945-122 Energy Cost of Occupational Work

Data regarding expected energy requirements of occupational work is helpful in evaluating the ability of some patients to safely resume occupational work following a cardiac event. However, current data on energy expenditure in the work setting is very limited and outdated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate oxygen uptake and heart rate (HR) responses in several job categories requiring physical labor including factory (n=102), building construction (n=85), landscaping/ground-care/forestry(n=41), farming (n=36), auto mechanic (n=29), kitchen/cafeteria (n=26), laundry service (n=16). A portable Cosmed K2 unit was used to measure oxygen uptake and HR for 20 min/worker. Oxygen uptake (ml/kg/min) responses (means±SD) for workers within the above job categories averaged 8.5±3.0, 12.9±4.2, 12.6±5.2, 12.4±4.8, 8.2±2.3, 8.3±2.0, 9.2±3.0, respectively. In terms of specific job tasks, most required <14.0 ml/kg/min (i.e., <4 METs). Those requiring higher demands included chain sawing/chipping, power push mowing, barn cleaning, air hammering. dry wall/masonry, and weight carrying/repetitive lifting. Among factory workers, METs did not differ significantly due to age or gender. Relative effort with factory work, based on treadmill maximal testing of 40 workers, averaged 25±8% maximal oxygen uptake and 52±9% maximal HR.ConclusionThe average energy expenditure of most jobs requiring physicallabor is <4 METs