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Brambilla C, Lavit Nicora M, Storm F, Reni G, Malosio M, Scano A. Biomechanical Assessments of the Upper Limb for Determining Fatigue, Strain and Effort from the Laboratory to the Industrial Working Place: A Systematic Review. Bioengineering (Basel) 2023; 10:bioengineering10040445. [PMID: 37106632 PMCID: PMC10135542 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering10040445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent human-centered developments in the industrial field (Industry 5.0) lead companies and stakeholders to ensure the wellbeing of their workers with assessments of upper limb performance in the workplace, with the aim of reducing work-related diseases and improving awareness of the physical status of workers, by assessing motor performance, fatigue, strain and effort. Such approaches are usually developed in laboratories and only at times they are translated to on-field applications; few studies summarized common practices for the assessments. Therefore, our aim is to review the current state-of-the-art approaches used for the assessment of fatigue, strain and effort in working scenarios and to analyze in detail the differences between studies that take place in the laboratory and in the workplace, in order to give insights on future trends and directions. A systematic review of the studies aimed at evaluating the motor performance, fatigue, strain and effort of the upper limb targeting working scenarios is presented. A total of 1375 articles were found in scientific databases and 288 were analyzed. About half of the scientific articles are focused on laboratory pilot studies investigating effort and fatigue in laboratories, while the other half are set in working places. Our results showed that assessing upper limb biomechanics is quite common in the field, but it is mostly performed with instrumental assessments in laboratory studies, while questionnaires and scales are preferred in working places. Future directions may be oriented towards multi-domain approaches able to exploit the potential of combined analyses, exploitation of instrumental approaches in workplace, targeting a wider range of people and implementing more structured trials to translate pilot studies to real practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Brambilla
- Istituto di Sistemi e Tecnologie Industriali Intelligenti per il Manifatturiero Avanzato (STIIMA), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Via Previati 1/E, 23900 Lecco, Italy
| | - Matteo Lavit Nicora
- Istituto di Sistemi e Tecnologie Industriali Intelligenti per il Manifatturiero Avanzato (STIIMA), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Via Previati 1/E, 23900 Lecco, Italy
- Industrial Engineering Department, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Fabio Storm
- Bioengineering Laboratory, Scientific Institute, IRCCS “Eugenio Medea”, 23842 Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Gianluigi Reni
- Informatics Department, Autonomous Province of Bolzano, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Matteo Malosio
- Istituto di Sistemi e Tecnologie Industriali Intelligenti per il Manifatturiero Avanzato (STIIMA), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Via Previati 1/E, 23900 Lecco, Italy
| | - Alessandro Scano
- Istituto di Sistemi e Tecnologie Industriali Intelligenti per il Manifatturiero Avanzato (STIIMA), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Via Previati 1/E, 23900 Lecco, Italy
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Masci F, Rosecrance J, Mixco A, Cortinovis I, Calcante A, Mandic-Rajcevic S, Colosio C. Personal and occupational factors contributing to biomechanical risk of the distal upper limb among dairy workers in the Lombardy region of Italy. APPLIED ERGONOMICS 2020; 83:102796. [PMID: 30611466 PMCID: PMC9531529 DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2018.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2018] [Revised: 12/12/2018] [Accepted: 12/14/2018] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Biomechanical overload in the wrist flexor and extensor muscles, together with awkward hand positions during work activities, can result in occupational wrist and hand disorders. Dairy workers, specifically those that work in the milking parlor, are exposed to highly repetitive and forceful exertions of the upper limb throughout their work shift. There are very few studies that have investigated the determinants that contribute to the risk of distal upper limb musculoskeletal disorders among dairy workers. The purpose of the present study was to identify the variables affecting the biomechanical overload of the distal upper limb among milking parlor workers, define risk profiles, and propose possible interventions to reduce the high physical loads to the distal upper limb during milking activities. Forty male workers from the three most common milking parlor systems in Lombardy Italy were recruited to participate in this study. Multiple correspondence analysis of personal characteristics and occupational risk factors, followed by cluster analysis, led to the identification of three distinct groups of workers. Low, medium and high risk profiles were assigned to each group based on the risk assessments performed using the Strain Index and electromyography of the distal upper limb. The main risk determinants were workstation characteristics, work organization and milking routine. A well-organized milking routine, milking cluster weight below 2.4 kg or the use of supporting arms for the milking cluster may reduce the risk of biomechanical overload.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Masci
- Department of Health Sciences of the University of Milan and International Center for Rural Health of Santi Paolo e Carlo Hospital, Milan, Italy.
