Literature Survey

1. Ergonomics Awareness as Efforts to Increase Knowledge and Prevention of

Musculoskeletal Disorders on Fishermen

Problems faced by Fisherman:

The fisheries sector is one of the high risk jobs. Fishermen often have to face the
fatigue risks. The main cause that emerge the impact of their workloads is the way
they behave, that pay less attention to ergonomic principles.

In Indonesia, Fishermen have to work continuously and perform continuous

movements during the work, thus they can experience muscle fatigue. Ergonomic
working attitude will directly leads to fatigue and various disorders of the skeletal
muscle system, while require greater energy in performing similar efforts, for
example in the process of fishing that resulted fatigue occurs sooner (Manuaba,
1990). Such conditions might result accidents and occupational diseases

Dangers/Problems:
Slipped risk caused by slippery floor, mechanical dangers like thorn fish, blow of
high air pressure in the tube compressors, chemicals such as oil and fuel, rust,
pressure fire hoses corrosive, high air pressure. They also have to face the dangers
while checking ocean currents, ex being scratched by coral, extreme pressure,
freezing temperatures, bites by marine lives, sting fish, coral toxic, gas poisoning
of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitrogen, shortage of air
intake of the compressor, poor vision, strong currents, propeller spinning and hot
temperature .

This fatigue was caused by constantly body movements that without being noticed,
leads to a decrease in the muscular system. Decrease that appears on the muscular
system is caused by muscle tension, as a result of movements performed, resulted
the decrease of muscle strength of the lower extremities that leads to motion
slackness, short steps, un firmly foot stepping firmly and more easily swayed

Research Method:
1. Questionnaires were given to a sample of fisherman and data regarding the
effect of their fatigue causing activities were obtained.
1. Besides, musculoskeletal disorders were measured using the Nordic Body Map
(NBM) spreadsheet and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) tool to determine the scale
of subjective pain, derived into a bit pain, pain and painful to fishermen

1. Measurements were taken before and after counselling on ergonomics and the
pain levels and complaints of fisherman were recorded as a number (1-10)

Conclusion:
After counselling, it was seen that the mean ergonomic knowledge of the 186
fisherman increased and the complaints they made regarding the effects of fatigue
arising from fishing activities decreased
2. A method for integrating ergonomics analysis into maintainability design in
a virtual environment
Maintainability is the degree to which a product can be maintained or repaired
easily, economically, and efficiently. Design for maintainability (DFMaint)
encompasses the measures taken to reduce the time and other resources spent in
keeping a product performing well.

Problem:
Well- designed maintainability can ensure service dependability, reduce the life
cycle cost of the product, and improve comfort during maintenance. As most
maintenance activities are performed by maintainers, issues related to human
factors/ergonomics (HFE) should be considered in the maintainability design.
However, while completing the design task, maintainability designers often have
difficulty incorporating ergonomics information about human op-erators into their
designs.

Research Process/Method:
Considering human factors, virtual environment, and SVs, this study aims to
achieve the following:
1. To combine HFE design with maintainability design

2. To overcome the shortcomings of the traditional maintenance space evaluation

method based on physical prototyping. (Using VR)
3. 3. To use SVs (Swept volumes-volume which is swept by S under a smooth
one-parameter motion) to represent the activities of maintainers and evaluate
the maintenance space design

The support data module provides data, such as digital prototype, maintenance
procedure, and human and ergonomics data, which are necessary for further
research. Digital prototype, maintenance procedure, and human data are used to
build the maintenance simulation, whereas the ergonomics data are used to build
the evaluation criteria for each maintenance activity unit (MAU). The virtual
environment module provides the desktop VM platform to build and run the
maintenance simulation. The verification method module is the core of this
research. Given that most maintenance operations are done by hand by the
maintenance personnel, this research focuses on the activity of the maintainer's
hand with or without maintenance tools. Maintenance operations are broken down
into three MAUs: screw, twist, and translate Two categories of SVs are established
in this study: free SV and constrained SV. The former is the largest SV of the
maintainer's hand in a completely free space. It is equivalent to the maximum
range of activity of the maintainer's hand. The latter is the actual SV of the
maintainer's hand during the maintenance process as constrained by machine parts.
By comparing the surface area and volume of the free and constrained SVs, the
indexes that show the maintenance space status could be calculated. The
quantitative evaluation criteria for each MAU are formulated based on the human
and ergonomics data.

Conclusion:
The space required by a maintenance unit and the maintainability of the product
can determined before making a physical prototype by using VR and quantitatively
determining the maintenance space required by it (using free and constrained SV).
3.Activities triggered by waste generated in steel production: A study from the
ergonomics standpoint
Problem:
Article’s objective is to focus on ergonomic analysis of work and its possible
contributions to understanding and transforming the work of this specific industrial
sector.

Process:
Direct observation of active workers was undertaken with semi-structured
individual interviews, as well as taking photographs and filming focused on
workers’ activities, their work stations, with consecutive auto-confrontation aiding
in the collection of data and the respective analysis of the real task confronting the
prescribed one.
The distinctive characteristic of good ergonomics is not its data collection tools in
the field, but in detailing, the depth and the view of the work. Work is the
privileged element, and it is not something impersonal: good ergonomics deals
with work and the worker inseparably.

Result/Conclusion:
EWA gave evidence regarding the layout of areas where the production process
occurs, limiting the worker during execution of his or her activity and waste
removal. Incorrect projects for products and improper work stations can provoke
adverse musculoskeletal conditions.

The determinants of ergonomic risk evidenced in the activities:

• Accessibility and the respective accumulation in the removal of waste for

disposal;

• Manual movements using a shovel in the removal of waste for disposal

• Postural and lifting/holding demands of the load being moved. 


Therefore, the study gave evidence of the determinants of ergonomic risk.


4. The relationship between working conditions and musculoskeletal /

ergonomic disorders in a manufacturing facility – a longitudinal
research study
The overall aim of this research is to improve the long term health and well-being
of workers in a manufacturing facility.

This research is based upon the Balance Theory Model of Smith & Carayon-
Sainfort

Problem:
To identify the stressful working condition and attempt to control them. Therefore
the purpose of an intervention is to try to control the various musculoskeletal
disorders in the work environment. By trying to control the various
musculoskeletal disorders in the work environment, you should also attempt to
reduce or eliminate the level of stress, and to try to reduce or eliminate the level of
strain.

Research Process:
The study was performed by using a multiple paged questionnaire to survey the
three different manufacturing assembly methods at the manufacturing assembly
facility. Data was collected several times over a period of time; therefore a
longitudinal study was conducted. These three different manufacturing assembly
methods were exhibited and displayed by three distinct individual manufacturing
assembly lines. One of these manufacturing assembly lines consisted of the
employee subjects of interest which was called the study group. The other two
manufacturing assembly lines served as the control groups for the study group;
these two manufacturing assembly lines were called the control group 1 and the
control group 2. Data was collected from the three manufacturing assembly line
employee groups by utilizing a multiple page questionnaire survey.

Results/Conclusion:
It concluded that musculoskeletal discomfort is primarily influenced by
psychosocial factors (such as anxiety, and uncertainty), and physical demands. As
when psychosocial factors (such as anxiety, and uncertainty), and physical
demands increased; musculoskeletal discomfort also increased. It could be implied
that musculoskeletal discomfort and psychosocial factors (such as anxiety, and
uncertainty), and physical demands are linearly related.

Therefore, when the physical demands are increased, the stress on the individual is
increased, and the ergonomic musculoskeletal discomfort is also increased.
5. Association between objective and subjective assessments of environmental
ergonomic factors in manufacturing plants
The association between objective and subjective assessments of environmental
ergonomic factors including noise, lighting and heat were conducted in a field
study in three manufacturing plants.

Problem:
In a work environment, there is a continuous and dynamic interaction between the
workers and their surrounding environment that causes a number of physiological
and psychological responses in workers, and consequently affects their comfort,
performance, productivity, safety and health.

Research Process:
The data collection was performed using both subjective (questionnaire) and
objective (physical measurements of the environmental factors) methods. A
questionnaire, developed by the authors, was administered to collect data about the
environmental factors (e.g. noise, lighting, and heat conditions) in the working
environment, and their influences on subjective assessments for employee
satisfaction, perceived job performance, safety and health. Questions regarding
potential improvements to the environmental conditions were also included. The
questionnaire was used as a basis for semi-structured interviews conducted by one
of the authors. The physical measurements included illuminance (in lux), noise
dosimetry (in dB) and wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) (in C) measurements
throughout research sites. The physical measurements were taken during data
collection and evaluated based on the recommended standards for lighting, noise
and thermal conditions.

