Application of Virtual Reality to Perform Ergonomic Risk Assessment in Industrialized Construction: Experiment Design

Workers in the construction manufacturing industry are often exposed to the three primary causes of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs): awkward body posture, forceful exertion, and repetitive motion. The investigation of the physical demands of body movement is thus needed during the design of machines and workstations to minimize WMSDs. In the context of the construction industry, this paper proposes the implementation of immersive virtual reality to ergonomically test the design of new workstations/machines with a particular focus on the assessment of human body posture. The application of VR techniques allows the testing of workstations and machines in a virtual environment that imitates their real operational settings while significantly reducing costs and implementation time. To demonstrate the applicability of VR to perform ergonomic risk assessment, a VR experiment is developed, and a pilot test is conducted. Information on body motion is collected and assessed using an existing risk assessment tool, rapid upper limb assessment; as a result, tasks with high ergonomic risks, in terms of awkward body posture, are identified. The obtained body motion data can be also used by engineers, industrial designers, and managers, to support decision making and thus results in improved machinery and workstation design.