title: Maintaining knife sharpness in industrial meat cutting: A matter of knife or meat cutter ability.
abstract: Knife sharpness is imperative in meat cutting. The aim of this study was to compare the impact of knife blade steel quality with meat cutters' individual ability to maintain the cutting edge sharp in an industrial production setting. Twelve meat cutters in two different companies using three different knives during normal production were studied in this quasi-experimental study. Methods included were measuring knife cutting force before and after knife use, time knives were used, ratings of sharpness and discomfort and interviews. Results showed that the meat cutters' skill of maintaining sharpness during work had a much larger effect on knife sharpness during work than the knife steel differences. The ability was also related to feelings of discomfort and to physical exertion. It was found that meat cutters using more knives were more likely to suffer from discomfort in the upper limbs, which is a risk for developing MSD.
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering, Jönköping University, P.O Box 1026, SE-551 11 Jönköping, Sweden. Electronic address: johan.karltun@ju.se.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Karltun
authors.affiliation: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, STH, Unit of Ergonomics, Alfred Nobels allé 10, SE-141 52 Huddinge, Sweden. Electronic address: kjerstin.vogel@kth.sth.se.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vogel
authors.affiliation: Avonova Hälsa, Repslagaregatan 4, SE-591 30 Motala, Sweden. Electronic address: maria.bergstrand@avonova.se.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bergstrand
authors.affiliation: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, STH, Unit of Ergonomics, Alfred Nobels allé 10, SE-141 52 Huddinge, Sweden. Electronic address: jorgen.eklund@sth.kth.se.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Eklund
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004867:Equipment Design; D006804:Ergonomics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008462:Meat-Packing Industry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D005082:Physical Exertion; D013232:Steel / Q000592:standards; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D034941:Upper Extremity
chemical_list: D013232:Steel
keywords: Individual skill; MSD; Sharpness analyser; Steel quality