The risk of physical fatigue at different level of posture and repetition during manual handling task in aerospace manufacturing industry

Abstract

This paper aims toinvestigatethe risk of physical fatigue at different levels of posture and repetition during manual handling task. Ten subjects with nohistoryof musculoskeletal disorders performed manual handling tasks at three levels of posture and two levels of repetition. The task completion time is recorded during the experimental task and the subjects rated their perceived discomfort level after the task completion. The results indicated that the lower posture of hand at higher repetition resulted in higher perceived discomfort level that leads to higher risk of physical fatigue. The higher repetition requires higher rest time for recovery and required lengthy completion time. The findings of this study served as a reference to the manufacturing industry in manual handling task design and planning to mitigate issues related to work-related physical fatigue at different levels of posture and repetition that could lead to the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs).