ERGONOMIC ASPECTS OF OLDER WORKERS POSTURAL BALANCE

老年工人姿势平衡的人体工程学方面

• 批准号: 2848257
• 负责人: AMIT BHATTACHARYA
• 金额: $ 25万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 1999
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1999-08-01 至 2002-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/2848257
• 关键词: accident proneness; accidental falls; clinical research; disease /disorder proneness /risk; ergonomics; gait; geriatrics; human middle age (35-64); human old age (65+); human subject; job performance; neuromuscular function; occupational health /safety; posture

The proposed study provides an experimental design that addresses two of the priority areas of National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA), i.e. "Work related traumatic injuries" and "Special population at risk-nature and magnitude of the special risk factors experienced by older workers" With the aging of America, it is projected that in the year 2000 there will be at least 59 million between the ages of 45 and 64 yrs. As mandatory retirement age has been abolished, the view of the older worker as a resource is replacing the perspective of the older workers as a liability. Therefore, this new growing workforce of elderly workers needs to be studied carefully to determine their abilities and limitations in the light of some of the work related demands and task associated and environmental risk factors. Therefore, the present study will focus on investigating the role of age associated influence on 113 workers' neuromuscular performance and ability to maintain safe upright postural balance during task performance, such as reaching and bending to pick up objects and walking with weights in hand on various types of surfaces (level and ramp surfaces of known slipperiness) with various kinds of shoe wear. The results from the proposed study will expand our current data base of younger (21 to 55 yrs.) workers' abilities and limitation to include those of older workers up to the age of 75 years. Based on results of the present study, intervention strategies for fall/loss of balance prevention can be developed in a future study: (1) by improving suboptimal environmental conditions; (2) by developing ergonomic solutions to bring the workload to acceptable levels; (3) by identifying certain combinations of risk factors that are more dangerous in producing slips/falls and (4) by determining if there is a need to have hand rails at ramp slope angles less than that currently required by OSHA. Currently, no criteria exists for the need to have handrails during task performance on ramps which are slippery. The results from the proposed study will provide scientific data to determine whether or not older workers are capable of performing tasks on ramp surfaces under various combinations of risk factors.

拟议的研究提供了一个实验设计，解决国家职业研究议程（NORA）的两个优先领域，即“与工作相关的创伤性伤害”和“处于危险中的特殊人群——老年工人经历的特殊危险因素的性质和程度”随着美国的老龄化，预计到2000年，45岁至64岁之间的人口将至少达到5900万。 随着强制退休年龄的废除，老年工人作为资源的观点正在取代老年工人作为负债的观点。 因此，需要对这一新增长的老年工人劳动力进行仔细研究，根据一些与工作相关的要求、相关任务以及环境风险因素来确定他们的能力和局限性。 因此，本研究将重点调查年龄相关的影响对 113 名工人的神经肌肉表现以及在任务执行过程中保持安全直立姿势平衡的能力的影响，例如伸手和弯腰拾取物体以及在各种场合手持重物行走。具有各种鞋子磨损的表面类型（已知光滑度的水平和斜坡表面）。 拟议研究的结果将扩大我们当前的年轻工人（21 至 55 岁）能力和限制的数据库，以包括 75 岁以下的老年工人。 根据本研究的结果，未来的研究可以制定预防跌倒/失去平衡的干预策略：（1）通过改善次优的环境条件； (2) 通过开发符合人体工程学的解决方案，将工作量降低到可接受的水平； (3) 确定某些更容易导致滑倒/坠落的风险因素组合；(4) 确定是否需要在坡道坡度角度小于 OSHA 目前要求的角度设置扶手。目前，对于在湿滑的坡道上执行任务期间是否需要配备扶手没有标准。 拟议研究的结果将提供科学数据，以确定老年工人是否有能力在各种风险因素组合下在坡道表面执行任务。