Evaluation of an Ergonomically Improved Apple Bag

对符合人体工程学改进的苹果包的评估

• 批准号: 6807580
• 负责人: JOHN J MAY
• 金额: $ 23.37万
• 依托单位: MARY IMOGENE BASSETT HOSPITAL
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-09-01 至 2007-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6807580
• 关键词: agriculture worker; backache; biomechanics; clinical research; cost effectiveness; electromyography; ergonomics; evaluation /testing; focus groups; fruit; human subject; injury prevention; interview; job performance; migrant; nonbiomedical equipment; occupational health /safety; patient oriented research; questionnaires; technology /technique development

DESCRIPTION: The broad, long-term objective of this study is to enhance the health and safety of migrant and seasonal farmworkers in the Northeast by the development of ergonomic improvements in apple harvest equipment. Within that broad aim, the study's specific goal is to identify and rigorously test modifications to the picking bag aimed at reducing back, neck and shoulder strain related to the intensive work of harvesting apples. The proposed research is designed to: A. develop and preliminarily evaluate three ergonomic modifications to the apple harvest bag, and select the superior modification for B, a fully randomized orchard trial measuring self-reported back, neck and shoulder pain and strain outcomes. Part A will involve use of surface electromyography, force sensitive resistors and calculated low back compressive forces in both laboratory volunteers and in the orchard with apple harvester volunteers. Additionally workers will rate subjective acceptability of each of the ergonomic interventions. The bag design with high acceptability ratings by workers and demonstrated superiority at load reduction will be selected for further evaluation in part B of the study. Part B will consist of an orchard-based, randomized, placebo-controlled survey of 146 New York orchard workers during harvest. Outcomes to be analyzed will be time to first pain (survival analysis), and total pain-free work hours (linear regression modeling). Appropriate methods for this controlled trial will be developed and tested in a small-scale pilot in the first year of the study which will compare all three potential intervention designs with the traditional apple picking bag. Acceptability to harvesters working under other conditions in another region will be tested in a limited trial of the same survey methodology among apple harvesters in Washington State. In addition, the economic impact of bag use on worker picking speed, cost of intervention bag purchase, and consumer valuation of bag attributes (including ergonomic modifications) will be evaluated.

描述：这项研究的广泛、长期目标是通过开发苹果收获设备的人体工程学改进来提高东北地区移民和季节性农场工人的健康和安全。在这个大目标下，这项研究的具体目标是确定并严格测试采摘袋的改装，旨在减少与密集的苹果采摘工作相关的背部、颈部和肩部劳损。 拟议的研究旨在：A.开发和初步评估苹果收获袋的三种人体工学改进，并选择B的最优改进，这是一项完全随机的果园试验，测量自我报告的背部、颈部和肩部疼痛和劳损结果。 A部分将包括在实验室志愿者和果园中使用表面肌电图仪、力敏感电阻和计算出的下背部压力。此外，工作人员将对每个人体工程学干预措施的主观可接受性进行评分。在研究的B部分中，将选择被工人接受程度较高并在减轻负荷方面表现出优越性的袋子设计进行进一步评估。B部分将包括一项以果园为基础的、随机的、安慰剂对照的调查，对146名纽约果园工人在收获期间进行调查。要分析的结果将是第一次疼痛的时间(生存分析)和总的无痛工作时间(线性回归建模)。 这项对照试验的适当方法将在研究的第一年在小规模试点中开发和测试，该试验将把所有三种潜在的干预设计与传统的苹果采摘袋进行比较。在华盛顿州对苹果收割机进行的同一调查方法的有限试验中，将测试在另一个地区其他条件下工作的收割机的可接受性。此外，还将评估袋子使用对工人挑选速度、干预性袋子购买成本以及消费者对袋子属性的评价(包括人体工程学修改)的经济影响。