Results/Conclusion:
The results showed a considerable effect of environmental factors on workers' job
performance, health and safety, which was in line with previous observations. It
was also shown that each environ- mental factor had a different effect on workers'
satisfaction, perceived job performance, safety and health. The findings high- light
the importance of environmental ergonomics as a valuable tool in workplace
building design. It can be concluded based on the

results of this study that quantitative physical measurements should be

supplemented by qualitative subjective assessments to provide a more holistic
approach where specific and additional details about the environmental conditions
in each working area are incorporated from the workers' perspective. The results of
this study have implications for improvements in the design of the workplace to
enhance workers' satisfaction, job performance, safety and health on areas where
the environmental factors are not favourable.
6. Ergonomics risk and neck shoulder back pain among dental professionals

Problem: Neck shoulder and back pain (NSB) amongst those in the dental
profession

Data: BRIEF’s survey indicated high risk from scaling (78.8%), filling (77.7%)
and tooth extraction task. Neck, followed by back area was indicated for the
highest proportion on high ergonomic risk from scaling and filling task. Back pain
was the highest prevalence occupied in 58.5% of participants during the previous
month before beginning the cohort study. Most workers had most complaint about
combination of three sites (neck, shoulder, and back) for the onset of pain (36.3%).
The cohort study indicated the highest incident shoulder pain in 1- and 3- month
follow-up at 15.6% and 22.9%, respectively. For 6-month follow-up, back pain
was shown to be the highest incident (42.1%), followed by shoulder pain.

Research Process: A sample of doctors were interviewed every 15 days for 6

months and monitored for NSB. The sample was chosen based on a questionnaire
(those without any previous trauma/ musculoskeletal disorder were chosen)
Prevalence and incidence of neck, shoulder and back pains were calculated by the
following formula;The recent month prevalence = (number of neck, shoulder and
back pain cases x 100) / 193
 Incidence= (number of new cases of neck or
shoulder or back pain x 100) / total subjects in each cohort group
 In the cohort
group, the total subjects of neck pain study was 107 participants, of shoulder pain
was 96

participants and of back pain was 114 participants.

The final score was classified into three levels of risk for each dental task i.e.
scaling task, filling task, tooth extraction task and each part of body and as
following;

1) Low risk level (score = 0 or 1) is acceptable risk

2) Medium risk level (score = 2 or 3) is unacceptable risk, further investigation
3) High risk level (score = 3 or 4) needs more investigation and implement
change

Using the scores and further statistical processing, the most common pain and the
related pain causing procedures were identified.

Conclusion/ Recommendation
The hospital should support good ergonomics workstation and ergonomic tools,
which were designed to fit to individual and task.
 7. The Ergonomist: a full design actor

Example of an ergonomic action

The aim of this paper is to underline that, beyond the technical recommendations;
ergonomists may take part in project management. This paper aims to illustrate this
perspective through the telling of an ergonomic intervention in an industrial design
project. The ergonomists’ contributions are discussed by analyzing the project in
which the authors participated.

Problem: The paper focuses in an aeronautics workshop consisting of 15 workers.

With increase in production rate, they decided to modernize and expand the
industry by investing in new machines. This resulting need of space has made it
compulsory to run a redevelopment project.

Research Process:
The first stage of the intervention was to understand the four dimensions of the
project: 1. The strategic goals and objectives; 2. The stakeholders’ organization; 3.
The progression level of the project; 4. And experience feedbacks.
The objectives were to foster the coordination of various actors, enrich the problem
(the objectives) and to create links between heterogeneous opinions [13]. The
approach articulated three aspects. 1. Mobilizing actors with different knowledge
and promoting information exchange, 2. Giving players a common
communication, negotiation and deliberation framework; and 3. Supplying the
group with data from the work analysis to revisit the project guidelines and design
choices
The work realized in this group has highlighted new challenges in the project
(quality of pieces, storage, distribution of tasks, subcontracting, and distribution of
resources). Throughout the process, these meetings were crucial because they had
truly been guidance moments for design. New constraints emerged along the way
(e.g. by the confrontation of the will with the feasibility) and required adjustments.
Those weekly meetings were opportunities to redefine the needs and constraints
and to reframe decisions in order to make the project move forward. These
orientations choices corresponded to “management situations” of design process.

For future activity, a simulation was created. This media depicts the entire
workshop with a sufficient level of detail for simulating (through avatars) operators
or pieces moves and flows, the collection of information, human or technical
interventions on machines, visual communications, etc. Different solutions or
evolutions were tested thanks to this tool.

Results/Conclusion:
The final result of our intervention was an implantation proposal that met 82% of
the design guidelines elaborated from work analysis. Good quality pieces and
faulty pieces were physically separated by creating areas that are suitable,
materialized and visible from the controllers’ offices to avoid errors. Traffic
corridors were defined outside working areas to avoid activity disruption. Offices
and the meeting area were far from noisy zones in order to facilitate
communication between operators and with supervisors.

