Muscle fatigue related to human posture using a brush cutter for landscape gardening: a preliminary study

Background: Brush cutters are widely used in Chinese landscape gardening and agricultural laboring which leads the operators being exposed to many risks. Low back pain (LBP) is particularly common and can lead to substantial personal, community and financial burdens. The aim of the presented study was to measure the activity and function of each torso muscle of the operator when using the bush cutter, so as to evaluate the muscle injury of the operator during using several common brush cutters for different landscape tasks. Material and Methods: The human postures of 6 workers using 2 types of brush cutters in the 3 working conditions were recorded and measured by using a surface electromyography (sEMG) system and a camera. The test results were compared by t-test and sign test. The effect of human posture on the sEMG signal of trunk muscles in different working condition were analyzed by ANOVA. Results: In the 3 working conditions, except for the left trapezius muscle, the muscle load of operating the backpack brush cutter is higher than that of operating side-mounted brush cutter. When operating the side-mounted backpack brush cutter, the force on both sides of the trapezius muscle is uneven, the load of the left trapezius muscle is >25%, and the maximum value is >30%. Conclusions: The results highlighted significant differences in the effects of different working postures on the muscle activities of workers’ trunk. Safe operation standards should therefore be taken to protect the exposed workers and to improve the industrial design of irrigation cutters to prevent the occurrence of occupational diseases.