Human Factors and Ergonomics

Janitorial work is labor-intensive. It involves a diverse range of tasks that expose workers to physical ergonomic risk factors like repetitive forceful hand exertions and moving heavy objects. Previous studies have reported on the high workloads and prevalence of work-related pain and injury among janitors. One component of workload is the time allowance for assigned cleaning tasks, which is commonly set using standard published worktimes.

Recent studies found that the accuracy of such time allocations varied for cleaning tasks performed in commercial office...

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) continue to be a critical challenge for workplaces, even as advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and smart machines transform the nature of work. In response, the MSD Solutions Lab has released insights into how AI is addressing risk reduction of MSDs. This presentation will explore the report’s findings, highlighting AI’s transformative potential in workplace health and safety and the challenges that AI brings to MSD prevention.

The hospitality industry is service driven, characterized by a high degree of customized interpersonal interactions and manual labor. While its guests, or external customers, are largely the focus of technology integrations, it is the staff, or internal customers, who drive operations and experience well-being effects of rapid technological change and implementation. There are an increasing number of operational systems dependent on technology in the industry, yet technological adoption for the betterment of health and safety of frontline workers offers both...

Construction workers perform a variety of tasks that require repetitive motion, sustained forces, and awkward postures associated with increased risk of musculoskeletal pain, fatigue and injuries. A recent systematic review examined thirty-five research articles that evaluated the 1-year prevalence rates of musculoskeletal disorders among different construction trades and found that the lower back region (51.1%), the knee (37.2%), and the shoulder (30.4%) had the highest prevalence of pain among construction workers. Passive arm support exoskeletons have been proposed as...