Conversely, the adjustment area and the control area were close together to
promote exchanges between the two categories of workers. The current
implementation of the new machines considers the required access for maintenance
and the pieces handling by the mean of hoists.
The packing area has been completely redesigned in order to reduce the manual
handling of pieces after the control operation and to facilitate shipping. Some
functional areas have also been added: a parking for forklifts, a soundproof booth
for boiler making operations, some functional storage spaces for offices, some
extra spaces for facilitating cleaning work around the post and for machine
settings.
Finally, beyond the impacts on design, the intervention had educational effects at
different levels. Firstly, at the decision-makers level the intervention has
encouraged the development of a contractor function and of its "decision making
activity"
8. Ergonomics / Human Factors Applied in Formative Research at the Faculty
of Industrial Design, Universidad PontificiaBolivariana
Problem: The objective of research for the meta-disciplines is therefore to
investigate and develop knowledge that gives structure to the functional-
operational, morphological-productive and aesthetic-communicational
components, and to incorporate them into the discipline, whilst updating and
constructing the accumulated body of knowledge required when evaluating reality.

Research Process:
The GED provides two strategies to develop skills in research typology for
discipline and meta-disciplines: the case study project; and the various research
seedbeds. The first strategy is a basic, formative research project, expressed
through themes that are contextualized through problems relating to the local,
regional and national environment. Project development entailed the students’
participation in a process of weekly tutorials that met the requirements of the
research process in five stages: Theoretical framework, Fieldwork, Analysis of
results, Development of a prototype, Evaluation and test piloting of the final
project
Results/Conclusion:

METHODOLOGY: Surveys, anthropometric measurement, biomechanical

analysis, participant and non-participant observation.
In the fieldwork, 70 bicyclists were chosen and surveyed as to know if they had
any idea as to which bicycle and what size must be used. At the same time, six of
Medellín’s most important cycling shops were visited to determine if they followed
procedures that ensured that the correct-sized bicycle matched the user’s
anthropometric measurements. 


Results of user surveys (total of 70): the majority of users acquire their bikes for
recreation; 44% use their bike twice a week; 87% of those surveyed use bike paths;
77% of users bought their bike but were not offered any advice; 57% know the size
of their bicycle; and finally, 55% know how to adapt their bicycle. 

 9. Ergonomic investigation of interventional radiology

Interventional radiology (IVR) refers to a variety of minimally invasive procedures

using small-caliber catheters under fluoroscopic or ultrasound guidance for the
treatment of vascular and digestive diseases. Common IVR applications include
dilatation, occlusion, and selective cannulation of vessels and the digestive canal
without open surgery.

Problems:
Common IVR applications include dilatation, occlusion, and selective cannulation
of vessels and the digestive canal without open surgery.

Common ergonomic problems of IVR:

Neuromuscular fatigue and perspiration due to heavy X-ray protectors, resulting in
risk of slip and fall. 


Inappropriate working postures imposed by unfavorable arrangement of imaging

apparatus such as X-ray and 
 ultrasonography systems and their displays. 


Eyestrain due to dim lighting and impaired maneuverability of devices due to

placement of the X-ray monitor. 


Neuromuscular fatigue during small caliber catheter placement for intravascular

catheterization. 


Lack of intuitive usability and standardization of IVR devices and instruction

manuals. 


Research Process:
Ergonomic problems during hepatic arterial catheterization and placement of a
stent in the digestive canal, two frequent IVR procedures, were investigated.

Results/Conclusion:
Ergonomic problems during IVR were analyzed in this study and potential
solutions proposed. For the continued safe development of IVR, outstanding
ergonomic and technological problems must be resolved. Potential solutions
include the development of adequate holding and accessory devices for small-
caliber devices, improved educational software, and head-mounted displays.
Further analyses of the workflow and ergonomic medical device design with input
from end users are also critical.
 10. Factors affecting the appreciation generated through applying human
factors/ergonomics (HFE) principles to systems of work

This retrospective study examined the levels of appreciation (applause) given by

clients to Human Factors/Ergonomic (HFE) specialists after they have modified
the systems of work.

Problem:
The projects were selected based on:

(i) all academic research projects were excluded as the focus of this paper
was on industrial projects;
(ii) projects focused on the development of a specific product was excluded
 when the scope of such projects was not board enough to study the
impact of such a product on a system of work; and
(iii) projects purely involved HFE training were excluded.

The objective was to identify common factors influencing the level of appreciation
received after applying the HFE interventions. A total of thirteen HFE-related
projects were reviewed. Four of them were related to the design and development
of information technology systems (projects IT1 to IT4) and another four to the
design and development of control consoles (Console 1 to Console 4). There were
also projects related to stress (Stress 1), hearing (Hearing 1) and fall hazard (Fall
1). The remaining two projects had broad scopes and are best described as a risk
management system (System 1) and a communication system.

Research Process:
The criteria used to rate the attributes were various:

 If the client had any HFE specialist

o Yes/No with fulfillment level ranging from 1 to 10
The explanation of the range levels is clearly explained in the paper in the form of
various tables. As to how different scales have been described and so on.

