Promoting a healthy ageing workforce: use of Inertial Measurement Units to monitor potentially harmful trunk posture under actual working conditions

Musculoskeletal disorders, particularly those involving the low back, represent a major health concern for workers, and originate significant consequences for the socio-economic system. As the average age of the population is gradually (yet steadily) increasing, such phenomenon directly reflects on labor market raising the need to create the optimal conditions for jobs which must be sustainable for the entire working life of an individual, while constantly ensuring good health and quality of life. In this context, prevention and management of low back disorders (LBDs) should be effective starting from the working environment. To this purpose, quantitative, reliable and accurate tools are needed to assess the main parameters associated to the biomechanical risk. In the last decade, the technology of wearable devices has made available several options that have been proven suitable to monitor the physical engagement of individuals while they perform manual or office working tasks. In particular, the use of miniaturized Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) which has been already tested for ergonomic applications with encouraging results, could strongly facilitate the data collection process, being less time- and resources-consuming with respect to direct or video observations of the working tasks. Based on these considerations, this research intends to propose a simplified measurement setup based on the use of a single IMUs to assess trunk flexion exposure, during actual shifts, in occupations characterized by significant biomechanical risk. Here, it will be demonstrated that such approach is feasible to monitor large groups of workers at the same time and for a representative duration which can be extended, in principle, to the entire work shift without perceivable discomfort for the worker or alterations of the performed task. Obtained data, which is easy to interpret, can be effectively employed to provide feedback to workers thus improving their working techniques from the point of view of safety. They can also be useful to ergonomists or production engineers regarding potential risks associated with specific tasks, thus supporting decisions or allowing a better planning of actions needed to improve the interaction of the individual with the working environment.