Dire Dawa University

Dire Dawa institutes of technology

School of Mechanical and industrial engineering(SMIE)

Course Title: Method Study and Ergonomics

Course Code: IEng 6108
Instructors: Dr.Mesfin Demissie (Asst. Prof.)
Target group: MSc students
Academic Year: 2023
Outline
Noise

 Illumination 6. Work Environment

Design
Temperature and Ventilation

Vibration

 Radiation, and

Shift Work and Working Hours

Noise
Noise is a common problem in work environments, especially in industrial
settings.

Noise is usually disturbing, and can have short-term and long-term physical
and psychological consequences.

Mild effects of noise exposure include ringing in the ears or temporary

hearing loss called temporary threshold shift.
These effects usually occur after being exposed to high levels of noise. In these cases,
the auditory system can recover after the exposure.
Noise
Severe effects of noise exposure may involve permanent loss of hearing, also
called permanent threshold shift.

This condition occurs after prolonged noise exposure and recovery is

impossible.
Therefore, noise levels in work environments should be measured and controlled.

Personal factors such as tolerance to noise or age also affect whether the
person will experience hearing loss.

 Especially many older people naturally experience loss of hearing and noise-
induced hearing loss may be even more harmful for them.
Noise
Noise exposure not only affects the auditory system but also cardiovascular
system and the functioning of other internal organs.
 Temporary exposure to noise can lead to changes in muscle tension,
respiratory rhythm, heart beat pattern and blood vessels.
It can also reduce the quality of interpersonal communication, and create
annoyance.
These effects may degrade performance due to communication being not clear or
person missing important sound alerts due to noise.
Noise in the workplace can be measured by various instruments and
necessary changes can be made to control the noise level and keep it within
the acceptable limits.
Noise
Different countries has legislation at both the federal and provincial levels
that set the occupational noise exposure limits.
 These limits determine the duration of acceptable exposure given a noise level. For
example, in most provinces, 85dB is the limit for an 8-hour shift.
 As the noise level increases, maximum permitted duration of daily work decreases.

Noise levels can be decreased by engineering the sources of noise, modifying

the work environment, and personal noise protection such as ear plugs.

 In fact, in any work setting where the sound level exceeds the 85dB
threshold, it is recommended to use hearing protection.
Lighting and Illumination

 the majority of our work depends on our visual senses.

Operating machines, working on an assembly line, reading documents, and typing
on a computer all require visual information to some extent.
 Therefore, appropriate lightning becomes important in work settings.

Proper lightning is not about turning on the lights as bright as possible so

that everything becomes easier to see.
Rather, it is about finding optimum levels of lighting for comfortable work.
 Lighting and Illumination
The source of light in a work environment can be daylight from the sun,
artificial light via light bulbs or both.

 Artificial light can be general lightning or localized lightning.

Selecting the type of artificial lightning depends on the task and the
properties of work environment
such as how reflective objects are, and people’s individual characteristics.
Lighting and Illumination
Poor lighting may result in difficultly seeing and detecting objects, but also health
complaints such as eyestrain and headaches.
 More importantly however, it can also lead to accidents.

Not being able to see the position, location or movement of objects may lead to
incorrect judgments and can create risky situations.
Common problems with lighting are:
Insufficient illumination and poor light areas
Contrast
Glare
Light flicker
 Lighting and Illumination
Insufficient light not only can be dangerous but also may decrease
productivity.

There are established guidelines on recommended illumination levels under

different situations and work conditions
 by the Illuminating Engineering Society or North America (IESNA).

The general idea is that the more a task requires high visual insight and is
visually complex, the more illumination is needed.
Lighting and Illumination

Also, the harder the objects are to see due to factors such as low contrast and

small object sizes, the more illumination is needed.

The light in the environment should be distributed uniformly, not leaving dim

or dark areas.

 Having both bright and dark areas in the environment results in the eye

constantly trying to adjust to different illumination levels.

 Lighting and Illumination
Glare is a common problem which occurs when a bright light
source provides lighting that is more than the eye has adapted to.