The tables were created for several attributes. Out of the many projects conducted,
4 had failed to attract appreciation for the HFE interventions. The clients had a
poor awareness of HFE, the team lacked good organization, and the projects’ KPIs
were not well aligned with the benefits HFE can provide. To change all three
would involve changes which are more fundamental.

Results/Conclusion:
Three factors significantly and positively correlated with the levels of appreciation
received were identified:

(i) better organization for applying HFE principles (p 0.01);

(ii) awareness of HFE among senior client personnel (p 0.01) and
(iii) the relevance of HFE to the project’s key performance index (p 0.05).

Having an HFE specialist on the client’s side and clear contractual requirements
for HFE intervention did not correlate with the levels of appreciation. However,
the relation- ships between these two factors and appreciation could be explained
by Kano’s model.
The lack of awareness of HFE suggested that the clients were new to HFE
methodology. This presents an opportunity for practitioners to teach and cast HFE
interventions as something that is new, exciting and “attractive”. If that can be
done, efforts to applying HFE principles to the systems of work will receive higher
levels of appreciation.

11. Development of an ergonomics checklist for the evaluation of medical

tablet personal computers
The research questions for the study were “What are the key ergonomics issues in
the safe and effective use of a Medical Tablet PC” and “How can we evaluate new
Medical Tablet PC concepts in the early stages of the design process”. The aims of
the study were to develop an ergonomics checklist for the evaluation of MTPCs
and to identify key ergonomics issues in the design as well as in the usage of
MTPCs.

Problem:
Mobile usage of any of computer-based device occurs mainly in unnatural postures
and positions that may cause serious health problems. Actions such as touch-screen
usage, electronic-pen data entry and single-hand holding during usage cause
different potential health problems for the user. Most consumer tablets are highly
similar in terms of industrial design of the body, however in contrast to this fact
the, purpose-built MTPC`s the design differences are more evident and imply
different user-interaction typologies for their users.

The aim and the focus of the planned research will be to study and explore the
ergonomics hazards and risks resulting from long-term usage of MTPC designs
and will include stages such as concept refinement, detailed design, design
prototyping and ergonomics and usability testing.

Studies report that that tablets encourage bad posture for users and can cause
serious health problems due to long terms of usage. They also emphasize that
typing is a serious cause of health that is underestimated by users. Another
problem area was explored to be the excessive bright and glossy surface, which is a
feature that is marketed by producers, in which ceiling lighting is an important
problem for glare effect for users.

Research Process:
An interview with end-users to collect data about user needs for a MTPC
conceptual design constituted the methodology of this study. In this interview, user
requirements data has been gathered and classified for the user- centered design of
Medical Tablet Computer concepts.
The interview was conducted with 29 MDs; with a wide variety of specialization;
in various hospitals. Each MD was working in a hospital environment and had a
mobility in the hospital related with his or her professional activities. Since
Medical Tablet Computers are common devices used by all MDs for their common
informational and computational needs; field medical specialization of MDs was
not taken into account. The interviews was done face to face by the researcher and
voice recording was made during the interview. Of the 29 MDs answering the
interview 16 (%55.17) are male and 13 (%44.83) are female. All the MDs who
answered the interview had some degree of computer experience and knowledge.



To summarize, the doctors were given a questionnaire and asked to complete it in

order get a better insight towards the use of MTPC’s and even a chart of
Percentage of most non-desirable characteristics of a proposed Medical Tablet
Computer was made.

Results/Conclusion:
The users have a strong tendency to use their MTPC`s as a desktop replacement.
Although human factors literature strongly recommends users to use desktop
computers on office desk tasks these recommendations seem to be abused easily by
users. The key ergonomics issues in the use of a MTPC are determined as Mobile
Usage, Portability, Office Usage, Cleaning and disinfection and hardware issues.
These key issue also constitute the conceptual framework of the future research in
larger scale.

12. The application of ergonomic knowledge by undergraduate product design

students: FAULisbon as a case study
Aims to underline the importance of teaching ergonomics to designers. Using
FAULisbon as a case study of a Portuguese institution, they examined the current
varying HFE knowledge of undergraduate students in Design in a twofold
perspective: the one of the students themselves and the one resulting from the
examination of their project solutions.

Problem:
It stems from another paper [15] which aimed to identify the given importance of
teaching HFE in the development of design projects, to keep up the consciousness
about inclusivity and usability of products and spaces. That paper presented data
that was gathered and interpreted regarding the specific area of industrial/product
design of both undergraduate and master curricula. The analysis of that data
showed that the contact and learning of tools and methods of HFE that students
had occurred late in the formation process the contents were mostly displayed as
theoretical and isolated issues, and rarely linked with the design studio course [15].
In methodological terms, this current paper presents the empirical part of the
research. It is focused on the under graduation curricula and aims to underline that
actually it exists a perceived mismatch between courses that have visible
consequences.

