Feasibility of quantifying the physical exposure of materials handlers in the workplace with magnetic and inertial measurement units

Abstract Handling tasks can expose workers to risk factors. The objective was to describe the feasibility of using magnetic and inertial measurement units (MIMUs) to quantify the physical exposure of materials handlers in the workplace. Full-body kinematics were obtained with MIMUs on 10 handlers gathering products ordered by retailers with a pallet truck. An observer classified the visual difference (VD) of segment orientation between a MIMUs avatar and video recordings in three categories (none, minor and major) for each product transfer. The feet, arms, shoulders and head were considered similar for ≥97% of observations. The trunk segment obtained the most differences with 9% of minor VD and 5% of major VD, which were related to the duration of the magnetic disturbances of the MIMUs. Estimating parameters of the physical exposure of handlers in the workplace is feasible with kinematics and an order list, but visual verification remains important for scientific rigour. Practitioner Summary: The feasibility of measuring physical exposure with magnetic and inertial measurement units was evaluated on materials handlers in the workplace. Visual observation of the postures indicated that most of the data is considered acceptable. Magnetic disturbances can increase the measurement error, so data must be verified to ensure validity.