Postural Assessment Criteria for Manual Material Handling

The construction industry is one of the industries with the highest rates of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Masons are particularly susceptible to overexertion and back injuries due to the physical demands of their jobs and, thus, are more susceptible to MSDs. While previous research established that expert masons use different strategies to perform their work while experiencing reduced joint loads and increased productivity, it was unclear which movement strategies they used. This study analyzed the movements of novice, apprentice, and expert masons to characterize the postural characteristics of expert and in-expert techniques. Novice, apprentice, and expert masons' kinematics are analyzed for a standard concrete masonry unit wall-building activity and investigated the key markers of these techniques, such as trunk flexion and twisting. Masonry movement techniques refer to the kinematics and postures that the expert journeymen adopt while working. The results of this study describe the movement strategies experts use in comparison to inexpert groups (novices and apprentices).