Barriers to the adoption of ergonomic innovations to control musculoskeletal disorders and improve performance.
Despite a growing number of published articles describing studies of ergonomic interventions, little is known about the barriers potential adopters face when deciding whether or not to adopt such innovations. To this end, the purpose of this paper is to examine the barriers identified by potential adopters of ergonomic innovations and compare barriers identified by individuals not interested in adopting to those identified by individuals planning to adopt. Eight hundred forty-eight fresh market vegetable farmers were mailed surveys measuring the adoption of and barriers to the adoption of several ergonomic innovations as part of a multi-year intervention study. Barriers such as cost, lack of information, never having seen the innovation used and not being able to try out the innovation were among the barriers identified. The barriers identified were moderated by whether or not the respondents were likely to adopt. Implications for diffusing ergonomic and safety innovations are discussed.
Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1513 University Avenue, Room 3217, Madison, WI 53706, USA. bkarsh@engr.wisc.edu
Ben-Tzion
BT
Karsh
Astrid C
AC
Newenhouse
Larry J
LJ
Chapman
D000328:Adult; D000383:Agriculture; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D006804:Ergonomics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015146:Midwestern United States; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis