Abstract Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions cause an enormous global burden, and this is dramatically increasing in developing countries, particularly due to rapidly ageing populations and increasing ...obesity. Many of the global non-communicable disease (NCD) initiatives need to expand beyond the traditional ‘top four’ NCD groups by incorporating MSK diseases. It is critical that MSK initiatives in developing countries integrate well with health systems, rather than being stand-alone. A better inclusion of MSK conditions will avoid doubling of efforts and wasting of resources, and will help to promote a more streamlined, cost-effective approach. Other key opportunities for action include the following: ensuring the principles of ‘development effectiveness’ are met; strengthening leadership and commitment; building the research, information and evidence base; and reducing the incidence and disability of MSK conditions through better prevention. Each of these elements is necessary to mitigate and reduce the growing burden from the MSKs.
Virtual environment techniques are technologies that can be used for safety training, and deliver significant advantages (e.g. risk-free, immersive learning). However, no studies have assessed the ...effectiveness of this training for work at heights (WAH). This paper aimed to synthesize the outcomes criteria for measuring the effectiveness of virtual safety training of WAH in different work sectors. A total of 658 records were identified through an explorative search of relevant citations from 2010 onwards. Only 21 documents were considered and classified according to the training goal: improvement of knowledge, skills or attitudes. Outcomes criteria of virtual safety training were analyzed according to Kirkpatrick's model. The results support practitioners and safety managers by providing an inventory of training methods, evaluation indicators and evaluation effects. Further recommendations are made for the design of an effective training assessment.
•Training program for working at heights are focused mostly on construction sector.•Most of the training goals do not have a multidimensional design considering knowledge, skills and attitudes.•Outcome criteria to measure effectiveness do not assess training holistically with all levels of Kirkpatrick, but separately.•Few authors consider cognitive, instructional, and experiential learning processes all together in virtual safety training.
Serious games and virtual reality offer engaging learning opportunities and a cost-effective solution within an immersive and safe environment for safety training in construction. However, there have ...been few examples of safety training for work at heights developed using these technologies, especially commercial training. To fill this literature gap, a new VR-based safety training was developed and compared with lecture-based training across time. We conducted a quasi-experiment with a non-equivalent group design with 102 workers from six construction sites in Colombia. Learning objectives, observations from training centers, and national regulations were considered during the design of the training methods. Training outcomes were assessed using Kirkpatrick's model. We found that both training approaches were effective in improving knowledge test results and self-reported attitudes in the short-term; and risk-perception, self-reported behavior and safety climate in the long-term. In particular, participants of the VR-based training got significantly higher results in knowledge and reported higher attitudes (commitment and motivation) than participants of the lecture-based training. We suggest that safety managers and practitioners should invest in VR using serious games as an alternative to training programs based on short-term outcomes. Future work is needed to test VR for long-term outcomes.
•Two training methods with different instructional techniques were validated among construction workers in Colombia.•VR-based training let to be more effective than lecture-based training for knowledge and attitudes evaluated in the short term.•There were no differences between trainings for risk perception, self-reported behavior, and safety climate assessed in the long term.•Construction sites traits might impact knowledge test scores, risk perception, and safety climate with VR-gamified training.•Workers' characteristics need to be considered when designing a training program with virtual technologies.
Direct-measurement-based methods for assessing workloads of the hand or elbow in the field are rare. Aim of the study was to develop such a method based on the Threshold Limit Value for Hand Activity ...Level (TLV for HAL). Hence, HAL was quantified using kinematic data (mean power frequencies, angular velocities and micro-pauses) and combined with electromyographic data (root-mean-square values) in order to generate a measurement-based TLV for HAL (mTLV for HAL). The multi-sensor system CUELA including inertial sensors, potentiometers and a 4-channel surface electromyography module was used. For wrist and elbow regions, associations between mTLV for HAL and disorders/complaints (quantified by odds ratios (OR 95%-confidence interval)) were tested exploratively within a cross-sectional field study with 500 participants. Higher workloads were frequently significantly associated with arthrosis of distal joints (9.23 3.29–25.87), wrist complaints (2.89 1.63–5.11) or elbow complaints (1.99 1.08–3.67). The new method could extend previous application possibilities.
