b'Exoskeleton TechnologiesARE THEY EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING WORKPLACE INJURIES AND IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY AND PERFORMANCE IN THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR?BY DR. AMIN YAZDANI AND DR. MARCUS YUNG, CANADIAN INSTITUTE FOR SAFETY, WELLNESS & PERFORMANCE, CONESTOGA COLLEGE T disability,manyofwhichareWearable Exoskeletons: forLab studies have also shown that wearing an The Musculoskeletal Disorder Problem in Construction The Silver Bullet?exoskeletonduringaliftingtaskincreases Construction workers are at risk of workplaceResearchersattheCanadianInstitutemetabolic efficiency and low-back loading. injuriesandSafety,Wellness&Performance(CISWP)In another study, shoulder-support exoskel-related to musculoskeletal disorders (MSD).have focused on improving and sustainingetons decrease fatigue during overhead work. MSDs are injuries that result from overusethe health and safety of workers in the skilledInrecentyears,therehasbeenasurgein trades through effective strategies to preventlaboratory-basedstudiesthathavecontrib-andoftendevelopovertime;examplesofworkplaceinjuries.Assistivetechnologies,uted to the growing body of literature on MSDincludelow-backinjuries,rotatorsuchaswearablepassiveexoskeletons,areexoskeletons for injury prevention.cuffinjuries,tendinitisandcarpaltunnelgainingpopularityasapotentialsolution syndrome. Common MSD task-related riskAlthough exoskeletons show initial promise to augment, enable, assist and/or enhance ain reducing injury risk by reducing muscle factorsincluderepetitiveand/orforcefulworkersphysicalcapacity.Passiveexoskel- loading and physical stress and strain during movements,awkwardandstaticpostures,etons may play a role in reducing MSD, aswork tasks, exoskeletons have not been readily cold/heat,contactstressandvibration.they are designed to redistribute load, absorbadopted and implemented by skilled trades Accordingtoworkplaceinsuranceboardshocks and absorb a portion of the effectivebusinesses. In response, CISWP researchers statistics, MSD accounts for 38 per cent ofweighttominimizeproblematichighhave focused on two research initiatives to all lost time claims, costing businesses bil- forceful exertions.improveadoptionandimplementationof lions of dollars due to worker absence andLaboratory studies evaluating the biomech- exoskeleton technologies.lostproductivityandotherindirectcosts.anical and physiological impact of exoskel-Early exits from the labour market due toetonsshowinitialbenefitsforworkers.InThe Impact of Using Exoskeletons workplace injuries have contributed to theonestudy,low-backpassiveexoskeletonson Work Quality and Productivitylooming labour shortage experienced by thehave shown to reduce 10 to 40 per cent ofResearchhasshownthatexoskeletonsare broader skilled trades industry.back muscle activity during dynamic lifting.more likely to be adopted if they demonstrate www.ecao.org14'