Digital human models (DHM) to simulate meat processing to prevent work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WR-MSDs)

Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WRMSDs) are the leading cause of Occupational Disease in working populations of the advanced industrialized countries. The professional pathology of the upper limbs, from the 80's until today, is continuously increased to represent more than 50% of all occupational diseases. In literature many tools are available to perform the ergonomic assessment of the workplace. These tools and methods are classified based on the type of analysis that are able to perform and on the results that can provide. Beside the traditional methods of assessment, based on tabular theoretical methods, that commonly adopt paper check lists that refer to the main methods of analysis (NIOSH, OCRA, Snook & Ciriello, etc.), are available computer tools performing the same analysis, or, much more appropriate when it needs to make a more accurate biomechanical analysis. These methods provide numerical value indicating the level of risk to which workers are exposed.