Transcript Standing at the Workplace

Standing at the
Workplace
Andrew J. Krum
November 19, 2002
Who cares about standing?
Retail Cashiers

Ryan (1989): Australia, 90% of shift

High rate of standing fatigue symptoms
Lift-truck operators

Growing population; 4 hour periods
Who cares about standing?
Hairdressers
Assembly line workers
Healthcare professionals

Doctors, nurses, hursing home aides

Estryn-Behar (1990): 84% of women
healthcare workers stand 4 hrs/day
Who cares about standing?
Janitorial services

Many hard workers in our classrooms and
offices

Nemecek & Buchberger (1987): 80% of largescale laundry workers’ days are standing
Who cares about standing?
Construction workers
Professors and teachers
Restaurant chefs and waiters
Laboratory techs and scientists
Farm laborers
Who cares about standing?
Denmark

40% and 12% of workers have back and feet
problems (Orhede et all, 1992)

Groth et al. (1988): 1/3 work standing without
physical strain
Who cares about standing?
Switzerland

39% of workers experience back problems

23% experience leg problems

Buchberger 1993
What’s the cost ?
Standing has been proven to cause back,
leg, and foot pain; and leads to cumulative
musculo-skeletal disorders (MSD’s)
Spengler (1986): 85% of people
What’s the cost ?
Estimates for the cost of back injuries at
$11.1 Billion per year Webster & Snook
(1990)
Cumulative effects unknown
Insurance, loss productivity, absenteeism,
and well-being
Vast Market of Solutions
Floor mats
Shoe insoles and soles
They’re everywhere
Central theme: keep the body moving
Vast Market of Solutions
Mat dimensions to consider

Thickness

Compressibility

Surface friction

Don’t forget temperature
Vast Market of Solutions
Insoles

Provide mobility and cushioning

Floor mats that follow the worker
Vast Market of Solutions
Insoles

Provide mobility and cushioning

Floor mats that follow the worker
Floor Mats
Insoles
Do these solutions work?
Where is the pain?
Feet
Legs
Lower back
What’s the cause?
Oedema
Joint inflammation
Muscle fatigue
Objective Measures
Foot volume: water displacement, chalk on
paper markings
Skin temperatures: circulation
Heart-rate: standing versus sitting
Objective Measures
Electromyographic (EMG) muscle
response

Marras (1994) power spectrums reliable

Lower median frequency = higher fatigue
Objective Measures
Pain-Pressure Threshold (PPT)

Pressure points on base of foot

Threshold increases as pain increases
Internal spinal fixator (Rohlmann et al., 2001)

Difficult to collect data

Focus on back in motion
Subjective Measures
Participant ratings of pain and comfort
levels are easy to apply
Can be unreliable; placebo condition
needed
King (2002); requested precise ratings;
successfully distinguished conditions
Advice for Standers
Keep mobile
Wear comfortable shoes
Floor mats help the back
Take breaks and change positions
Advice for Standers
Elevating one foot
helps
Research is
promising; need to
further investigate
What’s this mean for HF ?
Need to learn more
Experimental

Collaboration needed

Determine physical causes and reliable measures
Industrial

Particular work environmental standards

Lifestyle information about participants
Thank You