An onsite ergonomics assessment for risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among cooks in a Chinese restaurant

Yan Wen Xu, Shu Kei Cheng

Research output: Journal article publicationJournal articleAcademic researchpeer-review

15 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This article is a case presentation of an onsite ergonomic assessment of the risk factors for work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among three cooks working at a medium-sized Chinese restaurant in Hong Kong. The weight of workload was measured during the onsite assessment and the Ovako Working Posture Analysis System (OWAS), Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), and National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) lifting equation used to assess the risk of WMSDs. The results showed that these cooks usually had to hold utensils for extended periods of time, toss woks, and barbecue meat, all of which demanded a lot of repetitive movements of the upper limbs. Future research is needed on the implementation of effective prevention measures, including administrative and ergonomic controls, to reduce the problems within this industry associated with such high-risk tasks.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)539-545
Number of pages7
JournalWork (Reading, Mass.)
Volume48
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2014

Keywords

  • Chinese restaurant
  • National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health lifting equation
  • Ovako Working Posture Analysis
  • Rapid Upper Limb Assessment

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Medicine

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