Common sources of glare are sun, bright lamps, shiny objects

and computer monitors.

 The sun and lamps are examples of direct glare whereas

monitors and shiny objects are examples of reflected glare; they In this example, you can see
correct and incorrect positioning
reflect the light they receive. of light sources.

Glare can cause discomfort but can also interfere with the task,
decreasing performance.
 Lighting and Illumination

To avoid glare issues, the position of light

sources and work equipment can be
adjusted so that the light is not reflected
directly to the eyes.
In this example, you can see
correct and incorrect positioning
of light sources.

Shiny objects and surfaces can be replaced

with less shiny materials.
 Lighting and Illumination
This is good contrast. This is poor contrast.

Contrast is also another important aspect of lightning. The general principle is the
task area should be brighter than its surrounding area.

Proper levels of contrast help to detect and distinguish objects relevant to task from
the background.
Also, the contrast between objects in the physical environment or on a display should also be
appropriate.
 For example, different parts of a machine can be colored to create proper contrast.
 The brightness of text and background on a display can be adjusted to create good contrast (for example,
black text on a white background).
 Lighting and Illumination
Light flicker occurs when the intensity of light is
unstable.
This usually happens when the voltage is fluctuating. People
can easily notice if the flicker rate is low.
Flicker can be a hazard where a moving part of the
machinery can be perceived as stationary or moving
slowly if the flicker rate of the light source and
movement frequency of the machine are similar.
Very high flicker rates prevent human eye from
noticing the flicker. Also, older light bulbs should be
replaced with newer ones frequently.
Lighting and Illumination
work environment has proper lighting. If
There should be no reflections on the objects that cause
discomfort.
Shadows should be eliminated as much as possible.
Lights should not flicker.
Glare should be eliminated.
Displays should have appropriate brightness and contrast,
glare on screens should be minimized, and the content on
displays should be easily read.
• For industrial settings, moving parts of machinery
should have a color that makes it easy to distinguish
them from the background.
• Stairs and hallways should have enough lighting.
 Temperature and Ventilation /
Some people have to work in extreme environments such as near a furnace or
extremely cold environments.
The human body regulates its temperature and achieves a thermal balance
through producing metabolic heat and losing it.
The body has to maintain a core temperature around 36-37ºC for proper
functioning.
There are multiple factors that influence body heat.
These include body metabolism, the amount of physical work, environmental conditions
such as temperature, humidity, air movement, radiant heat, and clothing.
Hot or cold environments can create heat and cold stress,
 which may lead to uncomfortable work, but extreme temperatures may pose physical
and psychological risk to people and must be dealt with.
 Heat Stress
A comfortable temperature range for most people is between 20
and 27ºC with a 35-60% humidity.

Excessive heat can be found in environments such as foundries

and smelters, but also outdoor environments such as construction
and agricultural sites where the heat comes from the sun.

In these environments, both heat production and heat gain from the
environment are high.

As a result, the body needs to lose heat. However, if the heat gain
is more than heat loss, this situation can lead to physiological and
psychological problems.
Heat Stress
As temperature or humidity increases, people experience irritability, their concentration and
mental capabilities decrease, and physical tasks become more difficult to conduct.

If thermoregulation fails and core body temperature keeps rising, several illnesses may occur:

Heat stroke: Core body temperature rises above 41ºC. Internal organs stop functioning and the
person collapses. Heat stroke can be fatal.

Heat exhaustion: The person feels dizzy and weak, and breathing becomes difficult. This occurs
because of loss of salt and body water due to excessive sweating. Can lead to heat stroke if the
heat is not removed.

Other illnesses include heat edema, heat rashes, heat cramps, and heat syncope.
Heat Stress
There are several ways to cope with excessive heat:
Tasks that demand heavy effort can be mechanized.

Hot surfaces can be covered with material that reduces the heat they radiate.

Proper ventilation and cooling of the environment, or dehumidification of the environment

Heat-protective clothing that prevents incoming heat yet allows the sweat to evaporate

Acclimatization to hot environments makes the person more tolerant to heat. The human body slowly
adapts to hot environments, so several days of gradual exposure to heat can help the body to tolerate heat.
Also, frequent rests during work helps the body to manage heat better.

