Assessment of physical work demands of long-distance industrial gas delivery truck drivers.

AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the work-related physical demands of long-distance truck drivers employed by a large gas delivery company in Canada. METHODS: A total of 15 truck drivers participated in a data collection that included self-reporting assessments, field observations, and direct measurements to describe daily tasks organization, postural demands, physical workload, and force exertions. RESULTS: Truck drivers' work was characterized by long working days ranging from 9.9 to 15.1 h (mean = 11.4 h), with half (49%) of the total working time spent behind the wheel. The overall workload as measured by relative cardiac strain (18.7% RHR) was found excessive for the long term given the shift duration. Peaks of heart rate in excess of 30 beats per minute above the daily average occurred mainly while operating valves and handling heavy hoses during gas deliveries. The task of delivering gas at a client's site required a moderate work rate on average (8.3 mlO2/kg/min) requiring 24.4% or maximum work capacity on average. CONCLUSION: Based on multiple data sources, this study highlights the risks of over-exertion and of excessive physical fatigue in the truck drivers' work that are coherent with the high prevalence of self-reported musculoskeletal pain in this group of workers.

Assessment of physical work demand of short distance industrial gas delivery truck drivers.

AIM: This study assessed the work-related physical demands of short-distance truck drivers employed by a large gas delivery company in Canada. METHODS: A total of 19 truck drivers participated in the data collection, which included a combination of self-reports, field observations and direct measurements to report on the work shift task composition, postures, physical workload, and force exertions. RESULTS: Driving (mean of 43% of daily work shift) and delivering gas cylinders to customers (28%) were the main tasks of the truck drivers. Delivering gas cylinders measured as moderate level work and daily work duration was not excessive with respect to mean cardiac strain for most drivers. However, manual handling and force exertion activities were frequent and deemed unsafe most of the time with respect to existing guidelines on manual materials handling. CONCLUSION: This study documents physical risk factors that are consistent with musculoskeletal pain prevalence reported for short-distance truck drivers.

Worker heat stress prevention and work metabolism estimation: comparing two assessment methods of the heart rate thermal component.

The heart rate thermal component ( ΔHRT ) can increase with body heat accumulation and lead to work metabolism (WM) overestimation. We used two methods (VOGT and KAMP) to assess ΔHRT of 35 forest workers throughout their work shifts, then compared ΔHRT at work and at rest using limits of agreement (LoA). Next, for a subsample of 20 forest workers, we produced corrected WM estimates from ΔHRT and compared them to measured WM. Although both methods produced significantly different ΔHRT time-related profiles, they yielded comparable average thermal cardiac reactivity (VOGT: 24.8 bpm °C-1; KAMP: 24.5 bpm °C-1), average ΔHRT (LoA: 0.7 ± 11.2 bpm) and average WM estimates (LoA: 0.2 ± 3.4 ml O2 kg-1min-1 for VOGT, and 0.0 ± 5.4 ml O2 kg-1min-1 for KAMP). Both methods are suitable to assess heat stress through ΔHRT and improve WM estimation. Practitioner summary: We compared two methods for assessing the heart rate thermal component ( ΔHRT ), which is needed to produce a corrected HR profile for estimating work metabolism (WM). Both methods yielded similar ΔHRT estimates that allowed accurate estimations of heat stress and WM at the group level, but they were imprecise at the individual level. Abbreviations: AIC: akaike information criterion; bpm: beats per minute; CI: confidence intervals; CV: coefficient of variation in %; CV drift: cardiovascular drift; ΔHRT: the heart rate thermal component in bpm; ΔHRT: the heart rate thermal component in bpm; ΔΔHRT: variation in the heart rate thermal component in bpm; ΔTC: variation in core body temperature in °C; HR: heart rate in bpm; HRmax: maximal heart rate in bpm; Icl: cloting insulation in clo; KAMP: Kampmann et al. (2001) method to determe ΔHRT; LoA: Limits of Agreement; PMV-PPD: the Predicted Mean Vote and Predicted Percentage Dissatisfied; PHS: Predicted Heat Strain model; RCM: random coefficients model; SD: standard deviation; TC: core body temperature in °C; TCR: thermal cardiac reactivity in bpm °C-1; τΔHRT: rate of change in the heart rate thermal component in bpm min-1; τTC: rate of change in core body temperature in °C min-1; tα,n-1: Student's t statistic with level of confidence alpha and n-1 degrees of freedom; TWL: Thermal Work Limit model; V̇O2 : oxygen consumption in ml O2 kg-1 min-1; V̇O2 max: maximal oxygen consumption in ml O2 kg-1 min-1; VOGT: Vogt et al. (1973) method to determine ΔHRT; WBGT: Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature in °C; WM: work metabolism.

