음료 운반 등짐 작업의 생리적 작업부하 평가

Physiological workload evaluation for the backpack carrying tasks of the soft drink beverage delivery job

The soft drink deliveries are made for a broad line of soft drink products by using a hand truck and the backpack mode of carriage. The workers usually deliver the beverages by backpack mode of carriage, because they feel safe with such a carrying method in stairways. In this study, the physiological workload of backpack carrying was investigated, especially focused on the effects of weight of load and carrying by the stairway. A laboratory experiment was conducted to measure heart rate and oxygen uptake during backpack carrying tasks, and an ergonomic guideline was proposed for such type of task based on the results of the experiment. Eight healthy male subjects performed the backpack carrying of 40kg and 60kg, (1) on the level ground, (2) upstairs and (3) downstairs. The result showed that the stairways caused the increased physiological cost, and that a carrying load of 60kg required significantly higher physiological cost as compared to carrying 40kg. Although backpack carrying has some advantages in the biomechanical aspect, it should be advised to carry a load of less than 40kg, since the task requires a very high physiological cost. During backpack carrying, it is also recommended for a delivery person to make more trips with a light load rather than to make less trips with a heavier load at one trip.