Evaluation of Workloads of Package Deliverers Focusing on Their Pickup and Delivery Tasks in Republic of Korea

Package deliverers are facing increasing workloads due to a rapid increase in online shopping caused by the recent outbreak of COVID-19 in the Republic of Korea. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the physical workload of package deliverers during pickup and delivery tasks. Heart rate reserve...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability 2022-05, Vol.14 (9), p.5229
Main Authors: Rim, Suk-Chul, Jung, Myung-Chul
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Body parts
COVID-19
Energy consumption
Evaluation
Heart rate
Metabolism
Packages
Pain
Physical workload
Picking
Postal & delivery services
Questionnaires
Statistical analysis
Sustainability
Work measurement
Working conditions
Working hours
Workload
Workloads
Wrist
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Summary:Package deliverers are facing increasing workloads due to a rapid increase in online shopping caused by the recent outbreak of COVID-19 in the Republic of Korea. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the physical workload of package deliverers during pickup and delivery tasks. Heart rate reserve (HRR), metabolic equivalent of task (MET), standardized Nordic questionnaire (SNQ), and visual analogue scale (VAS), measured on site using a wristband, were used as indicators of their workload. Twenty deliverers participated in this study. Work analysis was performed to categorize their tasks into sorting inside a truck, delivering, picking up, driving, and resting. Statistical analysis showed that participants spend 4.3 h per day picking up and delivering 331.9 packages per day. Their work requires about 29.7% of HRR and 4.7 of MET, which are thus considered as of “moderate level” difficulty. SNQ and VAS revealed that their lower back and wrist/hand were the most painful body parts due to repetitive trunk bending and small package handling. The use of a cart would be recommended as it has the advantage of handling many packages at once with less physical effort in deliverers.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su14095229