bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Technology and Young Adult Visual Acuity Degradation Symptoms
Authors: Fasanya Bankole , Akanbi Olukunle , Usu Nihaar , Adeyeye Temilade
Published: June 2022

Technology in the modern age is used in various sectors, particularly screen technology, usually in many everyday devices such as smartphones, personal computers, tablets, and smartwatches. Most of the consumer products used in this current age have a screen interface and are abundantly distributed to the public. This study investigated the connection between the rapid availability of digital screen devices and vision problems in young adults. One hundred and two students and twelve vision care experts participated in the study. Results revealed that about 59% of the students experienced a worse vision from 2015 to late 2021. About 73% of these student respondents affirmed using a smartphone as the primary digital screen device for 5-6 hours daily, and 37% confirmed to have experienced eye dryness and irritation during COVID-19. Vision care experts confirmed treating many young adult patients with vision-related issues in the past five years compared with a decade ago. About 58% of the vision experts believe blue light filters will reduce visual degradation when over exposed to digital screens. This area of study needs empirical research to ascertain other health hazards associated with the new technology evolving in our daily activities.
Reanalyzing the FPSO CSM accident (2015) with a Human Factors approach to understand the contribution of organizational elements and complexities
Authors: Franca Josue , Hollnagel Erik
Published: June 2022

This study presents a reanalysis of FPSO (Floating Production Storage & Offloading) CSM (Cidade de São Mateus) accident, occurred in February 2015, in the post-salt of the Camarupim fields, in the Espírito Santo offshore area, using the FRAM (Functional Resonance Analysis Method) methodology, and based on technical-scientific materials such as books, articles and reports prepared by the companies involved in the accident and the Brazilian regulatory agency ANP (Agência Nacional do Petróleo, Gás Natural e Biocombustíveis). The purpose of this reanalysis is to seek elements, factors, characteristics and interactions that could not be well analysed or evidenced using traditional risk assessment and accident investigation techniques, primarily designed to analyse simple and linear systems. In order to have a coherent analysis between the accident and the complex sociotechnical systems involved, the FRAM methodology was chosen, as it comprehensively manages to analyse from simple to more complex systems. And in fact, with this reanalysis using the FRAM, it was possible to perceive the influence of organizational elements, such as culture, in the entire accidental chain of the event. In addition, contractual pressures related to business, fear of hierarchical consequences and failures in decision making, at all levels, were also evidenced. The findings of this study highlighted the need of a broader approach for accidents involving high-tech industries, such as O&G and aerospace. In this sense, the FRAM enabled a more comprehensive and coherent analysis of the complexities of offshore oil production systems, notably in emergency situations, as was this accident. Comparisons between the traditional analysis methodologies, with the results obtained with the application of the FRAM, showed that there are elements contributing to the accidents that need to be considered, but that techniques limited to linear and simple systems still cannot cover this recognition. It was noticed that the greater the complexity of work systems, the greater the interaction and variability between personnel, equipment and systems, requiring, both for normal operation and for emergencies, analysis techniques and methodologies capable of recognizing the real complexities that take place in these sociotechnical systems, especially aboard offshore oil platforms at sea.
Selection and implementation of Evidence based Safety Performance Indicators in Aviation Training
Authors: Dillman Brian , Ziakkas Dimitrios , Cutter Jason
Published: June 2022

Safety management in Aviation training is shaped by identification, evaluation, and measurement of the safety risks. The International Air Transportation Authority (IATA) Technology Roadmap (IATA 2022) offers a synopsis and evaluation of ongoing technology opportunities, which change the aviation environment with the implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and introduction of enhanced Minimum Crew Operations (eMCO) and Single Pilot Operations (SiPO). Change management (airplane design philosophy /ergonomics) affects aviation training design philosophy. A hybrid competency-based education approach in aviation needs interaction with the aviation industry and changes in flight operations (ICAO, 2022). The performance gap of these changes concerning the aviation industry, flight operations, and training is assessed and measured through Evidence-Based Training (EBT) pilot competencies (ICAO, 2016). Safety management systems (SMSs) in aviation training present a lag in identifying and implementing Safety Performance Indicators (SPIs). Implementation of Evidence-based Safety performance indicators as conceptualized in the aviation training through SPI’s (data-based parameters from students' flights) at a theoretical and practical level, act as safety (SMS), personal development (identify pilot weakness – Human Factors), and assessment (Competency-based education) tool (ICAO, 2018).Keywords: Evidence-Based Training (EBT), Safety Management Systems (SMSs), Safety Performance Indicators (SPIs), Human Factors (HF), ergonomics, aviation training.
Construction and Evaluation of Influencing Factor Evaluation System Model for Campus Safety Awareness
Authors: Shang Hang , Wang Weifu , Zhao Min
Published: June 2022

