Safety and Health at Work

Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (산업안전보건연구원)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

Prevalence of MSDs and Postural Risk Assessment in Floor Mopping Activity Through Subjective and Objective Measures

  • Received : 2019.08.11
  • Accepted : 2019.12.11
  • Published : 2020.03.30
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

Background: Residential and commercial cleaning is a part of our daily routine to maintain sanitation around the environment. Health care of professionals involved in such cleaning activities has become a major concern all over the world. The present study investigates the risk of musculoskeletal disorders in professional cleaners involved in floor mopping tasks. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed on 132 mopping professionals using a modified Nordic questionnaire. The Pearson correlation test was implemented to study the association of perceived pain with work experience. The muscle strain and postural risk were evaluated by means of three-channel electromyography and real-time motion capture respectively of 15 professionals during floor mopping. Results: Regarding musculoskeletal injuries, risk was reported majorly in the right hand, lower back, left wrist, right shoulder, left biceps, and right wrist of the workers. Work experience had a low negative association with MSDs in the left wrist, right wrist, right elbow, lower back, and right lower arm (p < 0.01). Surface EMG showed occurrence of higher muscle activity in upper trapezius and biceps brachii (BB) muscles of the dominant hand and flexor carpi radialis and BB muscles of the nondominant hand positioned at the upper and lower portion of the mop rod, respectively. Conclusion: Ergonomic mediations should be executed to lessen the observed risk of musculoskeletal injuries in this professional group of workers.

