel 1) and with high heels (Heel 2). Heights of Heel 1 and Heel 2 were 1.5 ± 0.84 cm and 5.5 ± 1.70 cm respectively. The Lumbar kinematic parameters studied were- Average Twisting Velocity (ATV), Maximum Sagital Flexion (MSF) and Maximum Lateral Velocity (MLV). It was observed that all the above mentioned Lumbar kinematics - ATV, MSF and MLV increases with increase of heel heights, which in turn increases the risk of LBD. As a result of increase in Lumbar kinematic values with increase in heel heights, LBD risk has also increased. Mean and SD of the LBD risk with Heel 0, Heel 1 and Heel 2 were 16.79 ± 6.04%, 19.00 ± 7.38% and 22.11 ± 6.98% respectively. Lower stature with high heels showed higher risk of LBD than the higher stature with high heels.

Study aimed to compare the health-related physical fitness levels (HRPF) among young male workers from physically active and inactive occupation. Ninety four healthy male workers (18-30 years) were selected from 2 distinct occupational group, i.e., office (n = 46) and construction (n = 48). Constructions workers had significantly lower (p < 0.001) BMI, fat%, metabolic age (years), waist and hip circumference; and significantly higher (p < 0.001) body water % and lean body mass % as compared to office workers. Therefore, construction workers had superior back flexibility, trunk lift scores and aerobic capacity. Whereas, office workers showed significantly good performance only in hand strength. No significant difference was found for strength (pinch, explosive leg and back) and endurance (upper and core body) tests. Occupational physical activity (OPA) significantly influences the body composition, flexibility and aerobic capacity. Whereas, lack of OPA can be associated with increase in obesity, larger waist and hip circumference; and poor performance in most of the fitness test.

Visual and auditory simple reaction times for both right and left hands of young university male students were recorded with a simple reaction timer, before and after an exercise schedule without and with elevated temperatures in a climatic chamber. The results indicated a decrease in both visual and auditory reaction times after the exercise, but a marked increase in them was noticed when exercise was performed at elevated temperatures. The difference in reaction times in preferred and nonpreferred hands was negligible at rest, i.e., without any exercise and elevated temperature. However, the difference was significant when exercise was performed at elevated temperatures. Visual reaction time was longer than auditory reaction time in all conditions. The results suggest that in hot industries, increased temperature has a specific rather than general effect on cognitive processes, perception and attentiveness, leading to increased chances of human errors, fatal accidents and loss of productivity.

An ergonomic assessment of the involvement of static muscular forces like back strength, grip strength and pinch strength in different occupations was made. A study was conducted on 45 normal adult males (15 subjects per group) which included video display terminal (VDT) operators, industrial workers and safety inspectors. Their maximum back strength, handgrip strength and pinch strength were measured with dynamometers. The observed values of back strength were significantly lower in VDT operators while significantly higher in safety inspectors and moderate in industrial workers. The values of grip strength and pinch strength of all sample groups were more or less similar. The findings clearly indicate that static muscular strength varies significantly in different occupations. Heavy static muscular load might lead to an accumulation of metabolic waste and toxins on the back resulting in lower back strength in VDT operators and industrial workers.

Purpose: Weight of the load which is to be lifted and its characteristics are considered to be important risk factors for low back disorders (LBD) among manual material handlers. Determining the amount of load a person can lift is important in minimizing the incidence of LBD. The objective of this study was to determine the lifting capacity, adopting two lifting techniques at two levels among male construction workers using progressive isoinertial lifting evaluation (PILE). Methods: One hundred and forty-three male construction workers with minimum 1 year of work experience and without any acute illnesses participated in this study. Workers were advised to perform PILE using two lifting techniques (stoop and squat) and at two lifting levels (waist and shoulder). Results: The mean lifting capacity was found to be 24.50 [Formula: see text] 5.10, 21.20 [Formula: see text] 5.54, 19.76 [Formula: see text] 4.08 and 17.25 [Formula: see text] 5.18 kg, respectively, for floor to waist-stoop, floor to waist-squat, floor to shoulder-stoop and floor to shoulder-squat categories. The lifting capacity decreased by 19.40% and 18.54% when the vertical distance was increased from waist to shoulder adopting stoop and squat techniques, respectively. Conclusion: Lifting capacity for construction workers has been determined using PILE, and it was found to be more during stoop technique of lifting at floor to waist level.