The university campus is a very densely populated group organization and a place prone to safety accidents.The quality of campus safety prevention work is not only related to the personal safety of campus teachers and students, but also related to the stable development of the society.Therefore, improving the safety awareness of college students and promoting students' safety behavior is the key to improve the campus safety.First of all, according to the three elements of human, material and environment, this paper preliminarily constructed the campus safety awareness evaluation index, including 3 first-level indicators, 9 second-level indicators, to explore the main factors affecting students' safety awareness.Secondly, the preliminarily constructed evaluation indicators are revised by the Delphi method, and the revised indicators are 3 first-level indicators and 12 second-level indicators.Then, the corrected index weights were calculated by hierarchical analysis.Finally, according to the calculated index weight, the Grey evaluation value is calculated, and the main factors affecting students' awareness of campus safety behavior according to the results of the evaluation value are determined.In order to improve the campus security, give a directional reference.
Learning from speaking up by learning to speak up
Authors: Van Dongen Dimmy , Guldenmund Frank , Groeneweg Jop , Grossmann Irene , Roelofsma Peter , Luijcks Nienke
Published: June 2022

Of all the events that contribute to deaths due to preventable medical errors in healthcare, ineffective communication is one of the most frequently identifiedprimary causes. Failure to speak up or to get others to listen is part of this ineffective communication. Therefore, speaking up behavior of healthcare workers is seen as an important factor to improve patient safety. However, more research is needed to understand 1) the most important influencing factors of speaking up behavior, 2) what kind of speaking up behavior is used and is most effective in preventing adverse events and 3) what is the role of the receiver and the work environment.
Adaptive shared mental models for medical teams
Authors: Canbaloğlu Gülay , Van Ments Laila , Treur Jan , Klein Jan , Roelofsma Peter
Published: June 2022

This paper describes how second-order adaptive network models for mental processes can be used to model and support (shared) mental models for team performance and organizational learning. The paper illustrates on the one hand the value of adequate shared mental models for safe and efficient team and organizational performance. On the other hand it illustrates cases of imperfections of such shared team models in practice and how this complicates the team and organisational performance. To this end, the controlled adaptive network models can cover use, adaptation and control of a shared mental model and its learning. It is illustrated for an application context of a medical team and organization performance. Simulations illustrate how such adaptive network models are able to address the type of complications that can occur in realistic scenarios and also how better shared mental models can be learnt by organisational learning through aggregation of the best individual mental models. The paper discusses implications for healthcare safety and future research.
Conducive Design for Safety in Modular Plants
Authors: Pelzer Florian , Klose Anselm , Helmert Jens , Urbas Leon , Pannasch Sebastian
Published: June 2022

The changeability of modular process plants implies the need for fundamentally new safety strategies: Since Operators must implement safety measures, assistance systems are needed to enable the operator to execute safety engineering tasks. We analyze the operator tasks during build up and re-configuration of flexible production systems in the process industry. Based on a state-of-the-art analysis of conventional safety engineering tasks, requirements to assist operators by a technical system are derived. We designed an assistance system and a module self-description to enable operators to implement the safety related interconnection of modules. To prove our concept, we successfully implemented the technical concepts in a demonstration plant. By implementing measures that are conducive to operators, we have been able to maintain their role as the most flexible resource in modular plants.
Analysis of Pre-evacuation Time and EEG for Fire Alarm when Wearing ANC Earphones
Authors: Won Gu Ji , Hwang Ji-Hoon , Oh Ryun-Seok , Choi Jun-Ho
Published: June 2022

