Digital human modeling as a risk assessment tool for maritime workers

Safeguarding the health of dockworkers in maritime transportation represents a high priority with employer's organizations within the port facilities and maritime organizations. Riggers responsible for container lashing secure a high amount of containers on the ship while working with heavy equipment on a tight schedule and therefore risking musculoskeletal disorders. In addition there is a gap discovered between the learned practices at the training facility and the behavior applied on the work floor. As a result it is necessary to provide a risk assessment tool for maritime workers. Firstly, non-intrusive motion capture method can be used to map their posture and movements with the possibility to emphasize on causing factors of repetitive strain injuries. Secondly, a DHM representing the rigger in maritime environment is created in Blender. Finally, an inertial mocap system is used to monitor kinematic lashing movements and to create a musculoskeletal model. The output can be used to create a framework for future observations with focus on developing a product-service-system (PSS) and smart personal protective equipment (PPE) tools.