TY - GEN
T1 - New pistol grip control for an electric utility aerial bucket reduces risk of forearm muscle fatigue
AU - Marklin, Richard W.
AU - Slightam, Jonathon E.
AU - Nagurka, Mark L.
AU - Garces, Casey D.
AU - Krishen, Lovely
AU - Bauman, Eric H.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Human Factors an Ergonomics Society Inc.. All rights reserved.
PY - 2018/1/1
Y1 - 2018/1/1
N2 - Overhead line workers have anecdotally reported elevated levels of fatigue in forearm muscles when operating the pistol grip control that maneuvers an aerial bucket on a utility truck. Previous research with surface electromyographic (sEMG) recordings of forearm muscles corroborated these reports of muscle fatigue. A new pistol grip was designed that reduces the applied force by 50% in all directions of movement. In laboratory testing, sEMG signals were recorded from the upper extremity muscles of twenty subjects, who operated a conventional-force pistol grip and the 50% reduced-force control to move a 1/15 scale model of an aerial truck boom. The muscle that resulted in the greatest sEMG activity (extensor digitorum communis (EDC)) was the muscle that workers typically pointed to when they reported forearm muscle fatigue from using the control. The reduced-forced pistol grip decreased EDC sEMG by an average of 5.6%, compared to the conventional control, increasing the maximum endurance time by 38% according to muscle fatigue models. This study was the first to quantify muscular activity of a new aerial bucket pistol grip control and the results show promise for improving the occupational health of electric utility overhead line workers, specifically reducing muscle fatigue. Before the new design of the pistol grip can be commercialized, it must be tested in the field on actual equipment.
AB - Overhead line workers have anecdotally reported elevated levels of fatigue in forearm muscles when operating the pistol grip control that maneuvers an aerial bucket on a utility truck. Previous research with surface electromyographic (sEMG) recordings of forearm muscles corroborated these reports of muscle fatigue. A new pistol grip was designed that reduces the applied force by 50% in all directions of movement. In laboratory testing, sEMG signals were recorded from the upper extremity muscles of twenty subjects, who operated a conventional-force pistol grip and the 50% reduced-force control to move a 1/15 scale model of an aerial truck boom. The muscle that resulted in the greatest sEMG activity (extensor digitorum communis (EDC)) was the muscle that workers typically pointed to when they reported forearm muscle fatigue from using the control. The reduced-forced pistol grip decreased EDC sEMG by an average of 5.6%, compared to the conventional control, increasing the maximum endurance time by 38% according to muscle fatigue models. This study was the first to quantify muscular activity of a new aerial bucket pistol grip control and the results show promise for improving the occupational health of electric utility overhead line workers, specifically reducing muscle fatigue. Before the new design of the pistol grip can be commercialized, it must be tested in the field on actual equipment.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85072757958&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1541931218621204
DO - 10.1177/1541931218621204
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85072757958
T3 - Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
SP - 888
EP - 892
BT - 62nd Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, HFES 2018
PB - Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Inc.
T2 - 62nd Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, HFES 2018
Y2 - 1 October 2018 through 5 October 2018
ER -