TY - GEN
T1 - Applied force and sEMG muscle activity required to operate pistol grip control in an electric utility aerial bucket
AU - Marklin, Richard W.
AU - Slightam, Jonathon E.
AU - Nagurka, Mark L.
AU - Wolff, Trent M.
AU - Garces, Casey D.
AU - Krishen, Lovely
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright 2017 by Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.
PY - 2017/1/1
Y1 - 2017/1/1
N2 - Electric utility line workers report high levels of fatigue in forearm muscles when operating a conventional pistol grip control in aerial buckets. This study measured the applied force and surface electromyographic (sEMG) signals from four upper extremity muscles required to operate the pistol grip control in two tasks. The first task was movement of the pistol grip in six directions (up/down, forward/rearward, clockwise/counter-clockwise), and the second task was movement of the bucket from its resting position on the truck bed to an overhead conductor on top of a 40 ft tall pole. The force applied to the pistol grip was measured in 14 aerial bucket trucks, and sEMG activity was measured on eight apprentice line workers. The applied force required to move the pistol grip control in the six directions ranged from 12 to 15 lb. The sEMG activity in the extensor digitorum communis (EDC) forearm muscle was approximately twice as great or more than the other three muscles (flexor digitorum superficialis, triceps, and biceps). Line workers exerted 14 to 30% MVCEMG to move the pistol grip in the six directions. Average %MVCEMG of the EDC to move the bucket from the truck platform to an overhead line ranged from 26 to 30% across the four phases of the task. The sEMG findings from this study provide physiologic evidence to support the anecdotal reports of muscle fatigue from line workers after using the pistol grip control for repeated, long durations.
AB - Electric utility line workers report high levels of fatigue in forearm muscles when operating a conventional pistol grip control in aerial buckets. This study measured the applied force and surface electromyographic (sEMG) signals from four upper extremity muscles required to operate the pistol grip control in two tasks. The first task was movement of the pistol grip in six directions (up/down, forward/rearward, clockwise/counter-clockwise), and the second task was movement of the bucket from its resting position on the truck bed to an overhead conductor on top of a 40 ft tall pole. The force applied to the pistol grip was measured in 14 aerial bucket trucks, and sEMG activity was measured on eight apprentice line workers. The applied force required to move the pistol grip control in the six directions ranged from 12 to 15 lb. The sEMG activity in the extensor digitorum communis (EDC) forearm muscle was approximately twice as great or more than the other three muscles (flexor digitorum superficialis, triceps, and biceps). Line workers exerted 14 to 30% MVCEMG to move the pistol grip in the six directions. Average %MVCEMG of the EDC to move the bucket from the truck platform to an overhead line ranged from 26 to 30% across the four phases of the task. The sEMG findings from this study provide physiologic evidence to support the anecdotal reports of muscle fatigue from line workers after using the pistol grip control for repeated, long durations.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85042512959&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1541931213601722
DO - 10.1177/1541931213601722
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85042512959
T3 - Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
SP - 963
EP - 967
BT - Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 2017 International Annual Meeting, HFES 2017
PB - Human Factors an Ergonomics Society Inc.
T2 - Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 2017 International Annual Meeting, HFES 2017
Y2 - 9 October 2017 through 13 October 2017
ER -