CPEJ Newsletter March, 2019walk), and I spent about three weeks in awheelchair. Upon discharge from the hospital, I
could only see through one eye, and I still cannot
walk without a cane. Living with this condition, I
have become acutely aware of the importance ofergonomics

Newsletterandhuman-centered

design.

Wheelchairs cannot move up or down even though

Committee on Certification of Professional

small steps, for instance, and as my eyes no longer

Ergonomists

focus properly, I have fallen down flights of stairs

March, 2019because of a lack of depth perception. Many local

CPEJ Newsletter Editorial board

environments

lackwheelchair

accessibility;

however, I have been on many business trips toA Plenary Meeting/Lecture Meeting was held

the UK and Australia since I contracted my illness,at the CPEJ in April 2018. In November, we

and I’ve noticed that people there naturally

visitedtheprovide support. They will carry my suitcase for

DesignLaboratory

MitsubishiforElectricaCorporation

CPE

seminar.

me, offer me their seat, and talk to me. These

Newsletters No.55 to No.58 were issued, andexperiences of generosity and common concern arepractical examples of ergonomics were reported.

relatively rare in Japan. These problems may notSome of the articles within the newsletters havebe solved with ergonomics research, but it isbeen translated into this English version.

important to view these as distinctly humanproblems. A wide variety of support technologies,
including AI, may be useful in helping theGreetings from the chair upon his reappointment

disabled navigate daily life, and ergonomics

8th Term Chair

research offers the advantage of considering theShinichi Fukuzumi (RIKEN)

experience of the person concerned and of those
I was reappointed as Chair for the 8th term

surrounding the user.

at the Plenary Meeting in April 2018, continuing

Before I took on this position as Chair,

my role in the previous term. I apologize for the

relatively few people knew about this institute indelay in addressing this to you. As many of you

the Ergonomics Society. We spread the word at

may be aware, after being chosen for the role ofsymposiums in annual meeting involving the

Chair in the April Plenary Meeting, I contracted a

Ergonomics Society. After my appointment asvery rare disease known as Fisher syndrome in

Chair, I visited regional events around the year to

July and had to be hospitalized for a month. I am

spread awareness about the institute, but I felt

very sorry for the inconvenience and concern thisthat there was still a lack of recognition. This was

has caused to so many of you. The symptoms vary

notfrom person to person, and in my case I sufferedcommunicated.

opthtalmoplegia (inability to focus the eyes), facial

certification

paralysis (inability to move the mouth or speak

Certification carries numerous advantages. Until

properly), and motor neuropathy (inability torecently, we have taken this for granted, and have1

simply

a
had

lack

of

The

meritsofachieving

been

fully

explained.

notinformation

being

CPEJ Newsletter March, 2019

failed to positively explain our clear direction as

programs were established that target young

an institute. Therefore, this term, we plan to focus

practitioners.

on clear communication about the certification we

Certifiedoffer, and we indicate our direction on this at an(CAEP) and the Certified Ergonomics Assistantearly(CEA) designations.

stage.

We

also

plan

to

developthecertification in future terms. Our aim is not toThecertifications

Associate

Ergonomics

ServicesforCPE

members

involve

the

Professional

includealimit the communications plan to the institute orquarterly newsletter, CPE seminars (mainly

the Ergonomics Society itself, but to spread thecompany/site visits), the CPE salon (opportunity

word about the certification program over a wide

for member exchanges on hot topics), keynotearea and spread understanding of the value ofspeeches which are held at the annual generalergonomics. I humbly request the continued

meeting and public disclosure of CPE members

assistance of all our members in achieving this.

list. The Certification Committee of Professional
Ergonomists is continuously looking for new
members.
As fifteen years have passed since ourIntroduction to the Certification Committee ofCertification

Professional Ergonomists

Takashi Toriizuka (Nihon University)

Programfor

Professional

Ergonomists has been established, it is time toreview the vision, philosophy, strategy, activities

The Certification Program for Professionalandmemberservicesof

ourCertification

Ergonomists was established in August 2003 after

Committee of Professional Ergonomists. Please

getting the approval of the Japan Ergonomics

join us!

Society (JES) meeting held in June of that year.
The

missionoftheprogramistocertifypractitioners who have sufficient knowledge, skill

Report from Professional Ergonomist

and professional competence to solve ergonomic

The importance of linking field testing,problems and contribute to the advancement anddevelopment, and sales

promotion of the field of ergonomics.

– Example of developing a care bathroom –TheprogramCertificationisoperated

Committee

by

of

the

Aya Mikami（Sekisui Chemical Co. Ltd.）JES

Professional

Ergonomists (CPE). The governing body of the

1. Sekisui Chemical Co. Ltd. and bath tubs

Committee consists of the chair, vice chair andSekisui Chemical Co. Ltd. are involved in theother executive members selected from CPE

production,members who operate examinations, generalmaintenance of plumbing facilities such as baths

meetings, seminars and other events.

and washrooms for nursing care facilities. The

The

programInternational Ergonomics Association (IEA) incare. Tubs in this facility need to be a controllableMay

system to enable those requiring nursing care tobecame

an

by

and

firm’s current focus is on bath tubs for nursing

andendorsed

construction,

the

2007

was

development,internationallyrecognized certification authority.
After

June

2007, two newtake a bath in a simple manner, to ease thecertification

caretaker’s work. In our independent system, the2

CPEJ Newsletter March, 2019

bath and handrail can be adjusted to adapt to thevastly reduced. For patients who are hemiplegic,

situation of the person taking a bath and themoving the bath to the side from where they can

position of the caregiver. For example, themore easily enter makes it easier for them to takecomfortable positions at which people use a handa bath.

rail when exiting the bath is different for tall and

I provide information to the development

short people. If the handrail is moved to a place

department by researching care facilities towhere it is easy to grab, standing up will be easier,understand the design from a user perspective, so

and if the person requiring nursing care is able tothat bath tubs can be made even easier to use. Bystand up independently, the caregiver’s burden isproviding this research to the development
department, I help them to communicate the useof new products and the effectiveness of new
functions to the sales department in the clearestway.
2. Grasping the essence of care
Five years ago, we were told in a groupinterview with caregivers that “our work is not
only about what happens in the bathroom. We
want you to understand the overall operational
flow of the care given to the users.” I remember

Figure 1. Bath tub units for nursing carefeeling confused at this as we were dedicatedfacilities

toward realizing a “bathroom where bathing carecan be provided safely and with a lower level ofburden.”At that time, it was natural for the caregiverto lift up a patient and many facilities expected
caregivers to use assistive lifts that treated people
like luggage. As these devices are very expensive,
they have failed to achieve widespread usage.
Additionally, bath controls that could decrease theburden were not often used in the medical field

Figure 2. Image of bath control

because the bath was heavy or time was short.
From the perspective of caregivers, we heard that
“this was just addressing surface issues. We want
you to create products that understand theessence of nursing care.”
Knowing about nursing care and having
provided the same are very different. The biggest

Figure 3. Design change that makes it

difference is thinking about the purpose ofeasier for that person to take a bathnursing care. I intended to understand this, but I
3

CPEJ Newsletter March, 2019

was probably talking to these caregivers without

used with peace of mind and comfort by the person

understanding the purpose behind their actions.

requiring healthcare.

We were searching for a revolutionary idea of

Aya Mikami: After completing a course in Design

being able to enter and leave the bath by human

Science at Chiba University Graduate School, shehands alone, without placing stress on the back.

engaged in a usability survey with the company

However, the goal of using human hands alone is

U’eyes Design. In 2009, she graduated from the

not the essence of care. This was a truly valuable

Graduate School of Business Administration, Keioexperience.

University. Currently, she oversees survey andCurrently, we are aware that we understandplanning for baths units and bathing carenursing home operations as information, but we

products for nursing care at Sekisui Home Techno

have no nursing care experience. To address this,Corporation. Her hobbies are running marathons

we are working to ask caregivers what they focus

and reading.

on in the nursing field and how they feel when
they interact with those requiring nursing care.
3. Continued communication with the customer
Nursing

care

placesextremely

Report from Professional Ergonomist

Universal Design SOS Handbook

strenuous

physical and mental burdens on caregivers.

Naotsune Hosono, Ph.D.

Additionally, the aging of caregivers and the lack

(Director of NPO Niimaru)

of nursing care resources can lead to problems.
Since caregivers often cannot continue working

There is an association of architects working

with back pain, more nursing home institutionsof hearing impairments, named Architectural

are realizing that by using lifts and welfare tools

Association of Japanese Deaf (AAJD*). The mainskillfully, care can be provided safely without

members of this group are level 1 and 2 deaf

lifting people up.

architects and their activities are to share

In fact, based on a recent user survey, we canarchitectural information and look for solution.

see that more customers are controlling the bath.

Here is an introduction about “SOS handbook”

We were glad to hear that “being able to move thedesigned by AAJD and produced by a grant of thebath meant that people requiring healthcare couldTokyosafelyautomobile company.

straddle

the

bath

and

could

bathe

Metropolitan

government

and

an

independently” Users are utilizing our productThe chairman of AAJD is a deaf architect, andbecause the features of the bathroom, summarized

he had harsh experience that when he suddenly

by the Planning Department and Development

fell sick and he was carried to the hospital by an

Department,

ambulance,

have

been

clearlycorrectly

communicated by sales staff.

he

faced

the

problemofmisunderstanding with the paramedics. As one

Toward the goal of being able to take a bathpatient, his priority wish was to tell the paramedic

safely, we use our knowledge and experience inwhere his pain was and how severe it was,ergonomics such that the caregivers can safely

however the paramedic was focused on contact

providedesigninformation of his family. Considering on hisbathrooms, facilities, and services that can also be

experience, a point and show style handbook has

nursing

care.

We

plan

to

4

CPEJ Newsletter March, 2019

been designed which can be used like a restaurant
food menu [1-3]. The first edition in 2011 referred
to demography of foreign nationals living in Japan,six

languages;

ChineseJapanese,(simplified

andEnglish,Korean,traditional),andPortuguese were selected to include in thehandbook. At the revised edition in 2018, fivelanguages were added; French, German, Spanish,

Fig.3b. Page where the user points and indicates

Italian, and Russian, preparing to the Tokyo

the primary complaint on the viscera

Olympics/Paralympics in 2020. Figures 1–4 are
the English pages.

Fig.4．Page indicating symptoms
Fig.1. Front cover with CUD certification mark at

The main design members are AAJD deaf

the top left

chairman, a sign language interpreter, a staff ofCSR department in the automobile company andthe author (CPE). Following to the fundamental
concept of ergonomics, this handbook is designedwith the ISO9241 series. The handbook was
produced particularly using the human centred
design (HCD) method (ISO9241-210, previous
ISO13407) [4] and context of use (ISO9241-11) [5].
Fig.2. Dialogue pageFor achieving the goal, this SOS handbook(equipment) is designed to enable foreigners andhearing impaired people to interact easily inphysical and social environments. After the
prototypewascreated,theevaluation

experiments were carried out following theconcept of HCD by the intended users such as
foreigners and the hearing impaired. Then theFig.3a. Page where the user points and indicatesefficiency was measured by communication time.

the primary complaint on the skin

The effectiveness was measured by noting the
success of communication using the handbook.
5

CPEJ Newsletter March, 2019

The satisfaction was measured by means of thesatisfaction was measured by the interviews that

Semantic Differential (SD) method.

whether users prefer to use the handbook at an

The features of this handbook are mainly

emergency.

following three points;

As a result, 20 sets data by five pairs as

1．Easy to use: The previous version was designed

conversation partners [1];with the goal to be used by those who do not

Efficiency: When using the handbook, efficiency

know sign language to perform dialogues just

was improved by 20% compared to when not using

pointing the items. This was intending to

it. In a distribution analysis, (within the test

facilitate dialogue with paramedics at the

subject for each factor, df1=1, df2=9), it isemergency situation. The revised version is

confirmed a significant difference of F=6.95,

reviewed to be used expanding users of foreign

p=0.027<0.05.

nationals

Effectiveness:andpersonswith

disabilities.

In

the

reliabilityofcontent

Additionally, anticipating a face to face dialogue

introduction from one participant to the other, it

situation, upside down superscripts are added.

was confirmed that accuracy was improved by

2．Expansion in number of supported languages:

approximately

20%.

Distribution

analysis

Preparing for Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics,

confirmed that there was a significant difference

the five languages are added. They are French,of F=4.89, p=0.054<0.1.

German, Spanish, Italian, and Russian. The

Satisfaction: During follow up questionnaire

handbook includes totally 11 languages of 10

related satisfaction, one participant told “when I

countries.

have this kind of handbook I feel relieved.”

3．Color blindness support: The Color Universal

There was an opportunity that the handbooks

Design Organization (CUDO**) aims to create awere handed over at the international universal

societycolor

design conference ICCHP2018*** held in Linz,

blindness will easily use daily materials. At theAustria, in July 2018. Fortunately many overseas

handbook revision, CUDO consulted and verified

experts were impressed with its quality ofin colours selection. The proof is 2018 CUD

comprehensiveness. This was also introduced incertification mark on the top left of the front

an article of JES journal [6] (Figure 5).

wherepeoplesufferingfromcover.
At the publication following to the process of
HCD, users of foreigners andimpaired

personswere

the hearing

participated

at

the

experiment. The dialogue tasks that would be
used in virtual emergencies are prepared. The
required elapsed time was measured comparedefficiency between when using the handbook for
dialogue and when drawing on paper or gestures
without using the handbook. For effectivenessFig.5 ． Handbook introduction at ICCHP2018

measure, participants were asked whether the

conference

dialoguewas

precisely

introduced.

User
6

CPEJ Newsletter March, 2019

The handbook has been distributed by the

Office Work with Visual Display Terminals (VDTs),

AAJD to groups of hearing impaired people as well

Guidance on usability,” 1998.

as to administrative agencies, fire departments,[6] Hosono, N., ICCHP2018 participation report,

and hospitals in Japan. There is a story at a dental

Japan Ergonomics Society journal，Vol.54, No.4,

clinic, a patient undergoing treatment cannot

pp.186-187, 2018.

speak well with opening mouth large. Then the

Reference URL

handbook is helpful to tell the dentist about* AAJDseverity of the tooth pain. This SOS handbook is

http://www.aajd.org

also open at the AAJD website*. When SOS** NPO Color Universal Design Organization

handbook was introduced at ICCHP2018 many

http://www.color.or.jp/

participants sincerely commented to be used*** ICCHP2018

various

http://www.icchp.org/welcome-chair-18

situations.

The

comments

impressions by CPE experts toencourageforfutureand

AAJD willdevelopment

Naotsune Hosono: March, 1974, Keio University,

andFaculty of Engineering Measurement (completed

distribution of the design, for example to install it

Master’s

degree),on a smart phone.

Electric Industry Co., Ltd., July, 1981, University

Referencesof Manchester Institute of Science and Technology[1] Hosono, N., et al., Universal Communication(UMIST),

Efficiency Evaluation, Japan Ergonomics Society(acquired MSc.), July, 2003, Keio University,

52nd conference proceedings，2011.

Faculty of Science and Technology (acquired Ph.D.

[2] Hosono, N., et.al., Urgent Collaboration(engineering)), August, 2003, Japan Ergonomics

Service for Inclusive Use, Human Interface, Part

Society-Certified Ergonomics Expert (CPE), April,

I, HCII 2009, LNCS 5617, pp. 49–58, Springer-

2017, NPO Niimaru (Director)

UK,

April,

1974,

Department

Enteredof

OkiElectronics

Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2009.
[3] Hosono, N., Inoue, H., Nakanishi, M., Tomita,＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

Y., “Urgent Communication Method for deaf,
Language

Dysfunctions

andForeigners”,

Contact information

Computers Helping People with Special Needs,

e-mail：cpenewsletter@ergonomics.jp

PP.397-403, LNCS8548, Part 2, icchp, Springer,

CPEJ Newsletter editorial board

2014.

Japan Ergonomics Society[4] International Organization for Standardiza-

2-10-16, Akasaka, Minato-ku

tion: ISO9241-210 (former ISO13407:1999), “Er-Tokyo, 107-0052, JAPANgonomics Human-centred design processes for in-【Editorial board】

teractive systems,” 2010.

Keita Matsumoto (Editor-in-Chief), Kazuo Aoki,[5] International Organization for Standardiza-

Emiko Kido, Susumu Saito, Shinichi Fukuzumi,

tion, ISO9241-11, “Ergonomic requirements for

Yushi Fujita, Ryoji Yoshitake, Eriko Wanibe

https://www.ergonomics.jp/cpe/en
https://www.ergonomics.jp/product/newsletter.html
7