Background Technological advancement in the medical laboratories has exposed the laboratory technicians to various ergonomic hazards due to nature of their work. Objective The study aimed to analyze the working postures, to find out the prevalence of work related musculoskeletal disorders and to investigate the relationship between musculoskeletal disorders with individual factors, work characteristics and the working postures. Methods The study was conducted among 60 medical laboratory technicians. Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and RULA were used for this study. Results Mean and SD of age, BMI and work experience of the technicians were 28.6 ± 9.04 years, 22.07 ± 4.5 and 7.1 ± 8.2 years respectively. The overall prevalence of musculoskeletal problems experienced by the technicians was 73.3% and the major affected areas were trunk, knees, neck and ankles/feet. Statistical analysis shows significant associations between musculoskeletal symptoms and VAS scores. Also a significant difference was found between the means of pre and post work shift scores of neck, low back and knee pain. Postural analysis showed that the subject's mean Score A, B and Grand Score were found to be 3.98 ± 0.8, 4.95 ± 1.6 and 6 ± 1.02 respectively. The final RULA score 6 ± 1.02 emphasizes on poor workstation design which resulted in unnatural posture. Conclusions The study highlighted the prevalence of postural and musculoskeletal problems among medical laboratory technicians. Intervention of administrative and engineering controls can significantly reduce ergonomic hazards.

Objectives To develop a framework for evaluating the work related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs). Participants The proposed framework was tested on 15~jewellery manufacturing workers working at Chinchpokhli region in Mumbai, India and on 15 students studying in a management institute of Mumbai, India. Methods The framework has been broken into three phases. Phase 1--Ergonomic-risk evaluation; Phase 2--Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD) evaluation and Phase 3--Clinical examination. Ergonomic-risk evaluation determines the relationship between work relatedness and musculoskeletal disorders. Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD) evaluation tries to assess the presence of discomforts/disabilities in different body regions, through subjective evaluation tools. Ergonomic-risk evaluation involved QEC, PLIBEL and posture analysis by RULA. Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD) evaluation involved administration of self reported questionnaires. Clinical examination involved muscle grading by a physiotherapist and back strength measurement. Results The framework suggested that ergonomic risk evaluation techniques, self reported body part questionnaires and physical measurement of physiological/biomechanical transients may have a relationship and can be used for the evaluation of work related musculoskeletal disorders. Conclusion The proposed integrative approach will help in developing stage wise intervention strategies for work related musculoskeletal disorders.

Medical laboratory technicians are a unique group of healthcare professionals who are at risk for developing work related musculoskeletal symptoms. The study was conducted using 49 laboratory technicians working in the department of laboratory medicine in Mumbai hospitals. Several measures were obtained: Quick Exposure Checklist (QEC), Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), RULA and REBA. Results show that the most prevalent body regions were lower back (30.61%), upper back, knees (20.40%) and neck (18.36%). The QEC analysis showed that the neck (93.4%) has the highest level of exertion followed by the wrist (69.1%), back (62.7%) and shoulder (54.3%). The analysis of Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) revealed significant differences in the morning and evening scores for neck (p

This review paper summarizes the available literature regarding the analysis of human gait of with reference to age and its effect on the performance. The ability to walk upright on two legs (bipedalism) is the root of what it means to be human and each person displays personal peculiarities in their walking pattern. According to the studies, muscle activity changes with the deviation of gait pattern in different condition and even for different individuals. It has been found that a vivid knowledge about the kinetics and kinematics of human gait improves the understanding of proper mechanisms of walking and has found to be helpful. Studies also suggest that the determinants of gait from decades are never closely being observed which is needed and can be productive. Gait is altered by different factors especially age, gender, working conditions etc. Walking pattern or more precisely the parameters of gait are affected by different load carriage conditions. Aging has a great impact on gait variability. With increase in age gait parameters like step length becomes smaller and step width also becomes wider, even pelvic mobility also decreases which in turn slower the walking speed. A significant difference of gait initiation speed, hip and knee angles has been found between males and females. A few studies have shown a wide range of differences of human walking pattern between different populations. It varies from country to country, even region to region in a particular country due to differences found in the body composition which is again affected by various important factors like climate, food habit, landscapes etc.