Simultaneous Assessment System Of Work Posture And Muscle Activity For Manual Materials Handling Tasks

Abullais, Fairil (2019) Simultaneous Assessment System Of Work Posture And Muscle Activity For Manual Materials Handling Tasks. Project Report. UTeM, Melaka, Malaysia. (Submitted)

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Abstract

Manual material handling (MMH) is one of the common activities in many industrial sectors such as manufacturing industry. Improper techniques in performing MMH tasks can lead to muscle’s sprain and strain among industrial workers. Ergonomics practitioners and engineers require an assessment system which allows them to investigate the interaction of work posture and muscle activity of a worker when executing MMH tasks so that muscle’s sprain and strain can be avoided. Hence, the assessment system should allow a simultaneous measurement of work posture angles and electromyography (EMG) signals and low cost. The existing assessment system did not meet these requirements as the ergonomics practitioners have to carry out the assessment of work posture and muscle activity using a discrete system. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a prototype of simultaneous assessment system for measuring work posture angles and EMG signals of a worker who doing MMH tasks. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 30 respondents to identify factors that affect work posture and muscle activity in MMH tasks. The Microsoft Visual Studio software, a 3D camera (Microsoft Kinect), Advancer Technologies muscle sensors and a microcontroller (NI DAQ USB- 6000) were applied to develop the work postural angles and EMG signals measurement system. Additionally, a graphical user interface was created in the system to enable ergonomics practitioners to perform work posture and muscle activity assessment simultaneously. Results of the questionnaire survey found that lifting, carrying and repetitive movements are common factors that affecting work posture and muscle activity. Based on the validation results, this study concluded that the work posture assessment system has shown a good accuracy in measuring upper arm and elbow angles. Meanwhile, the EMG measurement system was able to generate a same pattern of electromyography data with a commercial EMG system. Further study is required to enhance the validity, reliability and usability of the prototype so that it may facilitate ergonomics practitioners and engineers to assess work posture and muscle activity in MMH task.

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