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: 6931615
• 负责人: JOHN J MAY
• 金额: $ 21.77万
• 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/6931615
• 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、长期目标是通过对苹果收获设备进行人体工程学改进，提高东北部农民工和季节性农场工人的健康和安全。 在这一广泛目标下，该研究的具体目标是确定并严格测试对采摘袋的修改，旨在减少与采摘苹果的密集工作相关的背部、颈部和肩部劳损。 拟议的研究旨在：A.开发并初步评估对苹果收获袋的三种人体工程学修改，并为B选择最佳修改，这是一项完全随机的果园试验，测量自我报告的背部、颈部和肩部疼痛和拉伤结果。 A 部分将涉及在实验室志愿者和苹果收割机志愿者在果园中使用表面肌电图、力敏电阻和计算的低背部压缩力。 此外，工作人员还将评估每种人体工程学干预措施的主观可接受性。工人接受度高且在减轻负载方面表现出优越性的袋子设计将被选择用于研究 B 部分的进一步评估。 B 部分将包括对 146 名纽约果园工人在收获期间进行的基于果园的随机、安慰剂对照调查。要分析的结果将是首次疼痛的时间（生存分析）和总无痛工作时间（线性回归模型）。 该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，该试验将比较所有三种潜在的干预设计与传统的苹果采摘袋。将在华盛顿州的苹果收割机中对相同的调查方法进行有限的试验，以测试在其他地区的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拣选速度的经济影响、干预袋子购买的成本以及消费者对袋子属性的评价（包括人体工程学修改）。