•A new direct-assessment method was devised for hand and elbow workload assessment.•The proposed method allows direct and simultaneous measurement of HAL parameters.•The mTLV for HAL was positively associated with upper limb health outcomes.•Finger/hand/elbow arthrosis was significantly associated with mTLV for HAL.
•Road signaling system requires standardization from the design to ensure effectiveness.•Coherence issues of signs and the environment indicate deficient infrastructure design.•The board size is the ...physical variable with less conformity to regulations in Bogotá.•More than half of signs present a lateral distance less than the recommended minimum.•Results indicate a higher violation rate in tracks where the path is less than 2.5 m.
Traffic signs can be functional if they are visible and legible, especially when they alert about grave hazards to vulnerable road users such as cyclists. However, what is the current state of traffic signs directed at cyclists? This knowledge is essential for road infrastructure, especially in a city like Bogotá, which presents growing mobility challenges for cyclists. This paper aims to characterize the state of the signs directed at cyclists in Bogotá and evaluate the conformity level according to current guidelines.
A reliable method was developed to evaluate existing signs. The method assesses the physical and functional characteristics of signs to verify if they are adequate from the human factors perspective and if they facilitate perception, are obeyed, and conform regarding dimensions, location, and function. With the method, an observational study was applied to characterize and evaluate signs in urban public spaces.
Eighty traffic signs were characterized in ten high-risk sectors for cyclists in Bogotá. Fifty-five percent of the signs are not in good condition, and often damaged; 18% are not coherent with the environment. Thirty-eight percent do not comply with the appropriate board size. The “Get off the bike” sign has the highest violation rate.
Traffic signs aimed at cyclists present problems focused on compatibility with guidelines and compliance by cyclists. The observation indicates no effective maintenance plans. The coherence problems indicate insufficient infrastructure design planning. The Road Signaling System requires standardization in its design, implementation, and operation to promote perception, comprehension, and compliance.
Expert knowledge elicitation lies at the core of judgmental forecasting—a domain that relies fully on the power of such knowledge and its integration into forecasting. Using experts in a demand ...forecasting framework, this work aims to compare the accuracy improvements and forecasting performances of three judgmental integration methods. To do this, a field study was conducted with 31 experts from four companies. The methods compared were the judgmental adjustment, the 50–50 combination, and the divide-and-conquer. Forecaster expertise, the credibility of system forecasts and the need to rectify system forecasts were also assessed, and mechanisms for performing this assessment were considered. When (a) a forecaster’s relative expertise was high, (b) the relative credibility of the system forecasts was low, and (c) the system forecasts had a strong need of correction, judgmental adjustment improved the accuracy relative to both the other integration methods and the system forecasts. Experts with higher levels of expertise showed higher adjustment frequencies. Our results suggest that judgmental adjustment promises to be valuable in the long term if adequate conditions of forecaster expertise and the credibility of system forecasts are met.
•A review in judgmental forecasting was conducted focusing in human judgment.•Pervasive computer’s advice disuse is moderated by complexity & system performance.•Appropriate delivering of computer’s ...advice in forecasting is still controversial.•Forecasters usually overforecast but report to prefer underforecast.•Heuristics most found were anchor and adjustment, trend damping and noise modelling.
Judgmental forecasting gives light to the use of computers in human decision making. This paper reviews studies in judgmental forecasting focusing on what has been learned from human judgment and human–computer interaction. Available information was analyzed in the framework of three dimensions: reliance and trust on computer suggestions and heuristics employed by forecasters to produce forecasts. Results show that computer’s advice disuse is pervasive in forecasting; and the disuse increases with higher task complexity and lower perceived system performance. Explanations and past performance are good candidates to increase trust in computer’s advice, but the appropriate format to deliver this information is still controversial. Forecasters usually overforecast but report to prefer underforecast, which can lead to a cognitive dissonance and in turn to conflicting goals in the task. Heuristics research in time series forecasting indicates that forecasters heavily assess their own judgment, which in turn tend to be grounded in last outcomes and an overall evaluation of features like mean, trend and autocorrelation. It appears that heuristics not always lead to harmful biases for the forecast.
