Interventions for Overhead Drilling: A Demonstration

Abstract

Construction workers suffer from high rates of musculoskeletal injuries to the shoulders and arms. One of the most physically demanding tasks is drilling holes overhead into concrete or metal ceilings. The job involves standing on a ladder, holding a four kg drill overhead with one hand, and pushing it upward with 245 N of force for one to two minutes while drilling the hole. This demonstration presents the culmination of a five year research project to develop and field test different devices to reduce the fatigue and musculoskeletal risk factors associated with this task. Over the study period seven devices were developed and evaluated for usability by over 100 commercial construction workers. This demonstration will present the device most preferred by the workers and also discuss the findings on productivity, arm force, shoulder posture and head posture. The authors have no commercial interests in the device.