| | - J Rosecrance
- Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - A Mixco
- Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - I Cortinovis
- Laboratory "G.A. Maccacaro", Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - A Calcante
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - S Mandic-Rajcevic
- Department of Health Sciences of the University of Milan and International Center for Rural Health of Santi Paolo e Carlo Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - C Colosio
- Department of Health Sciences of the University of Milan and International Center for Rural Health of Santi Paolo e Carlo Hospital, Milan, Italy
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Cockburn M, Gómez Y, Schick M, Maffiuletti NA, Gygax L, Savary P, Umstätter C. Effect of milking stall dimensions on upper limb and shoulder muscle activity in milkers. J Dairy Sci 2019; 102:4563-4576. [PMID: 30904306 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2018-15316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Accepted: 01/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Increasing societal awareness for animal welfare can promote changes in legislation. Some of these changes may also affect the person that interacts with the animal in a shared workspace, such as in milking stalls. Swiss milking stalls were designed many years ago, when cows were smaller than they are today. A recent animal-based study indicated that welfare decreased in cows exposed to restricted space allowance in milking stalls, which had resulted from increasing body size without adjustment of milking stall dimensions. However, changing the milking stall dimensions without considering the milker may be detrimental. For many years, health issues, particularly of the upper limb and shoulders, have affected milking personnel. The current study investigated the effect of large and standard milking stall dimensions on muscle activity in milkers (as a measure of workload) during milking. This assessment is fundamental to ensure that legislation improving animal welfare does not jeopardize human health. The study took place in an experimental milking parlor that allowed for size adjustment of the individual milking stall. Nine milkers performed 2 shifts of milking in a herringbone and 2 shifts in a side-by-side milking parlor. The milking stall dimensions were large on one side and standard on the other side of the parlor; the 2 sides were switched between milking shifts. We used surface electromyography to monitor bilateral muscle activity of forearm (flexor carpi ulnaris), arm (biceps brachii), and shoulder (deltoideus anterior; upper trapezius) muscles. Statistical analysis was performed separately for the herringbone and the side-by-side parlor for each muscle using mean and maximum muscle activity as the target variables in a linear mixed-effects model. The analysis showed that the different milking stall dimensions did not consistently affect activity of the measured muscles. Our results suggest that milking stall dimensions are not a primary risk factor for poor ergonomics in parlor workers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianne Cockburn
- Competitiveness and System Evaluation, Agroscope, Tänikon 1, 8356 Ettenhausen, Switzerland.
| | - Yamenah Gómez
- Competitiveness and System Evaluation, Agroscope, Tänikon 1, 8356 Ettenhausen, Switzerland; Ethology and Animal Welfare Unit, Department of Environmental System Sciences, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland; Centre for Proper Housing of Poultry and Rabbits (ZTHZ), Division of Animal Welfare Veterinary Public Health Institute, University of Bern, Burgerweg 22, 3052 Zollikofen, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Schick
- Competitiveness and System Evaluation, Agroscope, Tänikon 1, 8356 Ettenhausen, Switzerland; Division of Animal Husbandry & Dairy Production, Strickhof, Eschikon 21, 8315 Lindau, Switzerland
| | | | - Lorenz Gygax
- Albrecht Daniel Thaer Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Humboldt University Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany; Centre for Proper Housing of Ruminants and Pigs, Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO), Agroscope, Institute of Livestock Sciences (ILS), Tänikon, 8356 Ettenhausen, Switzerland
| | - Pascal Savary
- Competitiveness and System Evaluation, Agroscope, Tänikon 1, 8356 Ettenhausen, Switzerland; Centre for Proper Housing of Ruminants and Pigs, Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO), Agroscope, Institute of Livestock Sciences (ILS), Tänikon, 8356 Ettenhausen, Switzerland
| | - Christina Umstätter
- Competitiveness and System Evaluation, Agroscope, Tänikon 1, 8356 Ettenhausen, Switzerland
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Jakob MC, Liebers F. Comparison of 2 recommendations for adjusting the working height in milking parlors. J Dairy Sci 2017; 100:6620-6630. [DOI: 10.3168/jds.2016-12034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2016] [Accepted: 03/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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