A psychophysical approach to determine the frequency and duration of work-rest schedules for manual handling operations.
The primary objectives of this study were: (1) to test whether rest allowances could be ascertained using a psychophysical methodology; and (2) to examine the effects of gender and frequency of handling on work-rest schedules. Two experiments were conducted, each experimental session at 4h. A psychophysical methodology was used where the subject was given control of the working and resting durations. The results of the study indicated that: (1) the total working time decreased and the total resting time decreased with an increase in the frequency of handling; (2) high frequency tasks required more frequent rest allowances; (3) for the same manual handling tasks, women needed more frequent and longer allowances than men; (4) experience with the manual handling of material reduced the variability collected from the psychophysical methodology. The application of the psychophysical methodology in industry is discussed.
Occupational Biomechanics Laboratory, University of Cincinnati, OH 45221-0116.
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Genaidy
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al-Rayes
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011601:Psychophysics; D012146:Rest; D016474:Weight-Bearing; D014938:Work Capacity Evaluation; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance; D016526:Workload