Abstract
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a major cause of lost time in hand intensive industries. Typical remedies include the introduction of job aids and the redesign of the job. An alternative remedy is considered here. Specifically, a mathematical model is developed which can be used to determine the parameters of a job (e.g., the rate of work and the number and duration of the rest breaks) which minimize post-threshold cumulative trauma and maximize productivity. It is shown that in many circumstances the job parameters can be set so that one can achieve both a decrease in post-threshold cumulative trauma and an increase in productivity. It is theorized that the decrease in post-threshold cumulative trauma will lead to fewer incidents of carpal tunnel syndrome. The application of the model to an actual manufacturing job requiring high repetitive, high force hand motions is discussed.
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