The Design of a Posture Instruction Atlas and the Prevention of Construction Workers’ Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs): A Study on Attention Allocation and Cognitive Load Based on Eye Tracking

Training construction workers in safe postures for their tasks could help them avoid unsafe postures and reduce work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). This study compared two forms of atlas design in facilitating workers’ learning postures, including their differences in guiding workers’ attention allocation and cognitive load during the learning process. One kind of atlas graphically shows the correct postures to perform construction tasks, and the other adds wrong demonstrations alongside the right ones. Eye-tracking technology was utilized to measure attention allocation and cognitive load. An experimental study was conducted, with 52 construction workers being invited as participants. The results indicated that workers significantly distributed more attention to diagrams than texts and more attention to diagrams showing execution postures than preparatory postures. Moreover, the workers had significantly longer fixation durations on the key body parts when there were wrong demonstrations, which ultimately improved their learning outcomes. There were no significant differences in cognitive load. Suggestions for designing an instructional atlas to enhance construction workers’ occupational health education can be obtained from the findings, including applying diagrams more instead of texts to describe how to correctly perform construction tasks, emphasizing the importance of preparation posture when performing construction tasks, and adding wrong demonstrations showing consequences, with visual cues being positioned on the key body parts.