With the development of mobile technology and the progress of an Untact society, the number of people who listen to lectures or music in various urban environments is increasing. In response to such an increase in demand, Active Noise Canceling(ANC) earphones that remove ambient background noise or static and also enable stable listening have been developed, and the earphones are enjoying great popularity. However, these ANC earphones can put the user in a dangerous situation at any time because they block even major alarm sounds such as a car horn or fire alarm. In this study, 10 men and women in their 20s, who frequently use ANC earphones, were asked to listen to music by wearing ANC earphones without prior notification of the fact that a fire alarm sound was transmitted. After that, the fire alarm bell or emergency broadcast sound was randomly generated for them to recognise the fire situation, and the time it took to start evacuation was measured. And in all these processes, EEG was simultaneously measured to analyse changes in emotions such as arousal responses felt by the experimental participants As a result of the experiment, it was found that the case of transmitting an emergency broadcast made the participants start evacuation approximately 23 seconds faster than the case of sounding the fire alarm bell. However, as a result of correlation analysis with EEG values indicating arousal responses such as tension, irritability, and nervousness, the significance probability(p-value) was 0.825, indicating that there is no statistically significant correlation. Therefore, it was found that the participants’ awareness of the fire alarm sound decreased when wearing ANC earphones regardless of the types of the fire alarm whether it was an alarm bell or an emergency broadcast.
Multimodal haptics perception of underwater flow for scuba diving safety training
Authors: Shirakawa Kazuma , Misaki Daigo
Published: June 2022

Water accidents require intuitive decisions and training for such decisions because of the short time between involvement and death. The goal is to use engineering techniques to train and prevent accidents that require split-second decisions or are caused by human actions or scenarios that are difficult to anticipate.In recent years, the number of fatalities in traffic accidents and disasters has decreased significantly due to the development of technology and new technologies. However, water-related accidents, especially those caused by currents, involve human factors, and the ratio of fatalities to the number of accidents is still high. It is difficult to cover and solve such human-caused accidents with engineering technology alone. Therefore, it is necessary to solve the fundamental problem. The most important solution is to train people. By training people, the fundamental awareness of human factors can be trained, which will reduce accidents. The most effective way to learn these factors is through hands-on education and training. Among these, VR can be performed regardless of the location. It is expected to be much more effective than those obtained from videos or books.Many studies on VR training and Evangelos Markopoulo et al. have conducted a study on maintenance and safety education of ship engine systems using VR. In another study, Victor Saint-Martin et al. studied fire VR training for hospital personnel who have difficulty participating in regular on-the-job training. While there are studies on VR training that focus mainly on visual training, few studies on VR training focus on water accidents and aim to reduce accidents by tactilely displaying the strength of underwater currents. In addition, many underwater VR studies have been conducted for entertainment purposes, and few studies evaluate the perception of danger. In this study, we propose a VR system and a multimodal interface to post the flow of water hazards caused by the flow. Here, we validated the experience of flow using multiple senses, including VR and tactile sensation, to confirm the validity of the risk assessment. We found that the degree of risk perceived by a person can be combined in an additive manner with the risk postings given to each sensory organ, resulting in a higher risk rating. We also found that force postings produced higher danger ratings than tactile postings. These results indicate that using multiple senses to assess the danger of water currents increases the danger rating, and combining it with force instead of tactile sensation further increases the danger rating. In the future, we plan to discuss the effectiveness of this training in developing intuitive judgment. Furthermore, we would like to utilize this training for water accidents and other intuitive accidents to develop the ability to grasp the situation and make a judgment instantly.
Ergonomics workplace assessment: differences between on-site and remote ergonomic evaluations under COVID-19 conditions
Authors: Maria Zambrano Rojas Laura , Diego Marquez Posso Juan , Andres Rivera Sánchez Iván , Andrés Saavedra Luis , Bernal Oscar
Published: June 2022

