Older workers spend less time in extreme trunk and upper-arm postures during order-picking tasks: Results from field testing
通过可穿戴传感器监测老年和年轻工人在订单拣选中的躯干和上臂姿势，发现老年工人虽动作频率相似，但处于极端姿势的时间显著更少，可能源于对体力限制的认知和丰富经验。
Order picking tasks require repetitive trunk and upper arms movements that may increase the risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders, particularly among older workers due to the decline of their physical capabilities with aging. We proposed an approach based on a limited number of wearable inertial sensors to assessed exposures to non-neutral trunk and upper arms postures among both older and young workers during their regular work-shifts. The obtained data were processed accordingly to international standards (ISO 11226 and EN 1005-4) to detect the existence of possible differences associated with age-specific working strategies. While the results indicate similar trunk and upper arms movement frequencies in both groups, older workers spend a significantly smaller percentage of time in the most demanding (>60°) postures for both districts. Such findings suggest the adoption of specific strategies to reduce the biomechanical risk which might be originated by a combination of awareness of physical limits and superior working experience. In this context, the instrumental monitoring of upper body in the logistic sector may result useful to highlight critical conditions potentially able to promote the onset of musculoskeletal disorders, thus supporting the decision processes pertaining to workers' health management and aging worker retainment.