bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Study of the Use of a Wrist Splint to Prevent WMSDs at a Sprout Grower
Authors: Perez Graciela M. , Buchholz Bryan O.
Published: January 2012

Awkward postures and repetitive forceful motions have been implicated as risk factors for the development of work related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). The use of wrist splints in the work environment has been adapted by some employers in an effort to control at least one of these risk factors. The hypothesis follows that if workers wear wrist splints they can avoid awkward wrist postures, which may reduce their risk for the development of WMSDs. The affect of the wrist splint on the amount of force exerted by the workers is unknown. This study was undertaken at a sprout grower to analyze the relative force exerted by workers with and without a splinted dominant wrist during two hand intensive jobs. It was found that the ability to exert peak grip force was significantly impaired with the use of the wrist splint. In addition, extrinsic flexor electromyography (EMG) and anterior deltoid EMG were relatively higher while subjects worked with splinted wrists as compared to working without a wrist splint. This preliminary data suggests that a wrist splint may limit awkward wrist postures at the expense of increasing the force required to perform hand intensive tasks.

The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Patient Monitoring Technology: Friend or Foe?
Authors: Seagull F. Jacob , Xiao Yan
Published: January 2012

This symposium presents four viewpoints on the role of patient monitoring technology in supporting care-provider activity in the medical domain. First, observations of care providers in the critical care setting provide an overview of the current state of affairs and the style of interaction that characterizes current technology. Second, task analysis and interface design techniques from a medical device manufacturer are reviewed as an example of how the medical device industry is incorporating human factors considerations into current design decisions. Third, an innovative approach using an ecological, object-based display is offered and systematic tests of its efficacy are presented as alternatives to traditional displays of vital signs for patient monitoring. Lastly, a strong critique of the current philosophy of monitoring technology is presented. The diverse viewpoints of the contributors provide evidence regarding the strengths, weaknesses and possibilities for improvement of patient monitoring technology.
Managing the Monitors: An Analysis of Alarm Silencing Activities during an Anesthetic Procedure
Authors: Xiao Yan , Mackenzie Colin F. , Seagull F. Jacob , Jaberi Mahmood
Published: January 2012

Patient monitoring devices are designed to assist users in obtaining information on the patient and life-support equipment status. Most of the these devices have built-in visual and auditory alarms, which are to help the user to manage attention allocation. In this presentation we describe an analysis of the interaction between care providers and the monitoring devices during an anesthetic procedure (airway management) for trauma patients in the real environment. The videotapes of 47 cases were analyzed by coding the activities in silencing auditory alarms. In majority of the cases (87%) alarms could be heard yet only a small portion of the cases (6%) contained patient status events that signified by the alarm conditions. Care providers were frequently forced to interrupt clinical tasks to silence alarms. The differences in silencing frequency and rapidity among different monitoring devices suggest that alarms could be designed to be less intrusive and more tolerable, thus making the monitors easier to manage in critical care settings
Improving Efficiency of Physiologic Monitoring Through Human Factors
Authors: Hutchinson George , Kaiser Wendy
Published: January 2012

Certain inefficiencies exist in the delivery of alarm and other physiologic data to nursing and medical staff. We will show how employing human factors practices will direct and validate a solution to this situation. Querying the intended user, we performed a task analysis on a distributed monitoring concept noting the type of information needed and when it was needed. This data was then used to design the user interface. Recognizing that hard data provides some authority when dealing with design teams, we evaluated the resulting prototypes of the user interface through usability testing. Test scenarios and acceptance criteria were agreed to by the design team leadership to help ensure their buy-in when the testing was completed. Not only do these human factors methods help ensure a useful and successful product, they are necessary to comply with the FDA's increased focus on human factors in the risk analysis of medical devices.
Patient Monitoring Systems for Effective Patient Management in the Icu: Friend or Foe?
Authors: Miller Anne
Published: January 2012

Technology design is arguably the biggest foe in the ICU. Several researchers have attempted to integrate ICU information to reduce the cognitive burden on clinicians. However the abstraction-decomposition (ADS) framework increasingly used for modelling the ICU work domain has been subject to question in this context. This paper proposes an alternative framework based on the Viable Systems Model and the Recognition Primed Decision model from naturalistic decision theory. By acknowledging the biological nature of patient systems, the limitations of sensed data, the role of effector technology and the importance of diagnoses in patient management, it is anticipated that technology will become more friend than foe in the ICU.
Sensory Evaluation Method for Determining Portable Information Terminal Requirements for Medical Doctors in Hospital Applications
Authors: Hosono Naotsune , Inoue Hiromitsu , Tomita Yutaka
Published: January 2012

