Web-based expert system prototype: applications for workplace improvement

The purposes of this research are to extend the existing guidelines for manual lifting tasks and to evaluate the impacts from the web-based and interactive features on workers' preference. This web-based tool, the ML-Expert System was designed to address the safety and health of workers. A comparison was made between the two groups, in accordance with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the ML-Expert system, over a period of five months. The overall result indicates the need to extend the existing basic guidelines for manual-lifting work by adapting to a unique working environment. Finally, the web-based and interactive features of the ML-Expert appeared to help increase satisfaction and workplace learning.