Research Process:
The research was done in 2 stages:
A group of 25 Portuguese students was inquired through an online survey, applied
in 2015. 


Some design solutions were analyzed in order to typify the students’ difficulties
and faults. 


Those methods were used to assess two perspectives: the one of the students
themselves and the one resulting from the examination of their project outcomes.



Overall, another questionnaire was prepared and asked to fill by the students for
many questions.

Results/Conclusion:
One of the methodology’s key elements is that students, on their second year of
studies, are not yet awake to the advantage of using of HFE principles since the
beginning of the process. They are more concerned with aesthetics than with
functionality.

So, this specific study underlines that the ergonomic knowledge is not being
integrated by students in their design.
If both courses, design and ergonomics were lectured at the same time that would
have a positive impact since students would probably apply their ergonomic
knowledge directly; On the other end if ‘Ergonomia’ course was anticipated in
terms of degree plan students would be able to apply this knowledge in a more
consistent way along their program.
This mismatch between courses has consequences, such as: waste of time since it
is necessary to correct and adjust every design (assuming that students have a
regular presence in class). This means that teachers of design studio courses, every
semester, have to do an extra effort to integrate ergonomic contents by themselves.

13. Human factors/ergonomics as a systems discipline? “The human use of

human beings” revisited

Problem:
The paper argues that the nature of work in the early 2010s is so different from the
nature of work when HFE was formulated 60-70 years ago that a critical
reassessment of the basis for HFE is needed.

Research Process:
When considering the possible future of HFE, two facts must be recognised. The
first is that the nature of work, and therefore also the work environments, have
changed dramatically over the last century and that the rate of change is unlikely to
diminish. The second fact is that these changes notwithstanding, the vast majority
of work places are very traditional. Most of the problems are described in the HFE
literature and the solutions are exceedingly well known e by academics but not
always by practitioners and industrial stakeholders.
There is no exact research process as such as this is a theory paper differentiating
HFE then and now.

Results/Conclusion:
Instead of being the improvement of performance and well-being through hard
system design, the goal could be to improve the ability to manage expected as well
as unexpected work situations. If it becomes easier for people to make sense of
their work, not in the sense of avoiding verfremdung but in the sense of being
better able to understand what happens (as well as understanding what has
happened and what will happen) and thereby cope more efficiently, then this will
reduce the uncertainty of the work and increase people’s ability to manage what
they are doing. The strategy for HFE should therefore be to develop a competence
that corresponds to the real world e to ‘work as done’ or ‘work as to be done’
rather than to ‘work as imagined’. If the variety of what HFE can offer does not
correspond to the variety (uncertainty) that is out there, solutions will be
ineffective and the uptake of HFE will eventually stall. HFE as it is practiced now
is arguable unable to do that because it is predicated on an inherited tradition, and
because we rarely question whether this tradition is still valid or applicable. As
concerned HFE practitioners or even as concerned HFE academics e we need to do
so, and we need to do it sooner rather than later.

14. Framework of Awareness: for the analysis of Ergonomics in Design

Problem:
The context of the design activity plays an important role in creating influences
and consequences in designers’ behavior and the design performance while
managing the underlying mechanisms of Value creation in design. These situations
take place due to unforeseen influences and consequences, lack or excess of
prevention, a mind frame that does not allow to see further or refuses a sudden
aspect. Inherent to the occurrence of downside consequences is the risk to diminish
designers’ input of Value for the creation of design results in circumstances
comparable to the concept of MUDA, in situations of value waste.

Research Process:

The explorative study was a Case Study based approach in five design disciplines
gives ground to the research. Case studies provide a research environment
propitious to gather practical, concrete and context-dependent knowledge essential
to gain insight into causal mechanisms, and contextual considerations. This
research entails multiple Case Studies selected to compare clearly different
examples, embedded or nested as subunits to investigate the phenomenon of
MUDA in design as the principal unit of analysis.
In this research the case study method was based on periods of observation for the
analysis of persons and projects studied holistically and in detail by one or more
methods of analysis. From the progressive studies, instances of classes of
phenomena provided analytical frames and guidelines to conduct the research to
categorization systems, illuminating the explanations on how to integrate the
complementary results in a whole picture of an integrative framework. The case
studies selection was focused on design disciplines, which design processes, go
through stages of materialization of ideas with tangible and intangible effects.
Other criteria for the selection of design consultancies was to choose design
environments where people like to work and feel engaged with, have free choice
and freedom to speak so that their reports would be honest.

