1. Effect of Mailbag Design on Musculoskeletal Fatigue and Metabolic Load
- Author
-
Donald S. Bloswick, Ann Gerber, William Mecham, Steve Johnson, and David Sebesta
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,Metabolic load ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Waist ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Pilot Projects ,Human Factors and Ergonomics ,050105 experimental psychology ,Back injury ,Behavioral Neuroscience ,medicine ,Humans ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,Musculoskeletal Diseases ,Postal Service ,Fatigue ,050107 human factors ,Applied Psychology ,Reduction (orthopedic surgery) ,Analysis of Variance ,Metabolic energy ,business.industry ,05 social sciences ,Equipment Design ,medicine.disease ,United States ,Occupational Diseases ,Back Pain ,Physical therapy ,Female ,Ergonomics ,Energy Metabolism ,Trunk muscle ,business - Abstract
The need for an alternative mailbag to the conventional U.S. postal mailbag, which hangs at the side over one shoulder, was investigated. Based on the results of a pilot study, two types of alternative mailbags, both including waist support and one that splits the load into two parts, are recommended. The metabolic energy requirement and lateral trunk muscle fatigue resulting from the use of the alternative mailbags were compared with those resulting from the conventional U.S. postal mailbag. The alternative mailbags resulted in no significant change in metabolic load. Both alternative mailbags resulted in significantly less lateral trunk muscle fatigue. It is proposed that this reduction in fatigue would result in reduced musculoskeletal stress and reduced potential for back injury.
- Published
- 1994
- Full Text
- View/download PDF