International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056 Volume: 05 Issue: 03 | Mar-2018 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072 © 2018, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 6.171 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page 2198 Modelling Back Problems from Lifting and Lowering Tasks in Australian Construction Industry Azizur Rahman 1 and Ekambaram Palaneeswaran 2 1,2 Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia ---------------------------------------------------------------------***--------------------------------------------------------------------- Abstract - Most of the work related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the construction industry are associated with manual handling (MH) tasks such as lifting and lowering. Among all serious work related MSD claims from the year 2000 to 2013 in Australia, around 40% of the injuries/ disorders are lower/ upper back problems, which are mainly associated with body stressing in daily tasks. This paper presents a model to predict the likelihood of acute and chronic back problems from lifting and lowering tasks in construction works. Using a structured questionnaire survey, data collected from workers engaged in manual handling works in Australia based construction industry organisations. Multinomial logistic regression based predictive modelling considered: (a) personal attributes such as body mass index (BMI) and physical abilities; and (b) job requirements such as postures and frequencies of lifting/ lowering different weights in daily routines. Chi-Square test results and R-square values indicate good feasibility of the predictive models. Kruskal-Wallis tests indicate the distribution of work related upper and lower back MSDs are: (i) the same across gender and occupation categories; and (ii) different across age categories. The predictive models will be useful for mitigating risks and ergonomic MH job designs in the construction industry. Key Words: upper back; lower back; musculoskeletal disorder; manual handling; health and safety; risk; ergonomics; construction industry 1.INTRODUCTION Manual handling (MH) tasks such as lifting/ lowering of different weights along with associated demands of repetition (frequency) and postural requirements are the leading causes for work related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) [1, 2]. The occupational health risks of lifting/ lowering MH tasks are mainly associated with the musculoskeletal system of individuals, which often lead to various MSD problems and injuries to body parts such as bones, discs, joints, ligaments, muscles, nerves and tendons in arm, back, elbow, knee, neck, shoulder, wrist. Among all serious work related MSD claims from the year 2000 to 2013 in Australia, around 40% are lower/ upper back problems. According to 2013-ʹͲͳͶ Australian Workersǯ Compensation Statistics, body stressing in daily tasks is the leading root cause [3]. Physical demands of manual handling tasks and work related MSD problems are extensive in several trade occupations of the construction industry [4,5]. Moreover, the construction industry employs significant workforce in several regions around the world. For example, 9% of workforce (i.e. 1.026 million persons) in Australia are employed in construction industries that include 1.597 billion hours worked by employees in this sector in 2013- 2014. Also, the statistics from 2000 to 2014 indicates that incident rate of serious claims per 1000 employees and the frequency rate of serious claims per million hours worked are one of the top across all industries in Australia [3].Work related lower/ upper back MSD problems from lifting/ lowering MH tasks are associated with muscular stress from loads/ torques handled, extent of lifting/ lowering (e.g. floor to knuckle, above shoulder), effects of frequent repetitions in daily routines, hazardous awkward postures and durations [6,7]. The root causes of lifting/ lowering tasks based MSDs are related to the object being handled in the job, MH task demands, personal abilities and the environment [8]. In addition to acute condition of MH work related MSDs and effects (e.g. absenteeism, claims, injuries, discomforts) and the chronic conditions and effects (e.g. long-term disabilities, loss/ change of job) are also significant in the industry [9]. Models to predict the work related back problems and investigate the effects will be useful for both prevention controls and mitigation measures in the construction industry [10,11]. Hence, this study is focused on developing a model to predict both acute and chronic lower and upper back MSDs from MH tasks in the construction industries. The research paper presents details of multinomial logistic regression models considered: (a) personal attributes such as body mass index (BMI) and physical abilities; and (b) job requirements such as postures and frequencies of lifting/ lowering different weights in daily routines. 2.MATERIALS AND METHOD 2.1 Data Collection Procedure In line with the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research in Australia, this research been approved by Swinburneǯs (uman Research Ethics Committee ȋapproval number SHR Project 2015/138). A structured questionnaire survey was conducted for data collection. The target respondents are workers engaged in lifting and lowering related MH tasks in their daily works. From the Australian B2B database 3123 organisations in the construction and manufacturing industries were identified. The human resources manager or director in those organisations were