• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.75-86
• /
• 2000

In this study, the characteristics of transmitted vibration on HAS(hand-arm system) were identified to evaluate physical load due to the work surface orientation, tool weight and push force during powered drilling tasks. The characteristics of transmitted vibration on work surface orientation showed that the acceleration of transmitted vibration on horizontal work surface was higher than that on the vertical work surface. Regarding the characteristics of transmitted vibration on tool weight, the vibration acceleration level becomes lower as the tool weight becomes heavier. The amount of transmitted vibration on hand-arm system was decreased down to the tool weight of 2.4kg. However, as the tool weight becomes heavier than 2.8kg, the amount of transmitted vibration was increased and had peak value at 3.2kg of tool weight. Regarding the characteristics of transmitted vibration on push force, the vibration acceleration level goes higher, as the push force becomes larger. The characteristics of transmitted vibration on the axis of vibration showed that the direction of $Z_h$ had the highest acceleration compared to the direction of $X_h$, and $Y_h$. The direction of $X_h$, $Y_h$ and $Z_h$ had the highest acceleration of transmitted vibration on the hand, wrist and elbow, respectively. The results of this study showed that the condition which affect the lowest physical load to the subject on the powered drilling task would be working with the 2.4kg of tool weight on the vertical work surface.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
• /
• v.46 no.1
• /
• pp.63-68
• /
• 2019

Background Hand injuries caused by chain saws, electric saws, and hand grinders range from simple lacerations to tendon injuries, fractures, and even amputations. This study aimed to understand the distribution of various types of hand and upper extremity injuries caused by power tools, in order to help prevent them, by investigating the incidence and cause of power tool injuries treated over a 4-year period at a single institution in Korea. Methods We reviewed the medical records of patients who visited a single institution for power tool-induced injuries from 2011 to 2014. The distribution of sex, age, injured body part, type of injury, and mechanism of injury sustained by patients who received hand and upper extremity injuries from using an engine saw, electric saw, or hand grinder was evaluated. Results Among 594 subjects who were injured by power tools, 261 cases were hand and upper extremity injuries. The average age was 53.2 years. Tendon injury was the most common type of injury. An electric saw was the most common type of power tool used. More injuries occurred in non-occupational settings than in occupational settings. Conclusions In this study, power tool-induced hand and upper extremity injuries were mostly caused by direct contact with electric saw blades. More injuries occurred due to non-occupational use of these tools, but the ratios of amputations and structural injuries were similar in the non-occupational and occupational groups.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
• /
• 2003.11a
• /
• pp.1043-1047
• /
• 2003

Most of the measurement and the evaluation of hand-transmitted vibration have been performed by using a small size single axis accelerometer between the handle and the hand palm or a three axis accelerometer attached on an adapter outside the hand(indirect measurement). It is most desirable for the correct evaluation of hand-transmitted vibration form the power tool handle to measure the acceleration between the handle surface and the hand palm in the three axis(direct measurement) as recommended in ISO 5349-1. In the study three axes acceleration measurement device was developed of which the thickness was less than 7mm so that it can be placed between the handle and the palm without any inconvenience during the measurement. To verify the performance of the developed device, measured acceleration by the two methods, direct and indirect, were compared in the study.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
• /
• v.8 no.1
• /
• pp.43-52
• /
• 2006

The goal of this study is to investigate the ergonomic factors in designing or selecting the hand tool handle. Electromyogram (EMG) were measured for various wrist postures and handle sizes under two loading conditions. Anthropometric data were measured and the correlation with EMG measurement data were analyzed. Investigations of this study show that wrist posture should be neutral for minimum muscle tension and optimum handle size can be found by measuring the EMG measurement data. It show that hand width and EMG measurement data is greatly correlated also. This study can be a guide of designing or selecting a hand tool, but further study with large sample sizes and various groups is needed for making general conclusion.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
• /
• v.8 no.4
• /
• pp.13-23
• /
• 2006

Grip strength provides a quick and objective index of the functional integrity of the upper extremities. It is widely used as an assessment measure in physical and rehabilitation medicine. In this study, maximum voluntary grip strength of 20 college students wearing 5 different gloves were measured using Jamar hand dynamometer. The results show that maximum voluntary grip strength was generally reduced when wearing gloves as compared to bare-handed. More specifically, the grip strength was highest when wearing PVC coated glove or bare-handed and getting lowered as wrist band, rubber, leather, and cotton glove in these order. Depending on the measuring posture of grip strength, shoulder height with arm extended forward was higher than the elbow was flexed 90 degree. Moreover, subjects' demographic factors and hand dimensions were not closely related to the grip strength. It is thus recommended that the proper glove should be provided to reduce the negative consequences including dropping a tool, poorer control of a tool. lower quality work, and increased muscle fatigue and in turn to increase the user safety and satisfaction.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.5 no.2
• /
• pp.147-159
• /
• 1995