The aim of Ergonomic workplace assessment (EWA) is to promote worker’s health due to identification, measurement and risk control related to the working conditions. Covid-19 pandemics forced workers to relocate their workplace from their offices to their homes. This fact headed the introduction of information technologies for the implementation of the EWA. This paper is focused in identifying the differences within both modalities. Seventeen health professionals answered three questionnaires regarding demographic information, EWA methodology they had applied, preference, advantages, disadvantages and opportunities of each methodology, discomfort and workload. Moreover, standard time was calculated for both modalities (Freivalds & Niebel, 2014).It was found that standard time for the execution only differed in one minute. Although, on- site modality is longer due to the transportation requirement. The difficulties in remote modality are related with the worker being alone and the verification of the proposed modifications for the workplace. Even so, remote modality optimizes time and coverage. To ensure the quality of the remote modality it is necessary to guarantee the internet connection of health professional and worker and also that the worker isn´t alone while the EWA.
How Commercial Airlines can Mitigate Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic Induced Job Insecurity on Their Pilots' Flying Performance
Authors: Sieberichs Sebastian
Published: June 2022

Job insecurity (JI) can negatively impact work performance. This effect poses particular challenges for safety-critical systems such as commercial airlines, as they rely on a high level of pilots’ flying performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate how COVID-19 pandemic induced JI affects pilots’ flying performance. 2084 pilots participated in an online survey. The results showed that JI can negatively impact pilots’ flying performance. However, the magnitude of this relation depended on the conscientiousness and rank of the pilots. The findings therefore underline the importance of conscientious work behavior - also and particularly in periods of increased job insecurity - and provide airlines with a field of action to mitigate risks resulting from decreased pilots’ flying performance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Promoting Occupational Safety, Health, and Well-Being in SME Manufacturing Companies
Authors: Mattila Susanna , Tappura Sari , Karttunen Elli
Published: June 2022

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a significant role in the EU economy and account for a large number of employment opportunities. Improvements in the working conditions and well-being of employees in SMEs are crucial for the development of businesses, societies, and workers. This study investigated and developed the safety, health, and well-being (SHW) of employees in SME manufacturing companies. The proposed company-specific development process involved four companies and consisted of an e-survey, interviews, and a workshop. Both employers and employee representatives participated in the process. The process revealed a good working community and support received from others as resources in the studied companies. The factors needing development were found to be work posture and movement, workplace thermal environment, communication, haste, orderliness, and tidiness. This study provides knowledge about SHW risks, resources, and development measures in manufacturing SMEs.
Future development areas for safety performance measurement
Authors: Jääskeläinen Aki , Tappura Sari
Published: June 2022

Several studies have shown that safety management and culture are linked to safety performance, but the role of safety performance measurement is unclear. At best, performance measurement is an important management tool. However, the use of performance information in safety management is often inefficient. There is a need for an overview of the development areas that are essential in achieving the safety benefits of performance measurement. This study aims to identify the status of safety performance measurement in industrial companies, proposing future research and development areas for safety performance measurement. The study was conducted as a multiple case study involving seven companies from different industries. The results show that the participating industrial companies’ safety performance measurement status was developed. Future development efforts should highlight the supportive practices and structures of performance measurement, essentially leadership and management. This study structures future development areas for safety performance measurement and supports organizations in better utilizing measurement information in their safety work.
Evaluation of the exposure risk to ultrasound emitted by ultrasonic cleaner machines: a case study.
Authors: Lo Castro Fabio , Iarossi Sergio , De Luca Massimiliano
Published: June 2022

This paper presents a study on the ultrasonic emissions of some ultrasonic washing machines for both industrial and domestic use, which are now increasingly widespread, and their evaluation in compliance with current regulations. Since no threshold values or exposure limits for ultrasound are defined in the Italian and European legislation, criteria that are valid in other European and non-European countries among the most stringent have been adopted for the evaluation.For the evaluation, a methodology has been developed in the context of the collaboration between Eni - CNR. As a case study, an analysis of various ultrasonic washers machines of different sizes and power will be presented.MethodIn this study, 6 ultrasonic cleaner machines of different models and brands were examined. For each of them, it was measured the equivalent sound level not weighted in the ultrasonic bands and the peak level, Lpeak, at the receiver, close the operator at the ears height, generally in front of the device standing at 0.5 m from it. The instrumentation used for the measurements includes a 204 kHz acquisition card, and a class I microphone with a band up to 70 kHz, all certified as a class I sound level meter.Results and discussionFor each ultrasonic cleaner, the ultrasonic level was measured for each 1/3 octave band from 20 kHz to 80 kHz. The uncertainty level was 2.8 dB for the equivalent level and 2.4 dB for the peak level. The presence of the lid, depending on the model, performs several main functions: quickly raise the temperature inside the tank, prevent the lowering of the solution due to evaporation, and protect from any splashes during operation.Some models, even if was covered by the lids, exceeded the exposure limits established by us for the evaluation, and will be described in the paper. It should be noted that the peak level, Lpeak, was never exceeded. The evaluation criterion we have chosen is one of the most restrictive criteria, chosen to safeguard the worker as much as possible. Although the criterion is stringent, it is possible to find simple and economical solutions to be implemented in case of exceeding the limit.ConclusionThe study has shown that most of the devices if the tank is shielded, with a screen or simply the lid, they fall into the class of absence of risk. Otherwise, it is possible to reduce the exposure time or increase the distance spent near the washing machine to reduce the risk.
The Ups and Downs of Accidents’ Figures – the Portuguese Case Study Revisited
Authors: P Leão Celina , Costa Susana , Barbosa Joana , Coelho Nuno
Published: June 2022

