Development of a predictive model for work-relatedness of MSDs among semiconductor back-end workers.

. Limited models are available to predict work-relatedness of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among semiconductor back-end workers. This study aims to develop a model to predict the MSDs development among back-end workers.

Collaborating with radiographers to address their work-related musculoskeletal discomfort.

The prevalence of musculoskeletal (MSK) symptoms in radiographers is high, similar to other healthcare occupations that involve high levels of physical exertion (e.g. patient handling; grasping and moving equipment).

Design and Development of an Ergonomic Trolley-Lifter for Sheet Metal Handling Task: A Preliminary Study.

Background: There have been some concerns related to manual handling of large items in industry. Manual handling operations of large sheet metal may expose workers to risks related to efficiency as well as occupational safety and health. Large sheet metals are difficult to move and burdensome to lift/transfer, and handling the sharp sheet edges may result in contact stress and/or cut injuries on the workers.

Developing Evidence-Based Design Guidelines for Medical/Surgical Hospital Patient Rooms That Meet the Needs of Staff, Patients, and Visitors.

Objectives: This research investigated medical/surgical (Med/Surg) patient room design to accommodate the needs of hospital staff, while at the same time accommodating the needs of patients and their visitors.

Background: Designing hospital patient rooms that provide a comfortable healing experience for patients, while at the same time meeting the needs of the hospital staff, is a challenging process. Prior research has shown that many hospital patient room designs adversely affect the ability of hospital staff to perform their tasks effectively, efficiently, and safely.

Conceptual frameworks for the workplace change adoption process: elements integration from decision making and learning cycle process.

Unlabelled: Sound workplace ergonomics and safety-related interventions may be resisted by employees, and this may be detrimental to multiple stakeholders. Understanding fundamental aspects of decision-making, behavioural change, and learning cycles may provide insights into pathways influencing employees' acceptance of interventions. This manuscript reviews published literature on thinking processes and other topics relevant to decision making and incorporates the findings into two new conceptual frameworks of the workplace change adoption process.

Collaborating with mammographers to address their work-related musculoskeletal discomfort.

Mammographers are an understudied group of health care workers, yet the prevalence of musculoskeletal (MSK) symptoms in mammographers appears to be elevated, similar to many occupations in health care. In this study, we used a participatory approach to identify needs and opportunities for developing interventions to reduce mammographers' exposures to risk factors that lead to the development of MSK symptoms. In this paper, we present a number of those needs and several intervention concepts along with evaluations of those concepts from experienced mammographers.

Collaborating with cardiac sonographers to develop work-related musculoskeletal disorder interventions.

For more than two decades, surveys of imaging technologists, including cardiac sonographers, diagnostic medical sonographers and vascular technologists, have consistently reported high prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal discomfort (WRMSD). Yet, intervention research involving sonographers is limited. In this study, we used a participatory approach to identifying needs and opportunities for developing interventions to reduce sonographers' exposures to WRMSD risk factors.

A biomechanical and subjective comparison of two powered ambulance cots.

Unlabelled: This study investigated biomechanical effects of different leg folding/unfolding mechanisms used for loading/unloading two powered cots (Cots A and B) into and from a simulated ambulance. Sixteen experienced emergency medical service (EMS) workers loaded and unloaded cots with weights of 45, 68 and 91 kg placed on the cots to simulate patients. Peak back and shoulder/arm muscle activity was reduced 52-87% when using Cot A in comparison to Cot B.

Hospital Patient Room Design: The Issues Facing 23 Occupational Groups Who Work in Medical/Surgical Patient Rooms.

Objective: The aim of this study was to learn from a wide range of hospital staff members about how the design of the patient room in which they work adversely affects their ergonomics or hinders their job performance.

Background: In addition to providing a healing space for patients, hospital patient rooms need to serve as functional workplaces for the people who provide clinical care, to clean, or to maintain room functions. Therefore, from a design perspective, it is important to understand the needs of all the users of hospital patient rooms with regard to room design.

A biomechanical and subjective assessment and comparison of three ambulance cot design configurations.

Effects of ambulance cot design features (handle design and leg folding mechanism) were evaluated. Experienced ambulance workers performed tasks simulating loading and unloading a cot to and from an ambulance, and a cot raising task. Muscle activity, ratings of perceived exertion, and performance style were significantly affected by cot condition (p < 0.

Association between spinal loads and the psychophysical determination of maximum acceptable force during pushing tasks.

The objective of this study was to investigate potential associations between an individual's psychophysical maximum acceptable force (MAF) during pushing tasks and biomechanical tissue loads within the lumbar spine. Ten subjects (eight males, two females) pushed a cart with an unknown weight at one push every two minute for a distance of 3.9 m.

Relationship between cervical spine injury and helmet use in motorcycle road crashes.

Motorcycle helmets have been proven to prevent head injury and reduce fatality in road crashes. However, certain studies indicate that the helmet increases the mass to the head, and thus the potential of neck injury due to the flexion/extension of the head-neck segment in a road crash may increase. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of motorcycle helmets and the ways in which the accidents that occurred affected the incidence of cervical spine injury.

Mode choice model for vulnerable motorcyclists in Malaysia.

Objective: In developing countries, motorcycle use has grown in popularity in the past decades. Commensurate with this growth is the increase in death and casualties among motorcyclists in these countries. One of the strategic programs to minimize this problem is to reduce motorcyclists exposure by shifting them into safer modes of transport.

Motorcycle safety programmes in Malaysia: how effective are they?

This paper presents the approach taken by the Malaysian Government to contain motorcycle casualties in Malaysia. It involves the exposure control, crash prevention, behaviour modification and injury control related to humans, vehicles and the environment based on pre-crash, crash and post-crash scenarios of motorcycle accidents. These initiatives emanated mainly from the research and development carried out by the Road Safety Research Centre at Universiti Putra Malaysia.

The value of life and accident costing: a willingness-to-pay study amongst motorcyclists in Malaysia.

Motorcyclists constitute a large proportion of total road casualties in Asian countries Unfortunately, studies conducted for the purpose of evaluating the cost of traffic crashes, and cost-benefit analyses of safety interventions, are almost nonexistent in these countries. The loss-of-output approach to valuing life has been used for many years, yet this method has also long been criticised as it results in significant resource misallocation. This study attempts to overcome this problem by estimating the value of a statistical life among motorcyclists using the willingness-to-pay method that is commonly used in developed countries.

Mechanisms of cervical spine injuries for non-fatal motorcycle road crash.

Cervical spine injuries such as subluxation and fracture dislocation have long been known to result in severe consequences, as well as the trauma management itself. The injury to the region has been identified as one of the major causes of death in Malaysian motorcyclists involved in road crashes, besides head and chest injuries (Pang, 1999). Despite this, cervical spine injury in motorcyclists is not a well-studied injury, unlike the whiplash injury in motorcar accidents.

Crash simulation of lower limb with motorcycle basket.

Lower limb injuries are the main cause of temporary and permanent disability among motorcyclists in Malaysia. They cause non-fatal but serious injuries requiring hospitalisation. Detailed studies on factors influencing lower limb injuries are justified in an attempt to reduce the occurrence of these injuries.