This study was conducted to introduce fundamental data of hand-arm vibration and noise exposure levels with impact wrenches(double-hammer impact wrenches and oil-pulse impact wrenches) used in automobile assembly lines considering the process variables and tool variables. In studing, products per day, required time screwing the bolts or nuts per bolts or nut were considered as process variables, and capacity of bolts or nuts, air consumptions per minute, tool weights, RPM were considered as tool variables. Hand-arm vibration levels of 3 axis in each hand were measured using the instruments compling with ISO/DIS 5349 and noise levels were measured using a noise logging dosimeter. The results were as follows : 1. Required time to screwing the bolt or nut by oil-pulse impact wrenches is shorter than double-hammer impact wrenches but total daily exposure time of oil-pulse impact wrenches was higher than double-hammer impact wrenches because the number of bolts or nuts per cycle was many. 2. Oil-pulse impact wrenches have been used to screwing the large bolt or nut in comparing with double-hammer impact wrenches and required time to screwing the bolts or nuts were shorter than double-hammer impact wrenches because oil-pulse impact wrenches were using high RPM and large air consumption per minute. Noise level of oil-pulse impact wrenches was 8 dB(A) lower than double-hammer impact wrenches. 3. Dominant hand-arm vibration levels of double-hammer impact wrenches in each hand were $8.24m/sec^2$ of Zh axis in right hand and $9.60m/sec^2$ of Xh axis in left hand. Dominant hand-arm vibration level of oil-pulse impact wrenches in each hand was $2.59m/sec^2$ of Xh axis in right hand and $3.23m/sec^2$ of Yh axis in left hand. 4. In double-hammer impact wrenches, corresponding hand-arm vibration levels of Xh, Yh, Zh axis in left hand were higher than hand-arm vibration levels of right hand in 3 axis. In oil-pulse impact wrenches, Xh axis of right, Yh axis of left, Zh axis of left were higher than the corresponding hand-arm vibration levels of Xh, Yh, Zh axis in right and left hand. 5. Correlation coefficients among Xh, Yh. Zh axis of right and left hand hand-arm vibration levels in double-hammer impact wrenches and oil-pulse impact wrenches were commonly high in Yh axis and correlation coefficients of Yh axis in double-hammer impact wrenches and oil-pulse impact wrenches were 0.76 and 0.86,respectively. 6. As a measure repetitiveness, plotting total daily exposure time with the number of bolts or nut per cycle, direct correlation was shown between repetitiveness and hand-arn vibration exposure, and correlation coefficient between the number of bolts or nut per cycle and total daily exposure time in double-hammer impact wrenches, oil-pulse impact wrenches were 0.84 and 0.50, respectively. 7. Considering the total acceleration level and tool variables in double-hammer impact wrenches and oil-pulse impact wrenches, air consumption in right hand, and bolt or nut capacity in left hand were commonly the variable that explainability was high. Considering the noise and tool variables in double-hammer impact wrenches and oil-pulse impact wrenches, air consumption per minute was commonly the variable that explainability was high.

• Proceedings of the ESK Conference
• /
• 1995.10a
• /
• pp.280-284
• /
• 1995

The primary aim of this research is to summarize and discuss the problems that the hand tool manufactiuring industry of Korea is now facing. The study was performed mainly through the interviews with hand tool industry experts. Traditional design concepts are usually oriented towards the functionality of tools but often ignore the human factors such as ease of use, comfort, etc. As a result, for hand tools, mechanical and material aspects have been considerably enhanced but human factors have still much room for improvement.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
• /
• v.15 no.4 s.97
• /
• pp.404-411
• /
• 2005

To increase accurateness and reliability of the evaluation of power tool vibration transmitted to an operator, it is necessary to measure the grip and feed forces during the measurement of hand-transmitted vibration. In the study a system was invented to measure the vibration and the grip and/or feed force, which consists of a measurement handle and a PC with a data acquisition system and the corresponding software. Strain gauges and an accelerometer were mounted on the handle surface for the simultaneous measurement of the forces and the vibration. The program in the system makes it possible to monitor the grip and feed force during the tool operation so that the operator keeps the applying forces within the pre-determined range. Investigating the vibration total values, frequency-weighted root-mean-square accelerations at the handle, obtained in repetition for each power tool with control of the grip and feed force showed more consistency than those measured without force control. By using the system the experimenter can reduce random error of the measured vibration.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.93-107
• /
• 2000

The excessive exposure to powered hand tools can cause damage to nerves, impair blood circulation, and musculoskeletal damage. The symptoms associated with hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) include numbness, tingling, pain and subsequent reduced dexterity of the hands. This study was performed to report the prevalence of the HAVS and evaluate its related factors among the workers using powered hand tools. Total 282 workers in 11 plants of Kyungki and Inchon areas were examined. A standard symptom questionnaire was developed and administered to collect information on personal characteristics, work history, operating conditions, tool characteristics, and subjective symptoms of HAVS. Mean values (standard deviations) of the age, the duration of powered hand tools used, and the daily hours using powered hand tools were 38.3(8.9) years, 79.3(62.2) months and 6.0(2.6) hours, respectively. 132 workers(46.8%) showed vibration-induced white finger symptoms according to the Taylor-Pelmear classification, and 30 workers(10.6%) were interfered with the work. The results of a multiple logistic regression analysis controlling for age and daily working hours showed that smoking, work duration, weight of tools, and continuous work over 2 hours were significantly associated with the symptom of HAVS.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.469-474
• /
• 2012

The aim of this study is to develop an ergonomic design of magic saw handle considering user experiences. Background: Frequent use of hand tool can cause musculoskeletal disorders by inadequate wrist posture, excessive strength, repetitiveness, friction and pressure, vibration, etc. A hand tool that is inappropriately designed has higher risk causing musculoskeletal disorders. Complaints for the design of magic saw handle has been raised by many users according to the increasing use of magic saw. Method: Hand tool has to be designed considering worker's characteristics and task condition to prevent worker's musculoskeletal disorders. For this, user experiences for magic saw handle were measured through questionnaire survey and observation. Results: An ergonomic design of magic saw handle considering user experiences was proposed and then its design suitability was evaluated in comparison with the existing handle design using EMG and subjective evaluation. Conclusion: The proposed handle design showed higher satisfaction and lower muscular fatigue. Application: The results of this study can be effectively used to develop a new magic saw.