Job rotation strategies have been used for years as an administrative intervention to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. The benefits of job rotation have been hypothesized to occur via ...changes in muscular activity variability (MAV). However, the effect of job rotation on MAV has not been fully analyzed in a literature review. A wide search was conducted to identify studies testing the effect of different job rotation strategies on MAV. Twenty-six studies of acceptable quality were included. Several studies on different types of tasks supported the view that job rotation can increase muscular activity variability, particularly with strategies such as alternating tasks and pace changes. However, it remains uncertain whether such variability changes immediately translate into benefits for the worker because little evidence was found that showed simultaneous changes in different muscular groups. Additionally, variability was occasionally achieved at the expense of average activity in the assessed muscles.
•Evidence on the effect of job rotation strategies on the upper limb using muscle activity variability metrics was reviewed.•Alternating tasks and pace change showed potential to increase muscular activity variability in different tasks settings.•The effects of job rotation on muscle activity variability may depend on the role of it is playing on the job rotation scheme.
Seasonal migrant farmworkers are essential to the success of agriculture in Quebec as they provide the labor needed to produce crops and animals. Notwithstanding, these workers are often at risk of ...occupational health and safety hazards, while only a few interventions have been implemented to improve the situation. Modern engineering interventions like exoskeleton devices have been introduced to reduce the risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders in other industries, but nothing much has been done in agriculture. This paper employed a mixed-method approach to evaluate the effect of environmental conditions and physical activities on farmworkers’ bodies and sensations and explore their speculative opinions about exoskeletons for their tasks. This study took place in a large plant nursery. Data were collected through field observations, written questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews. The analysis showed heat, humidity, cold, and rain affect farmworkers in feeling sore, worn out, tired, weak, and suffocated. The arms and the back were the body parts most affected by the repetitive bending over and carrying the load. Farmworkers’ exoskeleton perceptions were positive, remarking benefits such as making the task easier, improving posture, reducing fatigue, and protecting the body. The barriers that emerged were concerning the exoskeleton weight, being uncomfortable to wear, causing heat, restricting mobility, not allowing flexibility to change tasks, and not allowing space to work in tight workplaces. The study includes strategies to ensure credibility, reliability, and transferability. Future investigations could test exoskeletons on farmworkers and conduct the cost benefits of exoskeletons in agriculture.
Background
Multisite musculoskeletal pain is common and disabling. This study aimed to prospectively investigate the distribution of musculoskeletal pain anatomically, and explore risk factors for ...increases/reductions in the number of painful sites.
Methods
Using data from participants working in 45 occupational groups in 18 countries, we explored changes in reporting pain at 10 anatomical sites on two occasions 14 months apart. We used descriptive statistics to explore consistency over time in the number of painful sites, and their anatomical distribution. Baseline risk factors for increases/reductions by ≥3 painful sites were explored by random intercept logistic regression that adjusted for baseline number of painful sites.
Results
Among 8927 workers, only 20% reported no pain at either time point, and 16% reported ≥3 painful sites both times. After 14 months, the anatomical distribution of pain often changed but there was only an average increase of 0.17 painful sites. Some 14% workers reported a change in painful sites by ≥3. Risk factors for an increase of ≥3 painful sites included female sex, lower educational attainment, having a physically demanding job and adverse beliefs about the work‐relatedness of musculoskeletal pain. Also predictives were as follows: older age, somatizing tendency and poorer mental health (each of which was also associated with lower odds of reductions of ≥3 painful sites).
Conclusions
Longitudinally, the number of reported painful sites was relatively stable but the anatomical distribution varied considerably. These findings suggest an important role for central pain sensitization mechanisms, rather than localized risk factors, among working adults.
Significance
Our findings indicate that within individuals, the number of painful sites is fairly constant over time, but the anatomical distribution varies, supporting the theory that among people at work, musculoskeletal pain is driven more by factors that predispose to experiencing or reporting pain rather than by localized stressors specific to only one or two anatomical sites.
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