Prevention of musculoskeletal disorders within management systems: A scoping review of practices, approaches, and techniques.

The purpose of this study was to identify and summarize the current research evidence on approaches to preventing musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) within Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OHSMS). Databases in business, engineering, and health and safety were searched and 718 potentially relevant publications were identified and examined for their relevance. Twenty-one papers met the selection criteria and were subjected to thematic analysis. There was very little literature describing the integration of MSD risk assessment and prevention into management systems. This lack of information may isolate MSD prevention, leading to difficulties in preventing these disorders at an organizational level. The findings of this review argue for further research to integrate MSD prevention into management systems and to evaluate the effectiveness of the approach.

Adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems with k-fold cross-validation for energy expenditure predictions based on heart rate.

This paper presents a new model based on adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS) to predict oxygen consumption (V˙O2) from easily measured variables. The ANFIS prediction model consists of three ANFIS modules for estimating the Flex-HR parameters. Each module was developed based on clustering a training set of data samples relevant to that module and then the ANFIS prediction model was tested against a validation data set. Fifty-eight participants performed the Meyer and Flenghi step-test, during which heart rate (HR) and V˙O2 were measured. Results indicated no significant difference between observed and estimated Flex-HR parameters and between measured and estimated V˙O2 in the overall HR range, and separately in different HR ranges. The ANFIS prediction model (MAE = 3 ml kg(-1) min(-1)) demonstrated better performance than Rennie et al.'s (MAE = 7 ml kg(-1) min(-1)) and Keytel et al.'s (MAE = 6 ml kg(-1) min(-1)) models, and comparable performance with the standard Flex-HR method (MAE = 2.3 ml kg(-1) min(-1)) throughout the HR range. The ANFIS model thus provides practitioners with a practical, cost- and time-efficient method for V˙O2 estimation without the need for individual calibration.

A process mapping model for calculating indirect costs of workplace accidents.

UNLABELLED: This article follows an earlier one in which four criteria and four bases for the development of an indirect-cost calculation model adapted to the accuracy requirements and time constraints of workplace decision-makers were established. A two-level model for calculating indirect costs using process mapping of the organizational response to a workplace accident is presented. The model is based on data collected in interviews with those employees in charge of occupational health and safety in 10 companies of various sizes in different industry sectors. This model is the first to use process mapping to establish the indirect costs of workplace accidents. The approach allows easy identification of the duration and frequency of actions taken by stakeholders when a workplace accident occurs, facilitates the collection of the information needed to calculate indirect costs and yields a usable, precise result. A simple graphic representation of an organization's accident processes helps the user understand each accident's cost components, allowing the identification and reduction of inefficiencies in the overall process. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: By facilitating data collection and shortening the time needed to assess indirect costs of workplace accidents, this indirect cost calculation tool is better suited for workplace use than those currently available.

Development of an indirect-cost calculation model suitable for workplace use.

INTRODUCTION: Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) stakeholders rarely factor the cost of workplace accidents into prevention spending decisions. The lack of consideration of this key information is related to the fact that the scientific literature has failed to provide OHS stakeholders with a cost-calculation tool that is both sufficiently accurate and does not require a data-collection stage ill-suited to the time constraints of workplace decision-makers. METHOD: This study reviews the recent literature to identify key elements that should foster the use of indirect-cost calculation methods by decision makers. RESULTS: A "local" approach currently appears to be the best method for calculating indirect costs of workplace incidents or accidents in comparison to "bottom-up" or "top-down" approach. This paper discusses four criteria that this type of approach must satisfy to be compatible with the time constraints and accuracy demands of OHS stakeholders in organizations. In addition, four bases for the development of a new indirect cost estimation model are presented and discussed. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: this study provides bases and criteria to help the development of indirect-cost calculation models better suited to workplace use than those currently available.