Prevention of Work: Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Using Smart Workwear – The Smart Workwear Consortium

A Wearable Sensor System for Physical Ergonomics Interventions Using Haptic Feedback

“…The majority of these sensor-based technical solutions provide kinematics data or perform classification of the type of physical activity [ 42 , 43 ], but only a few have integrated a system for automatic mapping of the kinematics data to research-based risk level metrics that can be used for occupational applications for the risk assessment of physical workloads or MSDs risk factors [ 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 ].…”

“…In the handful of existing systems, the risk assessment usually includes mapping of the kinematics data to criteria derived from research-based observation tools, e.g., the Strain Index [ 48 , 49 ], the Ovako Working Posture Assessment System (OWAS) [ 50 , 51 , 52 ], the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) [ 45 , 52 , 53 , 54 ], the Revised NIOSH lifting equation [ 52 , 55 , 56 ], or a single criterion associated with, for example, the maximal acceptable levels of energy expenditure to avoid global (whole-body) fatigue [ 44 ], or a criterion based on threshold values associated with an increased risk of developing MSDs based on epidemiological studies [ 47 ]. The risk assessment may give useful information that can be used for the guidance of measures and evaluation of the effectiveness of previously implemented measures [ 14 ].…”

“…Depending on the targeted exposure type, suitable sensors can be used, including the following: accelerometer-based sensors, IMU sensors, or strain sensors for monitoring human movement and postures [ 69 ]; electrocardiogram and thoracic electrical bio-impedance sensors for monitoring the heart rate, respiratory rates, energy expenditure, or heart rate variability [ 44 ]; pressure sensors for monitoring force exertions; electromyography (EMG) sensors for monitoring muscle activity levels, muscle rest (gaps), muscle activity variability, or muscle fatigue. This diversity makes the system usable for a large variety of applications, and previous applications where the system has been tested include healthcare, industrial manufacturing, construction, office work, service, and transport, with tasks ranging from driving, computer work, postal delivery, and assembly operations, to order picking and cleaning [ 44 , 47 , 69 , 70 , 71 ]. To prevent work-related MSDs (WMSDs), the system can be used for exposure measurements, risk assessments, work design, and training of workers.…”

“…Such information can then be applied when prioritizing resources for measures and to support the design of measures such as workstation layout improvements. Additionally, the real-time exposure information from one or multiple workers can be used by ergonomics experts such as occupational health service personnel or professional ergonomists for real-time evaluation of worker training [ 47 , 71 ]. Alternatively, the real-time analyzed data can be fed back to the wearer in two ways.…”

Evaluation of physiological workload assessment methods using heart rate and accelerometry for a smart wearable system

“…This has already been explored in many other areas, such as the military and sports (Buttussi and Chittaro 2008;Coyle et al 2009;Seoane et al 2014;Mohino-Herranz et al 2015). There is an ongoing research effort aiming at developing smart wearable systems for automatic risk assessment at work, which facilitate risk identification, communication and interventions for better work environments (Yang, Grooten, and Forsman 2017;Abtahi et al 2017;Lind et al 2019;Eklund and Forsman 2018;Yang et al 2018). One step towards this aim is to evaluate methods that are applicable for estimating work metabolism (WM) with wearable sensors.…”