This document discusses physical work capacity and factors that affect it. It defines physical work capacity as the ability to perform maximal physical work, which depends on energy availability and oxygen uptake. The key factors that determine work capacity are ergonomic application, anaerobic capacity, and aerobic capacity. As people age, their vision, hearing, motor function, and cardio-respiratory capacity typically decline, reducing physical work capacity. Maintaining fitness, proper nutrition, exercise, and good body mechanics can help offset aging effects and maximize work capacity.

1. PHYSICAL WORK CAPACITY & FACTORS
AFFECTING WORK CAPACITY
PRESENTED BY,
JESHMA JOSE
S1 M.TECH ,IEM
VJCET
mail me @ geothomasseril@gmail.com
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2. CONTENTS
• Definition
• Key elements
• Removal of waste products
• Oxygen uptake and physical
activity
• Factors affecting physical
work capacity
• Changes related to aging
• Principles Of Energy
Management
• Exercise & Types
• Body Mechanics
• Nutrition
• Expectation
• Reference
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3. PPHYSICALHYSICAL WWORKORK CCAPACITYAPACITY
• Ability to perform maximal physical work
• As it is a function of the intensity and duration of work,
each individual has many different capacities such as
1) Anaerobic
2)Aerobic
3) Endurance Capacity
each with its own limiting factors
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4. Cont…
• It depend primarily on:-
• the energy available to the worker in the form of food
& oxygen,
• the sum of the energy provided by oxygen-dependent
& oxygen independent processes.
• Rate of energy consumption = Basal energy consumption +
metabolic cost of the work in terms of energy consumption.
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5. 3 Key Elements
• Ergonomic application: - match the physical demands of a
work task to the physical capabilities of the worker to prevent
excessive fatigue.
• Anaerobic Capacity:- very short duration, dependent on
muscular strength and training
• Aerobic Capacity:- long duration, dependent upon oxygen
uptake and distribution, task is performed.
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6. Cont….
• ‘ max’- Oxygen uptake is measured.
• Ability to do high work = High Oxygen uptake
• Work capacity depends on the ability to take up oxygen
• deliver it to the cells for use in the oxidation of foodstuffs
• General belief-individuals -8hrs shift at a rate of 30–50% of
their maximum capacity, depending on the frequency and
length of rest periods.
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7. Cont…
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8. Removal of waste products
• Successful performance depends on the ability to
remove lactate from the body tissues as well as aerobic
capacity.
• Successful performance of endurance tasks also
depends on the ability to dissipate heat and the ability
to utilize fat as a source of fuel.
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9. Oxygen uptake and physical activity
1.Rest. Basal metabolism requires approximately 0.25 litres of
oxygen per minute.
2.Sedentary work. Ex:-Office work, requires an oxygen
uptake(0.3–0.4 litres/min).
3.Housework. Housework includes several moderate to heavy
tasks (requiring about 1 litre/min of oxygen).
4. Light industry. 0.4 to 1 litre/min.
5. Manual labour. 1 to 4 litres/min. The workload can depend
greatly on the tools and methods.
6. Sports. 5 litres/min
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10. Factors Affecting Physical Work Capacity
Personal
• Age
• Body weight
• Gender
• Alcohol consumption
• Tobacco smoking
• Lifestyle
• Training/sports
• Nutritional status
• Motivation
Environmental
• Atmospheric pollution
• Indoor air quality
• Ventilation
• Noise
• Extreme heat or cold
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11. CHANGES RELATED TO “AGING”
1. Vision
2. Hearing
3. Motor Function
4. Cardio-Respiratory
5. Fitness and wellness programs
6. Exercise
7. Body Mechanics
8. Nutrition
9. Expectation05/14/14 11

12. 1. VISION AND HEARING
• Aging reduces the light entering the eye by clouding
the optics and by shrinking the pupil.
• A 60 year old perceives only 1/3 as much light as a
younger person, and has about half the contrast
sensitivity.
• people exhibit hearing loss of high frequency sounds
gradually until age 60.
• hearing is impaired by background noise
• speech understanding is diminished
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13. 3. MOTOR FUNCTION
• strength diminishes with age
• depending on the muscle group, there is a decline in
muscle strength of 10-25% at age 65 in both sexes.
• muscle bulk is decreased with increasing age, although
it is not clear if this is caused by aging per sec.
• muscular endurance is decreased
• decreased flexibility
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14. 4. CARDIO-RESPIRATORY
• 50% decline in ventricular filling between the ages of 20.
• 80% the heart holds less blood decrease in maximum
achievable heart rate.
• declines in aerobic capacity begin at age 40, but do not
normally result in impaired work performance
– 7-10% decline per decade beginning at age 20-25
– 60-70% reduction by age 65
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15. 5. FITNESS AND WELLNESS PROGRAMS
• Organizational policy
•Designed to support healthy behavior in the workplace

