Evaluation and Prioritization of Factors Affecting Energy Expenditure of Workers Engaged in Manual Material Handling Using Analytical Hierarchy Process

Abstract

<p class="MainHeadings">The present study aimed to evaluate energy expenditure of workers engaged in a manual material handling task .The various factors/sub factors influencing energy expenditure with physical impact on the human body were prioritized in terms of weight values by using the Analytical Hierarchy Process. The study included a sample of sixty male workers with a mean age ± SD of 40.34 ± 7.65, data with respect to their job activity and physical characteristics were collected using a validated questionnaire. The results showed an average working heart rate ± SD of 124.5±12.24 beats/min and average energy expenditure ± SD of 3370.33 ± 283.86 kcal; these are clear indicators of strenuous activity. The results of the AHP evaluation showed physical workload (PW) as the most important factor followed by physical work capacity (PWC), type of activity (TOA), organizational factors (OF) and personal factors (PF) with weight values of 0.454139, 0.252781, 0.129274, 0.125318 and 0.038488 respectively. The study concluded with prioritization of various factors contributing to a high rate of energy expenditure which may lead to overexertion and musculoskeletal injuries. The findings indicated an utmost need to redesign job content with the addition of some periods of break time in order for the body to recover from the excessive energy expenditure.</p>