Safety at work can be considered a current concern, especially when lacking safety results in fatal accidents. In accordance with current Portuguese legislation, companies need to establish a safety management structure to comply with the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) program objective and to obtain certification. This study has proceeded with the study initiated in 2018 related to accidents’ occurrence reported analysis in Portugal in 2008-2015. In a way, the present analysis allowed not only to update the accident incidence rates (including recent years from 2016 to 2019) and to revise the figures of the Portuguese reality concerning the numbers associated to fatal accidents at work but also to identify what can be done, reflections and solutions that could be used to diminish the data regarding the number of accidents’ occurrence.
Application of information technologies for social inclusion: current trends and future prospective
Authors: Sloka Biruta , Brence Ieva , Kalkis Henrijs
Published: June 2022

Remote work and remote studies has increased in great extent the requirements of information technologies use and skills to apply information technologies. In European Union countries annually it is checked the availability of computer software as well as skills of information technologies use: there are annually conducted surveys on survey on use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in households and by individuals. The aim of the paper is to research theoretical aspects and to analyze internet use in regions of Latvia for checking on whether there is statistically significant use. The source of the data is the questionnaire No. ICT-persons “Use of computers and the internet in households”. As well as Labor Force Surveys, EU-SILC survey data. Research methods applied: scientific publication analysis, time-series analysis of internet use in Baltic countries, analysis of data on differences of availability of computers in households by regions of Latvia by analysis if variance or ANOVA, by territories (urban and rural) by t – test and by household size by ANOVA.
Ergonomic Risk Factors for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Among Designers
Authors: Mohd Juzad Kodsiah , Bahri Mohd Tamrin Shamsul , Ab Rahman Rozanah , Yee Guan Ng , Atikah Che Hasan Nurul
Published: June 2022

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a significant occupational disease among intense computer users such as designers and other professionals. The objective of this research is to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of CTS among designers using a cross-sectional study. In this paper, questionnaires related to ergonomics risk factors were used. A total of 225 questionnaires distributed and Phalen’s test were conducted to determine CTS prevalence. The respondents background were from graphics design, multimedia, industrial, automotive, interior, Computer Aided Design (CAD) designers, architects and design engineers. The study showed that 20% of studied professional computer users had a symptom related to CTS. Graphic designers (OR: 2.04, 95% CI: 1.05-53.98) and working more than 6 hours for side jobs in a week (OR: 2.74, 95% CI 1.16-6.49) were found highly associated with risks of CTS in this study. Further study on CTS severity symptoms and functional scale assessment using Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ) suggested for future research for this study. The research is crucial for awareness and ergonomics CTS prevention planning for designers.Keywords: Ergonomic Risk Factor · Carpal Tunnel Syndrome · Phalen’s Test · Designers · Musculoskeletal Disorder · Repetitive Strain Injury
Ergonomic risk in nurses and caregivers due to patient care and mobilization in senior centers
Authors: Aguilar Olivera Albeiro , Catalina Neira Cardenas Maye
Published: June 2022