Personal factors, such as exercise and proper diet can also help individuals to better cope with heat
stress.
 Cold Stress
Similar to heat stress in hot environments, working in cold environments may
create cold stress.
In this case, the body loses heat more than it gains (or creates). Excessively cold
environments can be life-threatening.

Cold is an issue in work environments such as refrigerated warehouses, cold

storage facilities, but also outdoor environments where people have to work in
very low temperatures.

A common reaction to cold is shivering,

a reflex that causes heat production. However, shivering can only occur for up to a few
hours, after which the energy in the muscles are depleted.
 Cold Stress

Extreme cold environments reduce the physical and psychological capability of individuals.

Mental tasks, especially those that need being alert, are difficult to carry out in cold environments.

Manual tasks also become more difficult due to loss of agility and strength.

Hypothermia is the most dangerous condition people can experience under extreme cold.
 If the core body temperature starts to drop below 33ºC, the person experiences weakness and dizziness, starts to lose
consciousness, and further decrease in core body temperature can be fatal.

Less dangerous conditions include frostnip and frostbite.

 Vibration
Vibration is the oscillation (repetitive motion) of an object
about an equilibrium point.
 Vibration affects the body through contact with the
vibrating objects such as a chainsaw (hand-arm vibration)
or vibrating floor (whole body vibration).
Depending on the exposure, vibration can lead to health
problems. A common disease, hand-arm vibration
syndrome (HAVS), also known as vibration white finger
(VWF) or Raynaud's phenomenon,
This occurs due to damage caused by vibration of hand tools
such as
grinders where muscles, bones, joints and tendons can be damaged,
leading to loss of sensitivity and strength, and pain and numbness in
fingers.
 Vibration
Every 4 in 10,000 Canadians is affected by Raynaud's
phenomenon.
Forestry workers using chainsaws and rock drillers are
particularly under high risk of developing this condition
(Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety –
OHS Answers).
On the other hand, whole-body vibration which is usually
caused by vibrating floor or vibrating environment such as
a truck, may cause fatigue, headaches, insomnia and
stomach problems in short-term and can increase the risk
of developing low back problems in long-term when
combined with other factors such as bad posture.
 Vibration

The effects of vibration can be reduced in several ways:

Anti-vibration systems can be built in hand tools. These are
mechanisms by which the vibration on the machine can be
reduced.

Anti-vibration gloves can be used. These gloves reduce the

effects of vibration coming from the tools.

Frequent and timely maintenance of work equipment, periodic

rests, and monitoring personal health can reduce the negative
effects of vibration exposure.
 Radiation

Radiation is energy that comes from a source and

travels through space at the speed of light.

This energy has an electric field and a magnetic

field associated with it, and has wave-like
properties.

You could also call radiation “electromagnetic

waves”.
 Radiation
Now, let's look at the different kinds of radiation. There are four
major types of radiation:
 alpha,
beta,
 neutrons, and
electromagnetic waves such as gamma rays.

They differ in mass, energy and how deeply they

penetrate people and objects.
In order from highest to lowest energy, the sections of the EM
spectrum are named: gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet radiation,
visible light, infrared radiation, and radio waves
 Radiation

Radiation can damage the DNA in our cells.

High doses of radiation can cause Acute Radiation

Syndrome (ARS) or Cutaneous Radiation Injuries
(CRI).

High doses of radiation could also lead to cancer

later in life.
 Shift Work and Working Hours
 shift work, arrangement of working hours that differs from the standard
daylight working hours (i.e., 8:00 am to 5:00 pm).

 Organizations that adopt shift work schedules extend their normal working
hours beyond the standard eight-hour shifts by using successive teams of
workers.

 Benefit of shift work

 Constant staffing. Scheduling staff in shifts allows an organization to run 24 hours a day.
...
 Less crowded when running errands. ...
 More pleasant commute. ...
 Advantageous scheduling. ...
 Shift flexibility. ...
 Financial reward. ...
 No post-shift work responsibilities.
Questions?

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