Considering the 14th Triennial Congress of the IEA theme: “Ergonomics for the New Millennium”, we explore the emergence of powerful microprocessors with the potential to be used anyone regardless of age, gender, location, nationality, or time considerations. This paper explores sensory evaluation methods using an experimental Portable Information Terminal (PIT) platform to meet the requirements of medical doctors in hospitals. We use various aspects of multimedia access to evaluate user need to employ the PIT.
Application of Industrial Engineering Method to Care Work
Authors: Kato Macky , Muzima Muneyuki , Nishiguchi Hiromi
Published: January 2012

In aging society, we have to care the elderly people who cannot support themselves without other's assistance because of disorders. However, some kind of care job put the workers physical and psychological strain. In this study, we propose the application of Industrial Engineering method, which had been produced to improve the work in factories, into care work. The result of experiment shows that PTS can contribute to improvement of care work.
A Case-Control Study of Medication use and Acute Occupational Injury
Authors: Karsh Ben-Tzion , Moro Francisco B. P. , Smith Michael J. , Booske Bridget , Sainfort François
Published: January 2012

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that workers who use medications that cause drowsiness are at increased risk of having an acute occupational injury. To test the hypothesis, a case-control study (n=1223 cases, n=1202 controls) was conducted where the sampling frame was composed of employees who had Worker's Compensation claims in one Midwestern state between March and October of 1997. Cases were employees whose cause of injury was acute (i.e. caught in, struck by, or fall). Controls, on the other hand, were employees whose cause of injury was not acute (i.e. strain injuries). The results of the study supported the hypothesis by showing that the use of drowsing medications significantly increased the risk of having an acute occupational injury (odds ratio=2.45, 95% CI = 1.00–6.01), after adjusting for 12 other risk factors. Age modified the effect such that only younger workers who took drowsing medication were at increased risk of acute occupational injuries.
Safety Culture Onboard Ships
Authors: Ek Å. , Olsson U. M. Mariner , Akselsson K.R.
Published: January 2012

A project focusing on identifying and describing maritime risks is being conducted in the heavily trafficked water area of the Sound, situated in northern Europe between Sweden and Denmark. This paper reports of a test of a first version of a questionnaire constructed for measuring safety culture onboard vessels. 48 crew members on a Swedish registered passenger/cargo ship completed and returned the questionnaire. The crew members were able to complete the questionnaire with few unanswered questions. Acceptable homogeneity was obtained for all but one of the nine dimensions of safety culture. Significant differences on several of the safety culture dimensions were found between deck/engine vs catering personnel, men vs women and different age groups, while little differences where found for supervisors vs non-supervisors or people with varying number of years onboard. Such safety culture dimensions need to be studied in relation to reports of accidents and near-misses, to further study the true relevance of safety culture.
A model to predict employee compliance with employee coporate's safety regulations factoring risk perception
Authors: Diaz Yenny Farinas , Resnick Marc L.
Published: January 2012

Industrial accidents are a critical problem affecting U.S. industry today. They account for 3.2 million disabling injuries and 9,000 deaths annually, costing upwards of $110 billion a year according to the National Safety Council's latest data. Reducing the incidence of industrial accidents is one of the primary concerns of safety engineers. To reduce accidents, workers are trained in safe procedures and provided with personal protective equipment (PPE) where necessary. However, training and PPE are only effective when workers comply with the trained procedures and use the PPE. Companies use various reward systems and negative reinforcement to encourage workers to comply. Several factors may affect compliance behavior. When workers perceive that management has a strong commitment to safety, they may be more influenced by safety policies. On the other hand, if the company's incentive system for productivity overshadows the safety program, they may sacrifice safety compliance to achieve greater production. Risk perception is also likely to influence compliance. If a worker does not perceive a hazard as being either likely or serious, they are less likely to comply with safe behavior at the expense of productivity. Some factors may affect risk perception. Workers who have personally experienced the consequences of an industrial accident should be more likely to perceive a task as risky and comply with safe behaviors. On the other hand, long work service without an accident is likely to have the opposite affect. This paper outlines the empirical development and validation of a model to predict safety compliance. Compliance with company PPE regulations were observed at a manufacturing facilityfor several months. Jobs included various types of manufacturing processes, assembly tasks, shipping, and receiving. Data for each observation included details on the age and experience of the worker, the worker's perceptions of job difficulty and management's commitment to safety. Workers filled out surveys from the Jackson Personality Inventory Revised (JPI-R) to measure personal characteristics of the workers such as risk-taking and anxiety.
Risk Management: Understanding Key Principles of Successful Management Systems
Authors: Zimolong Bernhard
Published: January 2012

A framework of a risk management system has been proposed. The paper presents an empirical study of key elements of the holistic concept. Results on human resource management systems related to Occupational Health and Safety emphasize the combined application of reward, appraisal and career development systems. Control strategies for different types of organizations are discussed.
Assessing Environment, Safety and Health Strategy and Economic Contribution to a Firm's Competitiveness
Authors: Veltri Anthony
Published: January 2012

