Simultaneous measurements of posture and movements of head and trunk by continuous three-dimensional registration

The postures of three groups of employees were measured: straddle carrier drivers, crane operators and office employees. This type of sedentary work can be characterized as being highly static. Using a continuous three-dimensional registration device, the postures and movements of head and trunk were recorded simultaneously. The results show that the adopted postures and patterns of movement were predominantly imposed by the workplace. The posture of the crane operators was the most static compared to the other occupations. The most adopted posture in the sagittal plane for crane operators was trunk flexion of 5 degrees and head flexion of 60 degrees. Typically, a straddle carrier driver rotated his head more than 45 degrees to the left or right far 28% of the day, which far exceeded that of the other groups. The measuring device provides accurate and reproducible data that can subsequently be used for calculating the postural load and for ergonomic analysis.