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.
Genaidy
A M
AM
Occupational Biomechanics Laboratory, University of Cincinnati, OH 45221-0116.
al-Rayes
S
S
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