Keywords

References

  1. Chang JH, Wu JD, Liu CY, Hsu DJ. Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and ergonomic assessments of cleaners. Am J Ind Med 2012;55(7):593-604. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.22064
  2. Lei L, Dempsey PG, Xu JG, Ge LN, Liang YX. Risk factors for the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among Chinese foundry workers. Int J Ind Ergon 2015;35(3):197-204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ergon.2004.08.007
  3. Kietrys DM, Gerg MJ, Dropkin J, Gold JE. Mobile input device type, texting style and screen size influence upper extremity and trapezius muscle activity, and cervical posture while texting. Appl Ergon 2015;50:98-104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2015.03.003
  4. Gustafsson E, Thomee S, Grimby-Ekman A, Hagberg M. Texting on mobile phones and musculoskeletal disorders in young adults: a five-year cohort study. Appl Ergon 2017;58:208-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2016.06.012
  5. Charles LE, Ma CC, Burchfiel CM, Dong RG. Vibration and ergonomic exposures associated with musculoskeletal disorders of the shoulder and neck. Saf Health Work 2018;9(2):125-32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2017.10.003
  6. Das B. Prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among the brick field workers of West Bengal, India. Arch Environ Occup Health 2014;69(4):231-40. https://doi.org/10.1080/19338244.2013.771249
  7. Das B, Gangopadhyay S. Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and physiological stress among adult, male potato cultivators of West Bengal, India. Asia Pac J Pub Health 2015;27(2):1669-82.
  8. Khan MR, Singh NK. Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among Indian railway sahayaks. Int J Occup Environ Health 2018;24(1-2):27-37. https://doi.org/10.1080/10773525.2018.1507187
  9. Merino G, da Silva L, Mattos D, Guimaraes B, Merino E. Ergonomic evaluation of the musculoskeletal risks in a banana harvesting activity through qualitative and quantitative measures, with emphasis on motion capture (Xsens) and EMG. Int J Ind Ergon 2019;69:80-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ergon.2018.10.004
  10. Woods V, Buckle P. An investigation into the design and use of workplace cleaning equipment. Int J Ind Ergon 2005;35(3):247-66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ergon.2004.09.004
  11. Pekkarinen A. Development in professional cleaning work brings challenges to ergonomics. Ergon Open J 2009;2:40-6. https://doi.org/10.2174/1875934300902010040
  12. Kumar R, Kumar S. Musculoskeletal risk factors in cleaning occupation-a literature review. Int J Ind Ergon 2008;38(2):158-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ergon.2006.04.004
  13. Charles LE, Loomis D, Demissie Z. Occupational hazards experienced by cleaning workers and janitors: a review of the epidemiologic literature. Work 2009;34(1):105-16. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-2009-0907
  14. Louhevaara V, Hopsu L, Sogaard K. Cardiorespiratory strain during floor mopping with different methods. In: Proceedings of the human factors and ergonomics society annual meeting, vol. 44. Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications; 2000 (30):5-518-5-520.
  15. Wallius MA, Rissanen SM, Bragge T, Vartiainen P, Karjalainen PA, Rasanen K, et al. Effects of mop handle height on shoulder muscle activity and perceived exertion during floor mopping using a figure eight method. Ind Health 2016;54(1):58-67. https://doi.org/10.2486/indhealth.2015-0108
  16. Wallius MA, Bragge T, Karjalainen PA, Jarvelin-Pasanen S, Rissanen SM, Vartiainen P, et al. Effects of mop handle height on forearm muscle activity, wrist and upper arm posture and movement during floor mopping. IISE Trans Occup Ergon Hum Factors 2018;6(2):84-97. https://doi.org/10.1080/24725838.2018.1509403
  17. Dianat I, Nedaei M, Nezami MA. The effects of tool handle shape on hand performance, usability and discomfort using masons' trowels. Int J Ind Ergon 2015;45:13-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ergon.2014.10.006
  18. Dianat I, Rahimi S, Nedaei M, Jafarabadi MA, Oskouei AE. Effects of tool handle dimension and workpiece orientation and size on wrist ulnar/radial torque strength, usability and discomfort in a wrench task. Appl Ergon 2017;59:422-30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2016.10.004
  19. Khan MR, Singh NK, Shinde D. An ergonomic study: bicycle repairer in rural India. In: Research into design for a connected world. Singapore: Springer; 2019. p. 509-17. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-5977-4_43.
  20. Lin JH, Radwin RG, Fronczak FJ, Richard TG. Forces associated with pneumatic power screwdriver operation: statics and dynamics. Ergonomics 2003;46(12):1161-77. https://doi.org/10.1080/0014013031000139518
  21. Lin JH, McGorry RW. Predicting subjective perceptions of powered tool torque reactions. Appl Ergon 2009;40(1):47-55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2008.01.020
  22. Bisht DS, Khan MR. A novel anatomical woodworking chisel handle. Appl Ergon 2019;76:38-47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2018.11.010
  23. Lee W, Lin JH, Bao S, Lin KY. Reliability and validity of a posture matching method using inertial measurement unit-based motion tracking system for construction jobs. In: ASCE International conference on computing in civil Engineering, Atlanta, Georgia. Reston VA, USA: ASCE; 2019. p. 589-97.
  24. Costa BR, Vieira ER. Risk factors for work-related musculoskeletal disorders: a systematic review of recent longitudinal studies. Am J Ind Med 2010;53(3):285-323. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.20750
  25. Kumar R, Chaikumarn M, Lundberg J. Participatory ergonomics and an evaluation of a low-cost improvement effect on cleaners' working posture. Inte J Occup Safety Ergon 2005;11(2):203-10. https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2005.11076639
  26. Qin J, Lin JH, Faber GS, Buchholz B, Xu X. Upper extremity kinematic and kinetic adaptations during a fatiguing repetitive task. J Electromyog Kinesiol 2014;24(3):404-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jelekin.2014.02.001
  27. Akhmad S, Arendra A. Development of esMOCA RULA, motion capture instrumentation for RULA assessment. In: Journal of physics: conference series, vol. 953. IOP Publishing; 2018:012143. 1.
  28. Khan MR, Patnaik B, Patel S. Design and development of a novel sit-to-stand and mobility assistive device for ambulation and elderly. In: International conference on research into design. Singapore: Springer; 2017 Jan 9. p. 801-11. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3518-0_69.
  29. Manghisi VM, Uva AE, Fiorentino M, Bevilacqua V, Trotta GF, Monno G. Real time RULA assessment using Kinect v2 sensor. Appl Ergon 2017;65:481-91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2017.02.015
  30. Sogaard K, Fallentin N, Nielsen J. Work load during floor cleaning. The effect of cleaning methods and work technique. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol 1996;73(1-2):73-81. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00262812
  31. Woods V, Buckle P. Musculoskeletal ill health amongst cleaners and recommendations for work organizational change. Int J Ind Ergon 2006;36(1):61-72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ergon.2005.08.001
  32. Hagner IM, Hagberg M. Evaluation of two floor-mopping work methods by measurement of load. Ergonomics 1989;32(4):401-8. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140138908966106
  33. Mukaka MM. A guide to appropriate use of correlation coefficient in medical research. Malawi Med J 2012;24(3):69-71.
  34. Bell AF, Steele JR. Risk of musculoskeletal injury among cleaners during vacuuming. Ergonomics 2012;55(2):237-47. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2011.592605
  35. Choobineh A, Tabatabaei SH, Mokhtarzadeh A, Salehi M. Musculoskeletal problems among workers of an Iranian rubber factory. J Occup Health 2007;49(5):418-23. https://doi.org/10.1539/joh.49.418
  36. Hermens HJ, Freriks B, Merletti R, Stegeman D, Blok J, Rau G, et al. European recommendations for surface electromyography. Roessingh Res Dev 1999;8(2):13-54.
  37. Ghapanchizadeh H, Ahmad SA, Ishak AJ. Recommended surface EMG electrode position for wrist extension and flexion. In: 2015 IEEE student Symposium in Biomedical Engineering & Sciences (ISSBES). IEEE; 2015 Nov 4. p. 108-12.

Cited by

  1. Musculoskeletal Disorders and Associated Factors among Vehicle Repair Workers in Hawassa City, Southern Ethiopia vol.2020, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/9472357
  2. Work-related injuries, postural stress, and musculoskeletal disorders among the railway track maintainers in India vol.36, pp.5, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1177/0748233720932815
  3. Which is the most ergonomic mop? A comparison of three domestic mopping systems vol.100, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2021.103669