Results/Conclusion:

As a result of 5 case studies in five different design disciplines a framework has

been developed which provides a meta analysis to reflect on thinking and acting in
critical situations. he usefulness of the practice of this framework involves an
internal review so that each designer can become aware of the degree to which
usual performed patterns are consistent with a less successful process and outcome.
The framework thus contributes to the designers’ professional competence and to
professional education assuming that competence is based on the ability to analyze
critical situations and also to theories of what to do in new situations and to behave
effectively.
Consequently, it can lead to better communication, and a more thorough analysis
and awareness to adaptive behavior.
 15. Applicability of affordable sEMG in ergonomics practice

This paper is based on the study of the potential of surface electromyography.

Problem:

Excessive force, highly repetitive work process, awkward postures and inadequate
rest as the main causative factors for MSD-s, but more recent reviews have listed
up to 70 potential causative factors. The aim of this study was to assess the
applicability of commercially available low-cost sEMG shields in ergonomics
practice. It is hypothesized that Arduino based DIY measurement systems do not
perform significantly (= 0.05) worse than commercially available
electromyograph.

Research Process:

Initially four commercially available sEMG shields were considered. All the
shields were tested prior to further assessment by recording the sEMG of
maximum voluntary contraction from two subjects. Although BITalino showed
promising results, it was excluded from further assessment because 1) it is not
Arduino compatible; 2) the cost of a fully operational system exceeded the limit of
$100. The Grove EMG Detector was also excluded from further assessment
because of low signal amplitude and it was impossible to adjust the level of gain.
The performance of these low-cost sEMG measurement systems and the
electromyograph ME6000 was compared in a hand grip task.

Results/Conclusion:

Both low-cost systems could be used to detect muscle activation and for semi-
quantitative assessment of force exertion. There is a certain systematic error in the
results as in the case of the gripping task, one muscle is able to explain less
variability than multiple muscles and any further investigation should involve at
least three muscles as is currently believed to be optimal for a gripping task.
However, this error is expected to have equal impact on every configuration of
apparatus. Thus a low-cost sEMG measurement system might benefit the learning
process in life-long learning or on a higher educational level. The Arduino
prototyping platform provides the opportunity to measure various factors at a
relatively low cost. Both low-cost systems could be used to detect muscle
activation and for semi-quantitative assessment of force exertion.

16. Human Factors and Ergonomics in transportation control systems

Practical areas for application of HF at specific points in railroad signaling and

control systems are described.

Problem:

There is now a greater reliance on the operator to remain vigilant and react
efficiently when intervention on automation is required both within the control
room and driver cab environments. As the future public transit industry moves
towards higher supervisory control systems to increase safety, the operator’s
performance and reliability becomes ever more crucial. With the application of
Human Factors (HF) and Ergonomics, the likelihood of human error can be
significantly reduced if transit control systems are designed to be intuitive and
effective through iterative user centered design lifecycles. A holistic assessment
approach is necessary to support the required human intervention points within any
transit control system.

Research Process:
There are currently various train control systems deployed in the world, this paper
mainly focuses on Europe.

European Train Control System

Positive Train Control
Communications Based Train Control

Operational Train Control Points

There are various concerns and considerations regarding the HF for advanced train
control systems such as Automation, Driver vigilance and distraction, Context of
operation and so on.

With the introduction of new train control systems existing operators may struggle
with or resist the change in control techniques that are introduced. Depending on
their level of understanding, drivers may experience a fundamental change to their
mental model of how the new control system works and a substantial learning
curve would be required.
It is also critical to assess and understand Information processing and cognitive
attention, Cognitive attention and workload assessment, Human error assessment
challenges and Factors of human error.

Results/Conclusion:

The integration of HF in the design of a work system, equipment, environment and

tasks to support the user is critical to ensure that operators react efficiently and
safely within tight timeframes. Not recognizing or fully accommodating human
performance limitations within system design will effectively limit the overall
performance of the system. Actively embedding HF thinking and techniques into
the existing processes and the safety culture can avoid errors affecting safety, and
also those that impact upon service reliability and performance.

17. Designing for Construction Ergonomics

Problem:

The construction process generates a disproportionate number of fatalities, injuries

and disease, and both the direct and indirect costs contribute to the cumulative cost
of construction. Designers influence construction ergonomics directly and
indirectly. The direct influence is as a result of design, details and method of
fixing, and depending upon the type of procurement system, supervisory and
administrative interventions. The indirect influence is as a result of the type of
procurement system used, pre-qualification, project duration, partnering, and the
facilitating of pre-planning.

