A new study from Dr. Harris was recently published in the International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, titled: Heavy load carrying and musculoskeletal health: An exploratory study of biomechanical risk factors among sand miners in Pokhara, Kaski District, Nepal. Her co-authors include Aybüke Koyuncu, Michael N.Bates, Ziva Petrin, Myles Cope, Sandra I.McCoy, Ndola Prata, and Tula Ram Sijali.
Here are the highlights of the paper:
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The effects of heavy load carrying among sand miners are poorly understood.
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Sand miners work over 10 h per day carrying loads weighing on average 77 kg
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Musculoskeletal disorders were identified using specified case criteria in 38% of miners.
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Healthy worker survival effect may make sand mining seem less harmful than it is.
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Larger studies examining the adverse effects of load carrying are urgently needed.
You can access the full paper at this link (for limited time only): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169814121001050?dgcid=coauthor