| Abstract: | Awkward shoulder postures have been suggested to be a cause of shoulder discomfort among bakery workers. This study aimed at long-duration assessment of upper arms posture and motion and their association with perceived symptoms among bakery workers. Among workers in three types of bread systems, fifty-seven bakers were randomly selected. The self-reported rates for the perceived severity and frequency of shoulder discomfort were collected through questionnaires. Working postures and movements of the shoulders during work were continuously recorded with inclinometry measurements for three hours. Percentage of time spent with the upper arm right elevated more than 60° was significantly correlated with the perceived discomfort rate in the right shoulder for all bakery workers (r = 0.48 to 0.63, p ≤ 0.05). A significant correlation was found between angular velocity with the perceived discomfort intensity for right upper arm.(r = 0.60 to 0.87, ≤0.005) of all workers in the three baking systems. Physical exposure in bakers was characterized by significantly more awkward postures and the percentage of time spent with the upper arms elevated more than 60°. The current findings can facilitate more informed decisions with respect to both engineering (e.g.ergonomic workstation and tool design) and administration (e.g. work organization) control strategies. |