This paper contains a study related to the risk and ergonomic conditions in nurses and caregivers, who are involved in care and mobilization of patients in senior centers. The results were obtained trought: mixed approach methodology and descriptive scope. Pragmatic techniques and data collection instruments were utilized too, including documentary analysis of work procedures, direct observation, photographic records, and cards adapted to senior centers of the Assistance mobilization of hospitalized patients methodology (MAPO). Among the findings, the critical activities and tasks in the care and mobilization of dependent or non-cooperative patients (NC) and semi-dependent or partially cooperative (PC) have been identified. In addition, other determinations have been made, including: lifting factors, minor aids, wheelchairs, environment and training in the facilities or wards of the senior center, and the calculation of ergonomic risk level, both for nursing staff and caregivers. In sum, this article provides the scientific community with a detailed risk panorama of a population and a work environment that has seen little attention in the literature, allowing the design and development of improvement strategies or the validation of existing ones.
The Ergonomics Edge for Small Enterprises – Case Studies from the State of Telangana, India
Authors: Devarapalli Ratna , Lakshmi Velivelli Vijaya
Published: June 2022

Terms like Ergonomic Fit, Ergonomic design, ergonomically correct / incorrect, etc have become synonymous with the term ‘Ergonomics’ and anyone interested increasing output / productivity without compromising on comfort. These terms have become a common phrase when talking about the design of tools and equipment or any design for that matter. But the word ‘Ergonomics’ has a great mystic around it because off its link with Engineering and industry especially when it comes to small industries. There are still a lot of apprehensions and doubts with the application of ergonomics at the small / medium enterprises. Hence there is need to understand and explain what constitutes good ergonomic design and how to understand what is "ergonomically in correct product" and choose products / changes which are not very expensive / involve major cost incurring for the small and medium enterprises. Four key physical risk factors associated with complaints of discomfort in the work environment such as: awkward postures, biomechanical stresses, repetition and force and environmental factors. For which the key is to eliminate the risk by providing a well-designed environment and affordable costs. It can also be mentioned as the process of adapting a space to meet human requirements which involves the study of how the human body functions in order to design spaces, furniture and devices which reduce fatigue and discomfort to improve operability and productivity along with affordability. While an increased emphasis on this concept, research data generated both corporate and at educational research centres over the past few years has shown that minor / minimum changes can amount to major benefits. With this objective, The department of Resource Management and Consumer Science (RMCS), College of Community Science (previously Home Science) has been teaching and conducting student research in the area of Ergonomics in various small enterprises in Telangana, India and this paper explains and highlights the importance of minor, small ergonomic cost effective interventions like extension of a handle, adding a sheath to the handle, increasing the height of the seating / workplace, improving the lighting, ensuring good ventilation have received good response from the users. This paper gives the details of all such research interventions done with the small and medium enterprises like weaving, metal and basketry works, classroom furniture etc, in the last 15years by the PG and PhD students and how the cost effective ergonomic edge was obtained or can be obtained and further demystify ergonomics for all.
Factors Affecting Perceived Work Performance Among Work- From-Home Filipino Workforce: An Integration of the Job Demands-Resources Theory
Authors: Kurata Yoshiki , Nicole Bandoquillo Xyza , Marie Hernandez Sophia , Zyrene Monge Ruth , Francis Dominique Tomas Karlos
Published: June 2022

Work-from-home arrangements became the best response to the current world situation at the beginning of 2020; with the increase of employees partaking in this arrangement, along with this shift, inevitable effects on the workers’ perceived performance might be observed. This study was intended to make relevant and credible contributions in the analysis of work performance in the Philippine workforce. Thirty Filipino work-from-home online workers answered a self-administered online questionnaire with 73 questions (9 latent variables and 52 indicators). Structural equation modeling was utilized to analyze the variables and identified workload (W), employee well-being (EW), and organizational culture (OC) to have a substantial direct effect on job demands (JD), job resources significantly affected cynicism (C) and job demands directly affect both exhaustion (EX) and cynicism (C). Moreover, exhaustion was found to have a significant effect on perceived work performance (WP). Interestingly, job demands (JD) have no significant impact on job resources (JR). Recommendations provided in this study are expected to provide a reasonable scientific basis to improve the current work-from-home scheme in the Philippine workforce.
RULA and TRIZ methods for ergonomic analysis in the redesign of artisanal wine bottle filling workstation
Authors: Cruz-Rivero Lidilia , Del Angel-Dominguez Alejandro , Leonor Mendez-Hernandez Maria , Alejandra Estevez-Gutierrez Ilse , Eusebio Mar-Orozco Carlos
Published: June 2022

