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Assembly operators are rarely observed performing one-handed tasks where the unutilized hand is entirely inactive. Therefore, this study was designed to determine the forces applied to supporting hands, by automotive assembly operators, during common one-handed tasks such as hose installations or electrical connections. The data were computed as a percentage of body weight and a repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) (p<0.05) was conducted. Supporting hand forces were observed to range from 5.5% to 12.1% of body mass across a variety of tasks. The results of this study can be used to account for these supporting hand forces when performing a biomechanical/ergonomic analysis.

The use of digital human models (DHM) to perform geometric evaluations of hand clearances and reach zones has become common practice at Ford Motor Company. Moreover, DHMs have also been used for performing strength evaluations to ensure ergonomically acceptable jobs. A process called Hose Connections Acceptability Ratings (HCAR) was developed to establish insertion force targets in the early phases of product design. Once targets are set, design and release engineers provide design intent data to achieve sign off from manufacturing engineering. The process is complete when the hose efforts are confirmed at physical part validation build events.