CMDC has worked in collaboration with Carl Haas and Eihab Abdel-Rahman from the University of Waterloo.
Supporting Innovation through Research Partnerships
Work has been conducted on the following project:
Ergonomics and Semi-Automated Systems for Masonry Construction
Project Summary:
A masonry work system is defined as the combination of people, processes, tools, equipment and materials used on a construction site to put a masonry design in place. Such systems have experienced a surge in innovation due to advances in materials, design and automation.
Masons, who remain at the center of these systems, are subject to the extreme physical demands of masonry. Under normal work conditions those demands can result in significant musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Such disorders are expensive to treat, disrupt lives, and often result in departure of workers from the industry.
This project seeks to quantify the effect of masonry work on a mason as well as develop strategies to address poor ergonomics and improve retention and longevity in the workforce.
Recent NCMA Articles:
Ryu J., Zhang L., Diraneyya M., Haas C., Abdel-Rahman E., and Banting B. (2019, June). “Ergonomic Assessment of Standard vs. Heavy-Weight CMU Lifts.” In P.B. Dillon & F.S. Fonseca (Eds.), Proceedings of the Thirteenth North American Masonry Conference. Paper presented at the 13th North American Masonry Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah (pp. 143–150). Longmont, CO: The Masonry Society.
Select Journal Articles:
Alwasel, Abdullatif, Ali Sabet, Mohammad Nahangi, Carl T. Haas, and Eihab Abdel-Rahman. “Identifying poses of safe and productive masons using machine learning.” Automation in Construction 84 (2017): 345-355.
Zhang, Lichen, Mohsen Mutasem Diraneyya, Juhyeong Ryu, Carl T. Haas, and Eihab M. Abdel-Rahman. “Jerk as an indicator of physical exertion and fatigue.” Automation in construction 104 (2019): 120-128.
Ryu, JuHyeong, Tasha McFarland, Bennett Banting, Carl T. Haas, and Eihab Abdel-Rahman. “Health and productivity impact of semi-automated work systems in construction.” Automation in construction 120 (2020): 103396.
Ryu, JuHyeong, Tasha McFarland, Carl T. Haas, and Eihab Abdel-Rahman. “Automatic clustering of proper working postures for phases of movement.” Automation in Construction 138 (2022): 104223.
Ryu, Juhyeong, JoonOh Seo, Meiyin Liu, SangHyun Lee, and Carl T. Haas. “Action recognition using a wristband-type activity tracker: Case study of masonry work.” In Construction Research Congress 2016, pp. 790-799. 2016.
Ryu, JuHyeong, Abdullatif Alwasel, Carl T. Haas, and Eihab Abdel-Rahman. “Analysis of relationships between body load and training, work methods, and work rate: Overcoming the novice mason’s risk hump.” Journal of Construction Engineering and Management 146, no. 8 (2020): 04020097.
Ryu, J., Diraneyya, M., Haas, C., and Abdel-Rahman, E., “’Analysis of the Limits of Automated Rule-based Ergonomic Assessment of Bricklaying’,” ASCE J. Constr. Eng. Manage., 2021, 147(2): 04020163.
Mohsen Diraneyya, JuHyeong Ryu *, Eihab Abdel-Rahman *, Carl T. Haas, “Inertial Motion Capture Based Whole-Body Inverse Dynamics,” Sensors, 21 (21), 7353, 2021.
Ryu, JuHyeong, Bennett Banting, Eihab Abdel-Rahman, and Carl T. Haas. “Ergonomic Characteristics of Expert Masons.” Journal of Construction Engineering and Management 149, no. 1 (2023): 04022150.
Alwasel, Abdullatif, Eihab M. Abdel-Rahman, Carl T. Haas, and SangHyun Lee. “Experience, productivity, and musculoskeletal injury among masonry workers.” Journal of Construction Engineering and Management 143, no. 6 (2017): 05017003.
Alwasel, A., Yung, M., Abdel-Rahman, E., Wells, R., and Haas, C., “Fatigue Detection Using Phase-Space Warping,” ASME Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 139(3), 031001, 2017.
Select Theses and HQP:
JuHyeong Ryu: http://hdl.handle.net/10012/16854
Abdullatif Alwasel: http://hdl.handle.net/10012/11598
Lichen Zhang: http://hdl.handle.net/10012/14567
Tasha McFarland: http://hdl.handle.net/10012/17515
Mohsen Diraneyya: http://hdl.handle.net/10012/14614
Ahmad Mahmassani: http://hdl.handle.net/10012/17998
