Use of wearable sensors for continuous field monitoring of upper arm and trunk postures among construction workers
本研究使用可穿戴惯性传感器对15名建筑工人进行2小时现场监测，发现工人约25%时间躯干静态前倾超过20度，50%以上时间上臂抬高超过20度，为评估肌肉骨骼疾病风险提供了定量工具。
Construction is considered amongst the highest risk sectors for the development of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) considering the large number of unfavourable environmental and task-specific factors typical in this sector. Thus, it is important to have quantitative tools to support the assessment of the exposure to physical MSD risk factors. We employed wearable inertial sensors (ISs) to perform a real-world characterisation of static postures and repetitive movements involving the trunk and upper arms (UA), among 15 workers during 2 hours of their regular shifts. IS data were processed according to ISO 11226 and EN 1005-4 standards. We found that workers spent ∼25% of the monitored time in static trunk flexion >20% and more than 50% of the time with UA elevations >20°. The ability to assess working postures for prolonged periods may represent a useful tool for different stakeholders involved in the protection of construction worker health.