Previously, senior-level executives who wanted to assess environment, safety and health strategy and it's economic contribution have had to satisfy themselves with fragmented, piecemeal approaches that are not linked to the firm's competitive strategy. As a result, environment, safety and health issues are looked at as non-business issues, left out of the firms competitive planning process and exempt from senior-level executive's expectation that this function manage it's internal and external affairs strategically. Because both external and external financial analysts will rely on available measures of environment, safety and health performance, practitioners in this field must develop and make available newer kinds of information, which most accurately reflects progress toward helping the firm to compete. Strategic management and technical specialists have developed powerful approaches for assessing strategy in research and development, design and process engineering, manufacturing, finance, marketing, and management information. So far, however, the environment, safety and health function has not received comparable guidance. This paper suggests such an assessment approach. While the research on the efficacy of this proposed assessment approach is currently being pilot tested within the construction industry, it is believed that with certain minor modifications, it is applicable to other industry types.
„Custom Made” Load Limits Shaped by Age, Gender and Stature Distributions - A New Iso-Approach
Authors: Schaefer P. , Kapitaniak B. , Schaub K. H.
Published: January 2012

A new load evaluation procedure is proposed featuring adjustments of load limits to any optional target population. These populations are characterized by age, gender and stature. The procedure is going to be integrated into ISO 11228/2 providing adjustable limits for pushing, pulling and holding operations. An example is given to demonstrate variabilities of resulting limits.
Physical and Psychological Impairments of Pilots in U.S. Aviation Crashes
Authors: Mortimer Rudolf G. , Gu Kenneth Q.
Published: January 2012

The National Transportation Safety Board's airplane accident data for 1983–1995 were used to analyze accidents that involved physical or psychological health factors of pilots-anxiety, physical impairment, alcohol or drugs, pressure and fatigue. About 3.8% of the accidents involved one or more of the “health” factors. Among pilots younger than 45, alcohol/drugs and pressure were most common. The accidents of those aged 45-60 involved alcohol/drugs with about the same frequency as those of younger pilots but they also had an increased risk of physical impairment. Pilots over the age of 60 were less involved in crashes with alcohol/drugs, pressure and anxiety than younger pilots but more in those concerning physical impairment. Fatigue was mostly a factor in accidents of professional pilots.
NASA Langley Crew Systems Contributions to Aviation Safety Technology: Results of Studies to Date
Authors: Willshire Kelli F. , Latorella Kara A. , Glaab Lou J.
Published: January 2012

The goal of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Aviation Safety program is to reduce the number of fatal aircraft accidents worldwide by 80% within 10 years and by 90% within 20 years. Because flight crew error is cited as a causal factor in approximately 70% of aviation accidents occurring from 1985 to 1995 (Boeing, 1996), NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) is leading studies for the Aviation Safety program toward reducing flight crew error with synthetic vision and improved aviation weather information. Synthetic vision is defined as augmented visual displays in which terrain, traffic, and obstacle database information, enhanced by computer graphics and other information, are presented to the flight crew. The Aviation Weather Information (AWIN) project involves determining flight crew requirements for cockpit weather information, integrating weather information products on the flight deck, and designing proper interfaces for their use. This paper presents results of studies to date in these two areas which are leading to new design concepts for significant mitigation of flight crew error. Indications are presented of the relative contributions of these technologies to the Aviation Safety program goal of reduced aviation accidents worldwide.
Development of an Incident Investigation Process
Authors: Green Marie M. , Morisseau Dolores , Seim Lars Åge , Skriver Jan
Published: January 2012

In many industries a traditional approach to incident investigation is still used, especially in incidents with limited consequences, and near-misses. The systematic identification of underlying and root causes is often limited to accidents with more serious consequences. While it is widely acknowledged that human error plays a role in a large number of incidents across all industries, many still rely on methods such as the International Safety Rating System for classifying the causes of incidents. In such systems, factors which can influence human performance, such as training, procedures, work systems, etc., are only superficially addressed. This results in data which are of little value in developing remedial actions to prevent reoccurrence. This paper outlines a simple but systematic incident investigation process, which is aimed at identifying the human and organisational causes of everyday incidents in the offshore petroleum industry.
Factors Associated with Good Safety Records and Safe Work Environment in the Metal Industry
Authors: Laitinen H , Lankinen T , Lindström K , Rasa P-L , Räsänen T , Visuri M
Published: January 2012

The purpose was to analyze possible effects of the safety management factors, production management factors, psychosocial factors and work force factors on the accident rate and on the physical work environment. The researchers visited 50 metal product manufacturing companies and observed the physical environment with a standardized method. The workers answered a questionnaire. A high index of physical environment, high fluency of work and high organizational commitment of workers was related with low accident rate. However, bad organizational climate and bad supervisory support were related with high index of physical work environment. Perceived safety management program had no effect on accidents and no effect on work environment.
Simulation of Hazardous Situations in Woodworking Machinery Design
Authors: Myrcha K. , Wrobel J. , Gierasimiuk J.
Published: January 2012

In this paper some selected problems of design for the safety of woodworking machines are considered. The computer aided design system is created for this purpose. Different engineering data bases are created for this task as well. A system of simulation of the hazard to the men cooperating with a woodworking machine is proposed. This system is designed for the AutoCAD system and works on an IBM PC computer. MS ACCESS is applied for data bases creation. A motion simulation and animation can be made in the system and 3D Studio system is applied for this task. Some design results are presented in the paper as well.
“How do human beings behave under the suddenly hazardous situation?”-Characteristics of Stepping-out Behavior-
Authors: Son Shin Hong , Masada Wataru
Published: January 2012

The purpose of this study is to find characteristics of human behavior in the suddenly hazardous situation. In this study, the experiment was conducted in two virtual environments. 166 subjects (58 male and 108 female) joined. Two stimuli were presented to subjects at random. As a result, we confirmed some characteristics about escaping behavior. First, almost the whole subjects had difficulties to escape from falling stimuli than stimuli of head-on-collision. Secondly, escaping distance was shorter than expectation: no one could escape more than 90 cm. Thirdly, female subjects tended to protect their faces and heads using hands or arms. These results will be applied to measures of accident prevention.
An Analysis on Human Factor Issues in Criticality Accident at a Uranium Processing Plant
Authors: Goda Hidenori , Sasou Kunihide , Hirotsu Yuko
Published: January 2012

The authors analyzed worker behavior in the criticality accident which occurred on 30 September 1999 at a uranium processing plant in Tokai-mura, Japan. Five poor factors of organization were found to have influenced workers' behavior. In addition, the authors concluded that these factors are due to lack of organizational ethics regarding safety.
Optimizing Worker and Product Protection in Distribution Packaging
Authors: Arndt Robert H.
Published: January 2012

A majority of items going through distribution centers are packaged in corrugated boxes. These boxes vary considerably in size, shape, and design as well as in the weight they contain. The characteristics of the packaging and how the items are shipped and stored in the warehouse have a significant impact on the risk of injury for individuals who must manually handle those products. The purpose of this paper is to describe certain packaging issues that impact on ergonomics and more importantly to point out how this type of information can be used to help reduce musculoskeletal stressors in the distribution environment. In many cases proper design of the packaging will reduce damage to the product, packaging costs and the risk of injuries. Several ways of reducing the hazards to both the worker and the package will be illustrated through examples.
Errors in Shipping
Authors: Bishu Ram R.
Published: January 2012

Contemporary manufacturing organizations have adopted just-in-time production philosophy for the last two decades in order to have the benefits of lean inventory at all levels. However, bulk of finished goods end up in warehouses before shipment to its final destination. This is especially true for commodities that require large distribution networks, or for components that are shipped for final assembly at customer site, or for products that are made in bulk but distributed through a wide network to the final consumers. Hence warehouses play an important role in the contemporary economy. However, they have their concerns as well. This case study investigates shipping errors in an existing warehouse from all perspectives, with an intent to improve productivity. It reports some interesting results. Care has to be ensured that they do occupy space economically, have state of the art storage and retrieval systems(ASRS). Care also has to be taken to ensure that they operate under reliable information system and weight management systems. If not, errors in shipping can become sufficient to warrant management attention
The Effectiveness of Training on Lifting Techniques and Worker Selection Protocols in Preventing Back Injuries in Distribution and Logistics Operations
Authors: Isernhagen Susan J.
Published: January 2012

The combination of work-specific technique training and worker selection creates the match of work and worker. Interaction of these two applications have been studied and found to decrease injury and turnover in new hires.
To Do?, Or not to Do?: Both are the Questions
Authors: Leonard S. David
Published: January 2012

Safety communications are most commonly considered in terms of warnings to avoid certain behaviors thus reducing the occurrence of accidents. Use of symbols is helpful when the target individuals are not literate or do not read the language in which the warnings are written. Two factors are relevant to the use of symbols. A symbol that is not understood will not serve the purpose. Further, almost all warning symbols involve prohibition of some act or object. There are also circumstances that require communicating that something should be done. This paper describes approaches to a symbol for “to do” items and shows that in some cases they may enhance understanding the prohibition.
Evaluating the Clarity of Highway Entrance-Ramp Directional Signs
Authors: Barnes Heather J. , Levine Jonathan D. , Wogalter Michael S.
Published: January 2012

Near the approaches of interstate and other major highways, posted directional signs warn drivers about the proper lanes for entering these high-speed limited-access roadways. These signs are intended to guide drivers with clear, concise directions, but they may instead expose drivers to ambiguous information. This ambiguity has the potential for causing accidents when the wrong lane is chosen and the driver must cross several lanes of traffic in these frequently busy interchanges. The present study examined the effectiveness of currently used interstate entrance-ramp directional signs, as well as a set of systematically manipulated alternative signs. Participants examined 94 sets of signs having various forms of simple vs. complex arrows and text (both alone and together) and for each, they were to indicate the appropriate lanes and direction to enter the interstate highway. Participants also rated the same signs according to clarity. Results indicated that text alone and text plus arrow signs consistently produced better performance and higher clarity ratings compared to signs containing arrows alone. No differences were found in the set of text statements investigated. However, differences were found for the arrow alternatives. Simple arrows (both alone and with text) produced better performance and higher clarity ratings compared to complex arrows. The data show that the current highway signs are ambiguous, and that there are alternative designs that are clearer. In real-world applications, improved signs may reduce accident rates by decreasing decision errors.
Assessing the Effects of Adding Messages to Warning Labels
Authors: Frantz J. Paul , Rhoades Timothy P. , Young Stephen L. , Schiller Jean A.
Published: January 2012

Within the context of a realistic task (setting up an office space), 84 subjects used a two-drawer file cabinet that displayed a warning label with different numbers of statements—one, three or five. In each of these labels, a target statement, indicating that the bottom drawer was to be filled before the top one to avoid tipping, appeared first in the list. One additional warning label condition had three statements with the target statement appearing last. The warning label was affixed to the file cabinet in such a way that subjects had to interact with and remove it in order to fill the file drawer(s). Results demonstrated that almost all of the subjects noticed the label, but very few read or complied with the target warning statement regardless of its location within the list (first or last) or the number of total items on the label (one, three or five).
Behavioral Safety — Making Sure Your Approach Fits Your Needs
Authors: Lutness John O.
Published: January 2012

With its introduction in the late 1970s, behavioral safety gave employers and employees a new way to look at — and improve — safety performance. However, behavioral safety approaches aren't “one size fits all.” As safety cultures evolve from management-driven (dependent) to self-directed (independent) to mutual-caring (interdependent), successful implementation requires different methodologies.

This presentation details ways that members of the food industry can effectively utilize behavioral safety. Included are insights into behavioral safety, its key concepts, critical success factors and implementation methodologies for different safety cultures. The results of behavioral safety efforts at DuPont and other companies worldwide also will be discussed.
Safe Stair Descent in the Elderly: Effects of Visual Conditions on Foot-Stair Interaction
Authors: Christina Kathryn A , Okita Noriaki , Owens D Alfred , Cavanagh Peter R
Published: January 2012

The elderly are at particular risk for stair related accidents due to the prevalence of age related functional declines in the visual, somatosensory and vestibular systems. Certain architectural features of some staircases may further magnify these age-dependent intrinsic risk factors. Altered visual conditions such as the use of bifocals or inadequate lighting may result in altered strategies used during stair descent. The purpose of this study was to examine strategies used to safely negotiate stairs in altered visual conditions (bifocals and low ambient lighting). The dependent variables examined were the ground reaction force profiles and the required coefficient of friction during stair descent.
Warnings and Instructions: Design Factors for Medical Devices and Systems
Authors: Kalsher Michael J. , Wogalter Michael S.
Published: January 2012

The development and widespread use of sophisticated medical devices to help patients has also hurt patients through operator error. Some of this error may be attributable to the quality of the labeling instructions that accompany these devices. Lessons learned from two decades of research on warnings may serve as a guide to development of effective medical device labeling practices. In this article, we highlight some of the issues associated with poor medical device labeling practices, suggest a framework for guiding development of medical device labeling practices based on the communication-human information processing model, and finally, present an example of a medical device for which better labeling and instructions are needed.
The Use of Standardized Forearm Emg Measures to Predict Single and Multi-Digit Forces
Authors: Astin Angela DiDomenico , Nussbaum Maury A.
Published: January 2012

Determination and integration of force requirements is an essential component of designing tools and workstations that involve the use of the hand and fingers. This study investigated the feasibility of circumventing direct force measurements through the use of linear models to estimate time varying forces from myoelectric measures. Such a process is of utility when designing and evaluating hand tools and human-machine interfaces involving finger intensive tasks, since the integration of task force requirements are necessary to reduce the risk of injury to the upper limbs. Surface electrodes were used to record electromyographic signals collected from three standardized electrode sites on the forearm. Multiple linear regression models were generated to predict finger force levels with the three normalized electromographic measures as predictor variables. The results suggest that standardized procedures for obtaining EMG data and simple linear models can be used to accurately predict finger forces (R2-adj: 0.77–0.88; standard error: 9.21 N – 12.42N) during controlled maximal exertions. Additional work is being performed to determine if the models can be generalized to more complex tasks.
Relationship between Pinch Width and Secure Force Exertion during Holding Objects
Authors: Kotani Kentaro , Horii Ken , Ohashi Naoyuki
Published: January 2012

In this study, whether or not the pinch width affects the pinch force to be securely exerted was investigated. We focused especially on individual pinch width when the muscle are relaxed, which is defined as Natural Opposition Distance, rather than the span determined by the object in the conventional approach. A total of 10 subjects participated in the experiment where their individual NODs were measured with the CyberGlove system. Objects with different pinch width including individual NODs were used for measuring secure force of 1-point pinch grip. The results of ANOVA showed that the difference in pinch width did not influence secure force. All in all, results of our experiment implied that the difference in grip span has less influence on force exertion when the exertion is submaximal.
A Comparison of Forearm Muscle Fatigue Rates for Static Hand Forces
Authors: McMullin Dianne L. , Ratzenberger Amy
Published: January 2012

Gaining insight into muscle function capabilities, specifically localized muscle fatigue, is an important research goal in ergonomics. The experiment sought to determine if fatigue rates are similar when muscle force is normalized to an individual's MVC. The value of the EMG median power frequency was examined after 5, 10, 15, and 20 seconds for the forearm flexors muscles and the forearm extensor muscles. Subjects were found to have a significant effect on the median power frequency, as did muscles, indicating that subjects fatigue at different rates even when given tasks that are normalized to their own capabilities.
Working Posture Measurement for CTD Study Using Windows Application Program
Authors: Park Donghyun , Rhee Nahm Guhn , Hur Kuk Kang
Published: January 2012

Today, CTDs(Cumulative Trauma Disorders) have been one of major hazards in the US and European industries disrupting work schedules, productivity and increasing workers compensation costs. The increase in their associated costs has led companies to form committees and implement programs to address this problem. Therefore, it is important that quantitative analysis tools help identify certain industrial tasks that pose risk to workers. In this study, a technique for posture measurement is proposed to have more reliable way of data acquisition. There are three main steps. The first step is a videotaping of each types of postures. The second step is a conversion of posture information in videotape into image file using encoder. The third step is an actual measurement using three labels on each frame of the posture converted from the videotape. If you located these labels at the joints (e.g. shoulder-elbow-wrist), you would have a deviation angle for the middle joint (e.g. elbow). When you finished one posture (e.g. right elbow flexion), you would have descriptive statistics of the posture as well as individual deviation angles for each frame.

Finally, a pilot study for the reliability of this technique was conducted. The total of ten subjects was asked to measure a posture of each frame using this technique. Most correlation coefficients between real deviation angles and measured angles by subjects were over 0.7. The reliability of subjects (consistency of each subject's measurement for the same frame) was also evaluated by Cronbach Alpha. Most Cronbach Alpha values were over 0.8.
Evaluation of the Wristcorder™: A hand-forearm motion analyzer
Authors: Scarlett Deborah S. , Chao Anjen , Bohan Michael , Shores Jennifer D.F. , You Heecheon , Chaparro Alex , Rogers Michael E. , Malzahn Don E.
Published: January 2012

For effective control and assessment of harmful hand-forearm motion at work, a valid goniometric system that produces reliable and accurate measurements is essential. The present study evaluated the WristCorderTM, a portable motion analyzer for flexion/extension (F/E), ulnar/radial deviation (U/R), and pronation/supination (P/S) of the hand-forearm, in terms of linearity, sensitivity, and reliability using the Triaxial Hand-Forearm Fixture. Eight participants having no history of musculoskeletal disorders were recruited for the evaluation. The motion analyzer produced sensor values linearly related to angular movements of the limb; sensitivity was less than 1° for F/E and U/R and between 2.5° and 3.5° for P/S; standard deviation due to measurement error was about 1° for F/E and U/R and about 2.4° for P/S; and standard error of measurement was less than 1° for F/E and U/R and 2.3° for P/S. The motion analyzer may be used as an effective tool to analyze unidimensional movements of the hand-forearm in industry. Continued study is needed to generalize the evaluation results in three-dimensional motion analysis.
Back Compressive and Shear Forces during Cart Pushing and Pulling
Authors: Hoozemans Marco J.M. , Jansen Jorrit P. , Van Dieën Jaap H. , Van Kuijer P. Paul F.M. , Van Kingma Idsart , De Vries Wiebe H.K. , Van Der Beek Allard J. , Van Der Frings-Dresen Monique H.W.
Published: January 2012

Several epidemiological studies suggest that 9–18% of low back injuries are associated with pushing and pulling. Handle height and the direction of the exerted forces (pushing or pulling) are expected to be important determinants of the health risk. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of handle height during pushing and pulling on the peak net moments, peak compressive forces and peak shear forces at the L5-S1 level. Handle height was shown to effect low back loading during pushing and pulling.
Eastern Countries in Transition to the European Union
Authors: Koradecka Danuta , Kowalski Jerzy
Published: January 2012

The period of transformation has caused several changes in the area of occupational safety and health (OSH). Among the most important are

• a “diffusion” of the entities shaping OSH (about 96% of enterprises are small and medium-sized);

• new priorities of OSH (in addition to the reduction of technical hazards in the working environment, the problems of stress have gained importance);

• changes in the job market (unemployment, the need for “multi-occupation” education, new principles of determining the ability to work);

• changes in the system of accident and occupational diseases insurance (a variable insurance premium that depends on the working conditions);

• modification of the system of supervising working conditions (from inspections to auditing systems of occupational risk assessment and OSH management).

The introduction of those changes is, in principle, evolutionary. In many cases, however, it is “revolutionary” in a positive sense of the word.
Physiological Workload during Backpack Carrying Tasks of the Soft Drink Beverage Delivery Jobs
Authors: Chung Min K. , Lee Inseok , Lee Yue J.
Published: January 2012

The deliveries of the soft drink beverages in Korea are made for a broad line of soft drink products by using a hand truck and a backpack mode of carrying. The workers usually deliver the beverages by backpack mode of carriage, because they feel safer with the method on a stairway. In this study, we investigated the effects of weight of load and work conditions upon the physiological workload of backpack carrying tasks. A laboratory experiment was conducted to measure the heart rate and oxygen uptake during backpack carrying tasks, and to propose ergonomic guidelines for such tasks based on the results of the experiment. Eight healthy male field workers participated in the experiment to perform the backpack carrying of 40 kg and 60 kg with the work conditions of (1) the leveled ground, (2) upstairs and (3) downstairs. The results showed that the stairways caused the increased physiological cost, and that a carrying load of 60 kg required significantly higher physiological cost as compared to carrying 40 kg. The average heart rate increased up to 150 bpm when carrying 40 kg on the stairs, indicating a need for ergonomic intervention. Although backpack carrying has some advantages in the biomechanical aspect, it should be advised to carry a load of less than 40 kg, since the task requires very high physiological cost. During backpack carrying, it is also recommended for a delivery person to make more trips with a light load rather than to make less trips with a heavy load at one trip.
A Model for Rehabilitation Ergonomics
Authors: Kumar Shrawan
Published: January 2012

Given the size and significance of population with disability, the rationale of extensive application of rehabilitation ergonomics is not only economically viable but profitable. Given the additional benefits of self-worth and actualization for people with disability, the development and application of rehabilitation ergonomics is not only desirable but becomes the strategy of choice.
“The Right Person at the Right Place” Improved Job Opportunities for Disabled Persons
Authors: Landau Kurt
Published: January 2012

The ABBA (Job Inspection and Stress Analysis) checklist procedure analyses both the demands imposed by jobs in industry and the (residual) work capability of disabled persons. Comparisons of the demand and aptitude profiles obtained make it possible to identify potential jobs for disabled persons as an aid to discussion between the disabled persons themselves, their superiors, the human resources planners and industrial medical staff.
Anthropometry of Elderly and Disabled with Special Attention to (Wheel) Chair Design
Authors: Molenbroek Johan FM , Zhang Bing
Published: January 2012

The need for knowledge about variation of body dimensions of elderly and disabled is even more urgent then for other groups, because these groups are much more dependant on the quality of their equipment than able-bodied people. The usability of aids for people with impairments is closely related to the proper application of anthropometry. This means for example that the right anthropometric data is taken for the target population and that the prototype is tested before being produced.

For both parts in the design process our AIS (Anthropometric Information System) software should assist. It consists of an easy interface to receive the right hints at the right place in the design process as described before. AIS forces to choose a target population to design for and gives feedback about the excluded percentage of users through every design decision.

This paper describes how products like wheelchairs can be improved with the use of feedforward and feedback about the critical steps in the anthropometrical design process.
Carers' Views of the Thermal Comfort Requirements of People with Physical Disabilities
Authors: Hill L. D. , Webb L. H. , Parsons K. C.
Published: January 2012

A postal questionnaire was completed by thirty-eight carers concerning their experiences and perspectives of the thermal comfort requirements of people with physical disabilities. The ‘stand alone’ questionnaire included sections on environmental conditions, problems and complaints, human responses and issues concerning specific disabilities. Carers were selected from those available at day centres, residential homes and holiday centres. Of the thirty-eight carers, nine were male, twenty-nine were female, four were disabled and thirty-four were not disabled. Twenty-nine of the carers (76%) thought that people with physical disabilities had different ‘temperature needs’. Of the complaints received, the most common request was for people to ask to be warmer, although the staff tended to want to be cooler. Many people with physical disabilities were affected both physically and mentally when they felt too warm or too cold.
Flexible Engineering Platforms for Barrier-Free Design and Usability Testing
Authors: Averboukh Elena A.
Published: January 2012

Key-problems of barrier-free design and deficiencies of traditional usability engineering approaches as well as of existing engineering platforms are analysed. Evolution of technologies that support design and production of complex interactive software-hardware systems is presented. Practical steps towards integration of pure engineering technology-driven and usability engineering driven approaches are discussed.
Usability of the Graphic Information, Navigation Systems and Cars for Seniors and Disabled
Authors: Venda Valery F. , Venda Nadia I. , Averboukh Elena A. , Nosulenko Valery N.
Published: January 2012

Authors conducted survey and conversion of information on space and aviation ergonomics to the car, computer, navigation and communication systems design. These achievements and methods are particularly important for the fast growing needs and market of special solutions for elderly and disabled drivers.

New principles (“laws”) of automotive ergonomics and methods of individual adaptation of human-computer dialogue were developed based on theory of ergodynamics (Venda and Venda, 1995). They were applied to usability analysis of navigation systems for vision and hearing impaired and other drivers who need a customized car and driver-computer dialogue. We studied experimentally perception of navigation maps by drivers with different vision disabilities (anomalies).

45 people of the ages of 20–30 and 60 subjects of the ages 55–75 with different types of astigmatism participated in the experiment. We displayed information by projecting slides on a screen, with a computer display, with a TV display, LCD panel and with various point lighting matrices. We changed the shape of the symbols, the distance of perception, vision angle, general lighting on the work station, brightness and contrast of the symbols on the screens.
The Effect of Muscle Strength and Endurance Training on Muscoloskeletal Complaints in the Shoulder/Neck Region of Cashier Checkout Workers
Authors: Pedersen Mogens Theisen , Mikkelsen Sigurd , Fallentin Nils
Published: January 2012

The health effect of a muscle strenght and endurance training programme on shoulder/neck disorders in cashier checkout workers was investigated. 29 checkout workers from two large retail supermarkets participated in 30 training sessions during a 15-week training programme. In comparison to a control group (n=24) without training, the trained group showed an increase in muscle strength and endurance. Perceived exertion in a dynamic and a static endurance test were significantly lowered in the training group compared with the control group. The trained group reported that checkout work felt less tiring as an effect of the training programme. Improvement of neck complaints was more pronounced in the training group than in the control group. This effect, however, may be ascribed to a pre-training difference in the level of complaints between the two groups. No significant training effect on shoulder complaints could be shown.
The Effects of Low Back Pain on the Perception of Job Demands
Authors: Halpern Manny
Published: January 2012

Patients self-reports on job demands may be used in primary and secondary prevention. This study investigated the relationship between job demands rated by employees on sick leave due to acute/ sub-acute low back pain, active coworkers and supervisors. A 25-item questionnaire assessed exposure to physical and organizational job characteristics. A convenience sample from employees of public transportation and utility companies yielded 63 matched job profiles. The analysis examined agreement on rating of questionnaire items and job profiles.*** Test-retest studies showed that patients and non-patients were consistent in their rating (kappa 0.32–0.93). However, the raters assessed the job demands differently (ri 0.01–0.74). The differences among the raters were significant in 72% of the questionnaire items. Symptomatic individuals rated their jobs as being more demanding compared to their supervisors; workers' scores fall in between the two. This suggests that the non-specific low back pain influences the assessment of job demands even in the early stages of the experience. The questionnaire apparently measures perceptions rather than accurate exposure, rendering it useful in secondary prevention.
Self-Paced High Frequency Lifting of Light Loads
Authors: Smith James L. , Fox Robert R.
Published: January 2012

A study was designed to psychophysically examine the maximum acceptable frequency of lifting for light loads. Twelve male subjects participated in the experiment in which they lifted boxes weighing either 0.7 kg or 4.5 kg from an initial height of 0.76 m to a final height of 1.27 m. Therefore, the lifting was primarily in the knuckle to shoulder height range, involving arm lifting and very little lifting of body weight. The task duration was one hour and subjects were allowed and encouraged to make as many adjustments as they felt necessary to arrive at their maximum acceptable frequency of lift. Cardboard boxes, (28 cm high by 30 cm wide by 25 cm deep) without handles, were used as lifting containers. For the 0.7 kg load, selected frequencies ranged from a low of 22 lifts per minute to a high of 40 lifts per minute. For the 4.5 kg load, the maximum acceptable frequencies ranged from 14 to 31 lifts per minute. Only two of the twelve subjects selected frequencies of 15 or lower for the 4.5 kg load and none selected a frequency of less than 22 lifts per minute for the 0.7 kg load.