Handwheel valve operation: assessment of four opening methods in terms of muscle loading, perceived comfort, and efficiency.
Injuries due to manual valve handwheel operations are a major concern in the chemical process industry. Manual valves are used to start, stop, and control flow in process lines. The torque required to operate handwheels after the initial "breaking" can vary due to the size, design, and condition of the valve. This study tested four methods of turning the handwheel on a medium-sized gate valve at two different torque requirements (25 Nm and 50 Nm). The methods were compared to each other, in terms of efficiency, subjective ratings of perceived exertion, and electromyography activity of the upper extremity and trunk muscles. The results indicate that different methods and torque requirements are compensated for by the use of different muscles. Also, this use of different muscles, along with the increased mechanical advantage of the wrench, can affect the operator's actual and perceived comfort and efficiency while operating a valve handwheel.
Department of Construction Management and Industrial Engineering, Louisiana State University, 3128 Patrick F. Taylor Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
Fereydoun
F
Aghazadeh
Saif
S
Al Qaisi
Francis
F
Hutchinson
Laura
L
Ikuma
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002617:Chemical Industry; D004576:Electromyography; D004867:Equipment Design; D006804:Ergonomics; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016272:Occupational Health; D058748:Pain Perception; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D019415:Torque; D034941:Upper Extremity / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult