An Ergonomic Study on the Work Loads of Manual Workers

현장근로자의 생체부하에 관한 인간공학적 연구

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of carrying postures and weight of load carried one time on a worker when carrying heavy loads. Six male students participated in this study to perform a manual materials carrying task as subjects. To make comparison of work loads with physical work capacity, maximal oxygen uptake measurement tests were performed with submaximal test. The average oxygen consumption for the tasks of this study was 27.59~31.93% $VO_2$max. The results showed that the weight of load carried one time affects on working heart rate and oxygen consumption($VO_2$). It was found that the workload was significantly lower when handling a 20kg load at a frequency rate of 3times/min than when handling a 40kg load at a frequency rate of 1.5 times/min. There was no difference between carrying postures. It is concluded from the results of this study that the workload can be reduced by controlling conditions of a manual materials handling task.