In the industrial workplaces, manual materials handling is a necessity for the workers. However, improper materials handling technique can contribute to occupational injuries. The objective of this paper is to provide information on ergonomics risk factors and health effects associated with manual materials handling. Ergonomics risk factors include awkward posture, excessive load, and extreme temperature has been identified as main contributors to poor occupational health in manual materials handling activities.
In Malaysia, the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is widely used for domestic purposes. The delivery men who are in charge of delivering the LPG cylinders to the customers are exposed to the ergonomic risk factors associated with excessive force due to the heavy steel cylinders. There are devices used to assist the delivery task, however, the devices are not efficient to be used in non-elevated apartments. Due to this reason, this study aims to design an LPG cylinder trolley. Quality Function Deployment was integrated to design the LPG cylinder trolley, so that it can fulfill the delivery man's requirements, thus, an effective device to assist the delivery task is produced. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that the integration of QFD is an effective solution in designing an effective LPG cylinder trolley.
Back pain is one of the prevalent injuries that occurs among Malaysian industrial workers. This is due to manual lifting task. Minimal studies have been conducted to determine the effects of manual lifting on psychophysical experience and heart rate of Malaysian population. The objective of this study is to analyze the psychophysical experience and heart rate of Malaysian in manual lifting task. The lifting task was experimented at various lifting heights (55 cm, 75 cm and 140 cm); loads with masses of 5 kg, 10 kg and 13 kg; and twist angles (0°, 45° and 90°). Six male and six female Malaysian students participated as subjects in the experiment. The Likert Scale was used to evaluate the psychophysical experience; meanwhile the heart rate monitor (Polar FT2, Finland) was applied to measure the heart rate. This study discovered that the psychophysical experience recorded the highest rating when performing lifting test at maximum load mass (13 kg), lifting height of 130 cm, and twist angle of 90°. Furthermore, the subjects experienced the highest heart rate after performing lifting test at maximum lifting height (130 cm) and load mass of 13 kg. This study concluded that the load mass, lifting height, and twist angle are proportional to the level of psychophysical experience. Additionally, when the load mass and lifting height were increased, the heart rate was also increased.
In Malaysia, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is filled in a heavy steel cylinder and it is widely used for cooking purpose. Due to its dimensions and mass, the delivery men exposed to ergonomics risk factors associated with excessive force that can lead to injury to the back and the shoulders. There are assistive devices can be used to aid the delivery men; however, those devices are not efficient to transport the LPG cylinder to non-elevator apartments. Based on this reason, this study develops a questionnaire to determine design requirements of the assistive device for LPG cylinder handling. Structured interview using questionnaire survey was conducted among 25 delivery men. Based on the questionnaire survey, 76% of the delivery men required an assistive device that is safe, motorized, and push oriented for LPG cylinder handling. This study concluded that the developed questionnaire is reliable to determine design requirements of the assistive device for LPG cylinder handling.
Upper body discomfort has become one of the issues to drivers nowadays. In this modern era, majority of Malaysian workers drive to work daily. This paper aims to find the most uncomfortable upper body part, as well as the effect of time, body mass index (BMI) and length of arm towards upper body discomfort for drivers. Sixteen volunteers were requested to complete the questionnaire soon after they completed driving the car simulator for three duration of times (30 minutes, 60 minutes and 90 minutes). Time is proven to be the main factor affecting the upper body comfort level, with the upper arm and lower arm being the most affected part during driving, [F(2,237) =14.37, p<0.01] compared to BMI and length of arm. It can be concluded that the upper body discomfort can be caused by driving for a long time. Nevertheless, the BMI and length of arm is not the issue for upper body discomfort.
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