Human Factors and Ergonomics

Factors Associated With Reporting Attitudes of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Direct Care Workers in South Korea

Minjung Kyung
Soo-Jeong Lee, RN, PhD, ANP
Laura M Wagner
Carisa Harris-Adamson
Oisaeng Hong, RN, PhD, FAAN
2024

Background: Workers' reporting of work-related injuries or illnesses is important for treatment and prevention, yet research often focuses on reporting barriers. This study aimed to identify factors related to work-related musculoskeletal disorder (WRMSD) reporting attitudes and their connection to reporting intention and behavior.

Methods: We analyzed data from 377 direct care workers employed in 19 long-term care facilities in South Korea. A self-administered questionnaire collected demographics, job characteristics, physical and psychosocial...

Professional and High-level Gamers: Differences in Performance, Muscle Activity, and Hand Kinematics for Different Mice

Li G
Wang M
Arippa F
Barr A
Rempel D
Liu Y
Harris Adamson C
2021

Computer mouse design can impact user comfort and performance. The effect of mouse design on gamers, who use a mouse for long hours and apply higher velocity movements than office workers, is uncertain. Professional (N = 29) and high-level (N = 19) gamers participated in this laboratory study and performed Fitts’ and gaming tasks (OverwatchTM) with different mice, and this analysis compared results from a light-weight (87 g) wireless mouse and a very light-weight (80 g) wireless mouse. There was little difference between the mice on muscle activity, hand...

Design of 3D Microgestures for Commands in Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality

Li G
Rempel D
Liu Y
Song W
Harris Adamson C
2021

Virtual and augmented reality (VR, AR) systems present 3D images that users can interact with using controllers or gestures. The design of the user input process is crucial and determines the interactive efficiency, comfort, and adoption. Gesture-based input provides a device-free interaction that may improve safety and creativity compared to using a hand controller while allowing the hands to perform other tasks. Microgestures with small finger and hand motions may have an advantage over the larger forearm and upper arm gestures by reducing distraction, reducing fatigue, and...

Heavy load carrying and musculoskeletal health: An exploratory study of biomechanical risk factors among sand miners in Pokhara, Kaski District, Nepal

Koyuncu A
Bates M
Petrin Z
Cope M
McCoy S
Prata N
Sijali T
Harris Adamson C
2021

08/20/2025: OSHA Ergonomics: History, Enforcement, and Success Stories

About the webinar:

OSHA’s presentation will introduce and expand the participants understanding of the history of OSHA ergonomics enforcement, how OSHA enforces ergonomics in workplaces where employees suffer significant musculoskeletal injuries, and how OSHA’s enforcement actions result in improved safety and health and ergonomics programs and reduced workplace hazards to employees. Case study examples will be presented. OSHA’s VPP and Safety Pays topics are also promoted and discussed.

A data-driven approach to understand factors contributing to exoskeleton use-intention in construction

Kim S
Moore A
Ojelade A
Gutierrez N
Carisa Harris-Adamson
Alan Barr, MS
Srinivasan D
Nussbaum MA
2023

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) remain an important heath concern for construction workers. Occupational exoskeletons (EXOs) are a new ergonomic intervention to control WMSD risk, yet their adoption has been low in construction. We explored contributing factors to EXO use-intention, by building a decision tree to predict the intention to try an exoskeleton using responses to an online survey. Variable selection and hyperparameter tuning were used respectively to reduce the number of potential predictors, and for a better prediction performance. Performance was assessed...

Perceived benefits, barriers, perceptions, and readiness to use exoskeletons in the construction industry: Differences by demographic characteristics

Nancy Gutierrez
Aanuoluwapo Ojelade
Sunwook Kim
Alan Barr, MS
Abiola Akanmu
Maury A. Nussbaum
Carisa Harris-Adamson
2024
Exoskeletons (EXOs) are a promising wearable intervention to reduce work-related musculoskeletal disorder risks among construction workers. However, the adoption of EXOs may differ with demographic characteristics. Survey data (n = 361) were collected from construction industry stakeholders and a summation score method was used to summarize respondent's benefits and barriers to EXO use, along...

05/21/2025: Bilateral Assistance from Active Knee Exoskeletons to Reduce the Difficulty of Occupational Lifting and Lowering Tasks

About the webinar:

Approximately 7 million workers in the United States work in jobs that primarily require lifting, lowering, and moving materials. This type of worker has the highest rates of injury among professions monitored by the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Injuries can either be caused by acute accidents, or over time by repetition and overuse. Regardless of the cause, these injuries are often debilitating for the worker and costly for the employer. Robotic automation has been increasingly used to replace workers, but these robots are expensive to purchase and require...

ERG110 | 10/12 - 12/13/2026 | Evidence-Based Human Factors and Ergonomics

This course is designed to prepare you to be a competent consumer of research by applying a thorough critique of various papers and applying conclusions from published research into ergonomic practice. You will read various research articles and identify the study objectives, aims, and hypotheses as well as critique the study methods for appropriate study design, generalizability, sources of bias, and threats to validity. You will also learn about observational studies (cross-sectional, prospective, retrospective, and case-control), intervention (parallel and multi-factorial randomized...

04/23/2025: Poultry Processing and Worker Health: Results from the PULSE Study

About the webinar:

The PULSE Poultry Study evaluated over 1,000 workers across 11 plants in 2024 to understand how the speed of chicken processing affects workers’ risk of muscle and joint problems. 81% of evaluated workers were found to be at high risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders, with jobs involving fast, repetitive tasks like trimming or deboning especially risky. The faster workers had to handle chicken parts (called ‘worker speed’ or ‘piece rate’), the higher their hazard and risk of developing injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome.