The purpose of this study was to evaluate different conditions
under which a commercial lawn mower may provide optimal
comfort, help promote neutral wrists and incorporate injury prevention
through ergonomic handle geometry. This study specifically
aimed to evaluate the physical requirements and ergonomic
geometry of the commercially available NCS position of the local
manufacturer compared to a commonly used pistol-grip position
and a completely vertical position in order to better understand the
strength capacity required in job performance and highlight areas
in this field that may require attention and future innovation. This
was pursued through the evaluation of maximum grip forces in
various handle configurations and an investigation of chosen
comfortable handle positioning. The goal of this study was to
evaluate the ergonomics and comfort of the nontraditional lawn
mower handle geometry based on the postures and physical force
required to operate the machine. The hypothesis of this research
group is that the nontraditional handle will provide better user
conditions than other commercially available geometries due to a
relatively neutral user posture during operation.