Chapter
Sep 23, 2024
Chapter 4

Digital Twin–Based Ergonomic Risk Assessment Framework for Maintenance Technicians in Near Real Time

Publication: Digital Twins in Construction and the Built Environment

Abstract

Ergonomic risks that a worker experiences in the workplace are triggered by hazards and the level of exposure to those hazards. This chapter introduces three near real-time and comprehensive methods for ergonomic risk assessment among electric system maintenance technicians. It presents a digital twin-based ergonomic risk assessment framework including one optical method and two non-optical methods. The first and second methods are based on the REBA tool, and ergonomic risk is evaluated in a near real-time setting considering the external load. The last method is non-optical, and the ergonomic risk assessment is based on a novel approach instead of the REBA tool. Both non-optical and optical methods use the REBA tools for generating ergonomic risk, which is a well-known tool for ergonomic risk evaluation in job sites. This digital twin-based facilitates accurate and continuous monitoring of the worker's movements and posture.

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Acknowledgments

The work presented in this paper was supported financially by a National Science Foundation Award (No. 2222654 and 2401745, “Future of Construction Workplace Health Monitoring”). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this chapter are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

References

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Information & Authors

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Go to Digital Twins in Construction and the Built Environment
Digital Twins in Construction and the Built Environment
Pages: 77 - 90
Editors: Houtan Jebelli, Ph.D., Somayeh Asadi, Ph.D., Ivan Mutis, Ph.D., Rui Liu, Ph.D., and Jack Cheng, Ph.D.
ISBN (Online): 978-0-7844-8560-6

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Published online: Sep 23, 2024

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