In the north of Veracruz, Mexico, there are nano-SMEs or family businesses that carry out their processes in an artisanal way; being an area whose population is 60% of indigenous origin, their traditions in the elaboration of products are preserved. In this case study, the analysis of the bottle filling workstation of the honey wine-producing company is proposed. This work aims to carry out an ergonomic research based on an anthropometric study, the RULA method (rapid upper limb assessment) and TRIZ method (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving); to evaluate the postures that put the integrity of the craftsman at risk and based on the find the appropriate design parameters to propose an ergonomic redesign in the honey wine bottle filling station. As a result, it is expected to develop a proposal that meets the needs of users who carry out their filling process manually reducing discomfort in the extremities and Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs).
Effects of cognitive ability and social presence on performance of mathematical calculation and recognition memory tasks
Authors: Wang Zhecheng , Yu Ruifeng
Published: June 2022

For individuals, cognitive ability is often an important reference for predicting education level, academic achievement, and work ability. In many cases, people usually work or study in a group situation with co-actors. For example, many students study together in a classroom, or workers work together in a workstation. People in a group interact and influence each other, which means they become each other’s social presence. Some studies found that the cognitive ability of group members affected the overall performance of the group. Therefore, it is also necessary to consider the individual cognitive ability factors in the research of social facilitation effects. We are curious about whether group members’ difference in cognitive abilities would moderate the effect of social presence on his task performance when they complete tasks in a group situation. In other words, we are interested in the effects of social presence on the intensity or direction of social facilitation exerting on people with different cognitive abilities when completing cognitive tasks.This paper investigated the effects of individual cognitive ability, social presence and task difficulty on the performance of mathematical calculations and recognition memory tasks. The mathematical calculation tasks and memory tasks are two kinds of typical cognitive tasks that people often need to deal with in work or study. Moreover, the extant studies verified that the social facilitation effect existed in those tasks. Hence, this study selected them as experimental tasks respectively. A three-factor mixed design experiment was conducted. The Cognitive Ability factor had two levels: low and high, which were distinguished by the score of the Cognitive Ability scale. The difficulty factor had two levels: easy and hard. The social presence factor had two levels: alone and group. In the alone condition, the participant did the task alone in a room. In the group condition, two participants conducted the experiment face-to-face in the room at the same time. There were 4 experimental conditions of two within-subject factors (2 difficulty × 2 social presence). Every participant needed to finish a trial of easy tasks and a trial of hard tasks in both alone and group conditions. The trials were randomly and balanced assigned in a counterbalanced design to the 8 trials across the experiment used. Thirty-six participants participated in this study. The response time and accuracy rate were used to assess the task performance. The results indicated that, although cognitive ability had a significant main effect on the performances, the interaction effect between cognitive ability and social presence on task performance was not significant. There existed a two-way interaction effect between social presence and task difficulty on response time of both tasks. The findings provide useful information for work organization and task allocation in a group work.
Towards Data-Driven Dairy Farming in Thailand: A Preliminary Survey of Farmer’s Needs Based on In-Depth Interviews
Authors: Perapalanunt Gorn , Viriyataranon Jirat , Channok Chinnakrit , Imsamran Bhumibhat , Laosunthara Ampan , Jattawa Danai , Suwanasopee Thanathip , Koonawootrittriron Skorn , Ohashi Takumi , Leelawat Natt , Tang Jing
Published: June 2022

