Standard Guide for Evaluating Potential Ergonomic Risks From Exoskeleton Use

Importancia y uso:

4.1 Ergonomics is the field concerned with designing physical spaces or workstations, equipment, tools, processes, procedures, and systems to accommodate the capabilities and limitations of human users. Pain, fatigue, or injuries may arise if there is a mismatch between the person’s abilities and the demands or requirements of the activity or task, the environment, or the tools/equipment. The types of injuries that can occur are caused by exposure to chronic conditions rather than acute hazards and usually develop over time from the accumulated trauma of repeated stress to the body. These injuries are commonly known as MSDs (musculoskeletal disorders), also called CTDs (cumulative trauma disorders).

4.2 Although MSDs are most commonly associated with physical risk factors, they can also be affected by non-physical stressors. Organizational factors can affect cognitive demands on workers, or the social environment can create psychosocial stress. These may, in turn, generate a physiological response such as increased muscle tension beyond what would normally be needed for the task or activity. Therefore, organizational factors and the social environment may also need to be considered when assessing the risk factors of a task or activity. However, these factors are outside the scope of this guide and are only mentioned here to provide a greater understanding of the multifactorial nature of MSD causation.

4.3 Human factors engineering/ergonomics can provide guidelines for implementing exoskeletons safely in the workplace. These guidelines can help prevent discomfort, pain, or injury to the exoskeleton user, make the task easier to complete, or reduce the risk for errors. Ergonomics can help to assess how well the exoskeleton works for the user and the work environment, and how well it supports the activities of interest. This includes not only job functions, but also interactions with other people and other pieces of equipment in the work area, and with physical and environmental factors that could change how the exoskeleton functions or performs. Any of these factors may affect the safe and successful implementation of the exoskeleton.

Subcomité:

F48.02

Volúmen:

15.13

Palabras clave:

anthropometry; awkward postures; biomechanics; contact stress; cumulative trauma; duration; ergonomics; exoskeleton; fatigue; force; frequency; industrial; kinematics; kinetics; labor; manufacturing; medical; military; MSD injury; musculoskeletal injury; occupational safety and health; posture; repetition; safety; vibration;