Reducing the risk of musculoskeletal disorders in persons with a mobility dysfunction at assembly and operator workstations

Project manager: Tomasz Tokarski Ph.D.

Project summary:

The aim of the task was a comparative analysis of the precision of controlling upper and lower limbs in persons with a mobility dysfunction and in persons with no evidence of a disability, and determining the limit values of force for safe use of lower-limb control elements by persons with a mobility dysfunction. The task was completed through: - an analysis of assembly and control workstations in view of using mechanisms of controlling the work process with lower-limb control elements - determination of limit values of force for safe use of lower-limb control elements by persons with a mobility dysfunction, in which the disability affected the upper limbs - development of guidelines and training materials and running training courses in selected enterprises at assembly and operator workstations. The studies that were conducted showed that, e.g., persons with a disability are less precise in controlling than persons with no evidence of a disability, but the characteristic of precision of controlling related to both the upper and the lower limb is similar. In the case of controlling with the upper limb, the differences between the subjects with a mobility dysfunction and subjects with no evidence of a dysfunction were not statistically significant.

Unit: Department of Ergonomics

Duration: 01.01.2008 – 30.12.2010