Evaluation of workload in ambulance personnel - A preliminary study

• Musculotendinous tenderness was evaluated in ambulance personnel, and their working load was studied by means of biomechanical analysis of the standard loading and unloading the `stretcher+patient' in and from the vehicle. Swedish and Japanese subjects were tested. The medical examination demonstrated increased tenderness of selected muscles active in work related movement tasks, as well as in spinous processes in both populations. However, a number ofparticular tests suggested higher Ievel of tenderness in the Swedish, as compared with the Japanese personnel. Biomechanical analysis of working tasks demonstrated similar forces, but higher LS-SI, hip and shoulder torques acting in Swedish personnel. This difference appears to be caused by the differences in stretcher construction. Specifically, the Swedish stretcher requires separate lifting of each stretcher side starting from a squat body position, while the Japanese system requires only pushing the stretcher in and pulling it out from the vehicle. We conclude that differences in working technique imposed by available working equipment could contribute to the observed differences in muscle tenderness especially around the shoulders between the two tested populations. However, further studies are needed to elaborate working load and muscle activity while performing standard tasks of ambulance personnel, as well as to explore other possible causes of increased musculotendinous tenderness. Keywords: Ambulance, Muculoskeletal disorders, Muscle tenderness, Spinous process, Biomechanical analyses

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)