Research Process:

A questionnaire was prepared and was sent to 492 members of the South African
Institute of Architectural Technologists.
Six tables were tabulated. The first one was based on the importance of project
parameters to Architectural Technologists. This table indicates the importance of
seven parameters in terms of percentage responses to a scale of 1 (not important) to
5 (very important), and a mean score ranging between 1.00 and 5.00.
The second Table was based on the degree of importance of ergonomics to
Architectural Technologists during various building/structure phases. This table
indicates the importance of ergonomics to architectural technologists during the
various project phases in terms of percentage responses to a scale of 1 (not
important) to 5 (very important), and a MS ranging between 1.00 and 5.00.
The third table was based on the frequency at which Architectural Technologists
consider / refer to construction ergonomics on various occasions. Table 3 presents
the frequencies at which architectural technologists consider or refer to
construction ergonomics on fourteen occasions in terms of a frequency range,
never to always, and a MS ranging between 1.00 and 5.00.
The fourth one indicates the frequency at which Architectural Technologists
consider / refer to construction ergonomics relative to various design related
aspects. Table 4 presents the frequencies at which architectural technologists
consider / refer to construction ergonomics relative to sixteen design related
aspects, in terms of a frequency range, never to always, and a MS ranging between
1.00 and 5.00. Table 5 and 6 are Extent to which various design related aspects
impact on construction ergonomics and Potential of various aspects / interventions
to contribute to an improvement in construction ergonomics during the various
project phases respectively.
Results/Conclusion:

It can be concluded that architectural technologists do not understand and

appreciate the synergy between project H&S and ergonomics, and the other
parameters.
Although, construction ergonomics is important, it is less important than
ergonomics during the maintenance and commissioning phases and substantially
less important than ergonomics during the use phase, and therefore the focus is
likely to be more on the latter phases than the former phase.
Architectural technologists do consider construction ergonomics on various
occasions, more so during upstream phases than mid-stream phases, concept
design included. Therefore, it can be concluded that the cited importance thereof
does manifest itself. However, the frequency is equally between rarely to
sometimes / sometimes, and to never to rarely / rarely.
Architectural practices consider construction ergonomics on various design related
occasions. However, the frequency is mostly between rarely to sometimes /
sometimes (75%), and between never to rarely / rarely (25%).
Architectural technologists do appreciate the extent to which various design related
aspects impact on construction ergonomics in that they maintain all design related
aspects have between an impact to near major impact / near major impact.
It can be concluded that architectural technologists’ source of knowledge is more
informal than formal – experience vis-à-vis tertiary education. It can also be
concluded that tertiary architectural technologist education and the architectural
technologist profession are not addressing ergonomics to the extent that they
should. These conclusions are reinforced by the architectural technologists’ ‘below
average’ self-rating of their knowledge of ergonomics and designing for
ergonomics skills.
There is a low level of awareness relative to certain provisions of the OH&S Act
and the Construction Regulations. Therefore, it can be concluded that tertiary
architectural technologist education and the architectural technologist profession is
not addressing ergonomics and construction to the extent that they should.
Architectural technologists do appreciate the potential of various design,
procurement and construction practices to contribute to an improvement in
construction ergonomics.

18. Ergonomic maternity dress design

Problem:

The structural design of maternity dress should not only meet the need of personal
physical changes, but also maintain the health of fetus. So suitable and reasonable
structural design of maternity dress can help create a comfortable environment for
the breed of new-born life.
Research Process:

Maternity dress nowadays ask for high requirement on material in different

aspects, such as comfort and functionality. Especially, material which is good to
skin or good at preventing radiation will be the first choice of those mother-to-be.
Cotton is the most suitable material for the women to wear close to body. It is soft
and feels comfortable, with the function of letting out heat and moisture easily.
You may feel at ease when wearing it even if having sensitive skin. Clothes made
up of high elastic fabric can wrap up abdomen easily, with the excellent feature of
sweat-absorbing, air permeability, being soft and easy to clean. Nowadays, more
and more fashionable hot mom pursue high quality of life, paying attention to the
clothing material and texture structure, dressing themselves up neatly, orderly and
elegantly, which all reveal their excitement of being a mother.
Linen clothing play a certain role in the regulation of venous system and central
nervous system. The output of linen is not much in China, in order to make full use
of raw materials and save the cost as possible, the factory began to develop
blended products which mix flax with silk and adjust the internal structure to
change dry touch into soft touch.
Maternity dress demand certain flexibility and ductility, which make fabric with
better elasticity first option to choose. Moreover, we should prevent using the
material which weigh heavy in square unit from adding pressure to pregnant
women and having negative effect on breathing and blood circulation.
A table with Key points of maternity dress design and ergonomics was tabulated.

Results/Conclusion:

There were many alterations made to the maternity dress which is said to increase
the comfort levels of the mothers to be. By changing and altering the dimensions of
the clothes, it is said that it helps the health of the fetus as well.