Riscos biomecânicos posturais em trabalhadores de uma serraria Biomechanical risks in sawmill worker postures

Os trabalhadores em serrarias estão sujeitos a riscos biomecânicos advindos das posturas adotadas durante suas atividades laborais. Este trabalho visou avaliar as posturas adotadas por esses trabalhadores por meio do método de avaliação rápida do corpo inteiro (REBA, rapid entire body assessment), buscando detectar e classificar os riscos biomecânicos. Participaram 15 trabalhadores do setor de produção de uma serraria em João Pessoa, PB, do sexo masculino, com idade média de 44±10,9), avaliando-se quatro posturas: flexão anterior do tronco com levantamento de carga, agachamento profundo, flexão ântero-lateral do tronco e corpo estendido para mover uma prensa. Sintomas musculoesqueléticos foram identificados no mapa corporal de Corlett. Um questionário semi-estruturado levantou os dados demográficos, ambientais e as funções executadas. Pelo REBA, a flexão anterior de tronco apresentou nível de risco muito alto e as posturas de agachamento profundo, flexão ântero-lateral do tronco e movimento do corpo em extensão, nível de risco alto. Uma alta proporção (73,3%) deles queixaram-se de dor ou desconforto na coluna e 26,8% na região dos ombros. Considerando os níveis de riscos apresentados, requerem-se intervenções ergonômicas preventivas no posto de trabalho para adoção de posturas que melhor propiciem a execução das atividades com menor risco à saúde do trabalhador.<br>Workers in sawmills are exposed to biomechanical risks due to the postures adopted during their activities. The purpose here was to assess postures adopted by these workers by using the rapid entire body assessment (REBA), in order to detect and classify possible biomechanical risks. Fifteen male workers from the production section of a sawmill in João Pessoa, PB (mean age 44±10.9 years old) were assessed as to the postures adopted at work. A semi-structured questionnaire collected demographic and environmental data as well as functions in the workplace. Musculoskeletal symptoms were identified using Corlett's body map. Four postures were evaluated: anterior trunk flexion with weight lifting, deep crouching, anterior trunk flexion with lateral inclination and extended body to move a press. The REBA method showed a very high risk level for the anterior trunk flexion; the other postures - deep crouching, anterior trunk flexion with lateral inclination, and extended body to move a press - were shown to bear a high risk level. Accordingly, 73.3% of the workers complained of back pain or discomfort and 26.8% of pain in the shoulder area. Considering the risk levels assessed, there is a need for ergonomic and preventive interventions in the workplace so that workers adopt postures that best suit their work activities with lesser risk to their health

Comparison of the spatio-temporal dynamics of vegetation between the Changbai Mountains of eastern Eurasia and the Appalachian Mountains of eastern North America

The Changbai Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains have similar spatial contexts. The elevation, latitude, and moisture gradients of both mountain ranges offer regional insight for investigating the vegetation dynamics in eastern Eurasia and eastern North America. We determined and compared the spatial patterns and temporal trends in the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in the Changbai Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains using time series data from the Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies 3rd generation dataset from 1982 to 2013. The spatial pattern of NDVI in the Changbai Mountains exhibited fragmentation, whereas NDVI in the Appalachian Mountains decreased from south to north. The vegetation dynamics in the Changbai Mountains had an insignificant trend at the regional scale, whereas the dynamics in the Appalachian Mountains had a significant increasing trend. NDVI increased in 55% of the area of the Changbai Mountains and in 95% of the area of the Appalachian Mountains. The peak NDVI occurred one month later in the Changbai Mountains than in the Appalachian Mountains. The results revealed a significant increase in NDVI in autumn in both mountain ranges. The climatic trend in the Changbai Mountains included warming and decreased precipitation, and whereas that in the Appalachian Mountains included significant warming and increased precipitation. Positive and negative correlations existed between NDVI and temperature and precipitation, respectively, in both mountain ranges. Particularly, the spring temperature and NDVI exhibited a significant positive correlation in both mountain ranges. The results of this study suggest that human actives caused the differences in the spatial patterns of NDVI and that various characteristics of climate change and intensity of human actives dominated the differences in the NDVI trends between the Changbai Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains. Additionally, the vegetation dynamics of both mountain ranges were not identical to those in previous broader-scale studies