Work Efficiency Model Based on Posture in Horizontal

Abstract

Uncomfortable posture may not contribute only to the development of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) but also to the loss of energy and the decrease in work efficiency (WE). Measuring WE based on activity energy expenditure (AEE) have not got much attention in work places. The study aims to develop a model of work efficiency (WE) based on body posture for performing horizontal drilling tasks. Ten subjects, all men with an average age of 23.3 ± 0. 67, participated in the experiment. Six coordinated postures of shoulder and trunk flexion were tested. Activity Energy Expenditure (AEE) and Work Efficiency (WE) were the dependent variables. Repeated measures ANOVA were used to analyze the data. The findings showed that statistically significant trends (P <0.01) of increasing AEE while the trunk and shoulder move away from the neutral posture. Overall, these results provide valuable insights into assessing WE on the basis of the AEE and the activity wasted energy (AWE) due to unproductive movements while standing in difficult postures, taking the neutral posture as a zero reference of wasted energy.