16. BENEFITS
• decreased blood pressure
• increased insulin responsiveness
• decreased risk of cancers (breast and colon)
• decreased risk of injury
• weight management
FITNESS AND WELLNESS PROGRAMS
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17. Cont…
• increased strength
• increased flexibility
• increased balance
• increased sense of well being
• increased productivity
• increased problem solving ability
• improved self image
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18. Principles Of Energy Management
• Full engagement requires drawing on four separate but related
dimensions of energy
• Because energy capacity diminishes both with over-use and
under-use
• we must balance energy expenditure with intermittent
energy renewal
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19. Cont…
• Energy Management Strategies
– go to bed early and wake up early
– go to sleep and wake up consistently at the same
time
– eat breakfast every day; it is the most important meal
– eat a balanced and healthy diet
– drink 48-64 ounces of water daily
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20. Cont….
– take breaks every 90 min during work
– get some physical activity daily
– do at least 3 cardiovascular interval workouts and 2
strength training workouts a week
– minimize simple sugars
– choose low glycemic index ,carbohydrates when
ever possible
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21. 6. EXERCISE
• Exercise is any movement that challenges the body
• Challenge the body in order to achieve growth and make
progress
• Oscillation between periods of full engagement (exercise) and
full disengagement (recovery or rest) is the key to achieving
the quest for peak performance
• exercise in the early morning when possible
– decreases schedule conflicts
– allow time to shower after
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22. 8. BODY MECHANICS
Basic Ergonomic Principles:
increased force
+ increased repetition
+ poor posture
+ no rest
=increased potential for problems

23. Cont…
• Be Aware of And Avoid
– Elbow winging out from the trunk
• can potentially aggravate nerves and tendons in the
arms and should be avoided
– Repetitive bent wrist postures
• bent wrist postures at moderate frequencies can lead to
possible problems (ie-*wash rag)
– Awkward shoulder positions
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24. Cont….
• Be Aware of And Avoid
– Extended reaching
• keep objects within a comfortable reach.
• extended reaching will result in more force being
required to lift the object.
• this also often causes one to bend the back in order to
reach the object.
• keep objects within the power zone whenever possible.
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25. NUTRITION
•Maintain a healthy body weight
•Nutritional science investigates the metabolic and physiological
responses of the body to diet.

26. Cont…..
• avoid eating when you are distracted
• add olive oil or canola oil to your diet
as cooking oils, salad dressings, etc
• avoid eating high fat food Eg:- Red Meat
• eat 3 or more servings of multi-colored vegetables daily
• eat 5 servings daily of calcium rich foods
• avoid eating “junk food”
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27. Cont…..
• Meals
– 3 a day, plus 2 snacks
• eat within one hour of arising
• should consist of 40% grains, 40% fruits and vegetables,
and 20% proteins
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28. Cont…..
• snacks
– should consist of 100-150 calories
– should consist of low glycemic index foods(glycemic index
reflects the rate glucose becomes available through
metabolism)
• low glycemic foods last about 2 hours, moderate about
1 hour, and high about ½ hour.
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29. Cont…
Low Moderate High
Almonds Apricots Bagels
Apples Bananas Baked potatoes
Beans Bean Soups Breads-some
Cashews Beets Cakes
Cheese Berries – all Candy
Chicken Breads – some Cereals – many
Cottage Cheese Canned Fruits Cookies
Dried Apricots Cantaloupes Corn Chips
Eggs Cereal Bars Cupcakes
Grapefruits Cereals – many Dates, dried
Green Vegetables Chocolate Doughnuts
Hummus Corn French Fries
Jerky – meat/seafood Couscous Graham Crackers
Kimchi Crackers – most Mached Potatoes
Milk Croissants Melba Toast
Mozzarella Cheese Fruit Cocktail Pretsels
Nutella Granola Pumpkin
Glycemic Index
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30. Cont….
Low Moderate High
Nutrition Bars - most Granola Bars Rice Cakes
Nutrition Shakes Grapes Saltine Crackers
Oranges Honey Sodas
Peaches Ice Cream Sports Drinks
Peanut Butter Juices Tapioca Pudding
Peanuts Kiwi Vanilla Wafers
Pears Mangos Waffles
Pecans Muffins Watermelon
Pistachios Oatmeal
Plums Pasta
Prunes Pastries
Pumpkin Seeds Pineapple
Soy Milk Popcorn
Sunflower Seeds Potato Chips
Tomato Soup Raisins
Tomatoes Rice
Tuna Sugar
Turkey Sweet Potatoes
Walnuts
Yogurt
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31. EXPECTATIONS

32. Expectations Cont….
• reduced sleep requirements
• improved focus and concentration
• improved immune function
– fewer colds
• improved psychological hardness
– less emotional reactivity
– faster problem solving
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33. Cont…
• decreased risk of chronic illnesses
– Diabetes
– Hypertension
– Heart disease
– Vascular disease
– Stroke
• independent of obesity
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34. Cont…
• decreased cancer risk-especially colon and breast cancer
• longer life-up to 50% longer
• increased muscular strength
• decreased risk of injury
– sprain/strain
– fall risk
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35. Cont…
• improved work productivity
• greater happiness
• improved appearance
– more muscle
– less fat
• weight management
– reduced obese body mass
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36. Conclusion
It’s not just about decreasing the frequency
and impact of preventable illness and injury
It’s not just about maintaining current
productivity and performance
It’s about improved performance, productivity,
satisfaction, and happiness!
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37. Reference
• Robertson A, Tracy, C S. Health and productivity of older
workers. Scand J Work Environ Health 1998;24:85-97.
• R.S. Bridger , “Introduction to Ergonomics” 200-210
• Green, M. Environmental Design for the Older Worker.
Occupational Health and Safety. Stevenspublishing.com.
• Healy, M. Management Strategies for an Aging Work Force.
AAOHN Journal 2001;49:523-529.
• Rix , S. “Health and Safety Issues in an Aging Workforce”. AARP
Public Policy Institute 2001:1-16.
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workplace_wellness
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38. THANK
YOU…
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