Currently, Thailand’s dairy industry faces five critical problems: aging farmers, shortage of laborers, lack of successors, low productivity, and oversupply of milk. The consensus among researchers and dairy farming experts is that the root cause of the problems is the lack of in-depth data (individual cow yield per milking). Without data, the growth of the dairy industry is stagnating, resulting in dairy farming as a career being perceived as economically unstable. Ultimately, this results in aging farmers, shortage of laborers, and lack of successors as more young farmers decide to pursue other career paths. Additionally, the lack of data prevents effective management of dairy farms and the dairy supply chain leading to two problems. Following the design-thinking approach, in-depth interview is chosen as the method of choice to empathize directly with the users and obtain insights regarding their problems and needs, especially those related to data management. The interviews were conducted with farmers from nine different farms selected based on their size, milking system, and location. The result showed that most selected farms do not record the individual cow yield per milking. Furthermore, milk collection centers require farmers to deliver milk within a specific time after it is milked. This further discourages data collection as it is time-consuming. Additionally, the lack of growth increased cow feed prices and diseases among many other factors further dissuade farmers from investing in technology to assist them in collecting the data. Therefore, the insights obtained from the interview will be the cornerstone in coming up with a practical solution to the current data problems.
Biomechanical risk assessment of curbside waste collection round through heart rate and GPS data
Authors: Silvetti Alessio , Fiori Lorenzo , Tatarelli Antonella , Papale Adriano , Ranavolo Alberto , Chini Giorgia , Varrecchia Tiwana , Fiorelli Ari , Draicchio Francesco
Published: June 2022

Many scientific papers report that curbside waste collection is a work with high biomechanical load. Our previous papers highlighted the biomechanical risk in this activity and we identified these main risk factors: bad design of equipment, landscape and the number of households covered. The high variability of this task makes it hard to apply standardized protocols for biomechanical risk assessment. For this new experience, we used pulse rate monitors to assess cardiac effort during a full day of pick-up in two different days for two operators gathering bio-waste and glass. The first worker pick-up the waste in the same area on both days. The second worker pick-up waste on zones with different morphology and different urban density. We also recorded GPS data from the second worker. We analyzed heart rate calculating Relative Cardiac Cost (RCC) and heart rate distribution. The first worker performed the task in the municipal urban area and reported a RCC of 43 and 45%. Both values correspond to a heavy work level on the Chamoux scale. The second worker reported RCC values of 36% when collecting in the municipal urban area (quite-heavy work level) and 23% in the non-urban hilly area (moderate work level). The heart rate of the second worker exceeded 140 bpm 7.7% of the time and ranged from 110 to 130 bpm for 72.6% of the time in the municipal area. In the non-urban area, 140 bpm heart rate was never reached and heart rate values were between 110 and 130 bpm for 16.6% of the time. No differences resulted in the first worker due to the type of waste collected. For the second worker, we found a relevant difference in heart rate distribution, probably not related to the type of waste but rather to the number of households and the morphology of the landscape. GPS data seem to support these findings. In the municipal area, the worker moved 17.6 km at a mean speed of 4.8 km/h. In the non-urban area, the worker moved 40.84 Km at a mean velocity of 7.8 Km/h. The higher speed and more than twice the distance covered highlight that the worker spent much more time driving the truck in the non-urban zone than in the municipal one resulting in a reduced biomechanical workload. In conclusion, combined data from heart rate monitor and GPS allowed us to highlight the different workloads between the two zones, municipal and non-urban. We suggest alternating the workers between them to reduce biomechanical risk.
Types of consumed drinks at work during summer and winter seasons among foresters: A pilot study
Authors: Orysiak Joanna , Młynarczyk Magdalena , Prus Piotr
Published: June 2022

Dehydration is very common among workers both at the beginning and end of work. Persistent or even worsening dehydration after work indicates insufficient fluid intake at work. The aim of the study was to determine the differences in the type of consumed drinks during work between summer and winter periods in foresters. The study was carried out in summer (n = 10) and in winter (n = 10) among male foresters. Subjects completed a questionnaire regarding the amount of drinks consumed during 1 working day. It was observed that in summer the most consumed drink was water. Similarly, in the winter period, the volunteers drank water the most, but its consumption was almost twice lower than in the summer (p>0.05). On the other hand, tea consumption was 2/3 higher in winter compared to summer (p>0.05). There were also observed large, but nonsignificant, variations in volume of fluid intake between workers.In conclusion, the season of the year may affect workers’ choice of drink type. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:This paper is published and based on the results of a research task no. IV-38 carried out within the scope of the statutory activity, financed in the years 2021-2022 from the funds of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
Insights into human factors at a truck manufacturing company
Authors: Barros Guimaraes Ian , Karanikas Nektarios
Published: June 2022

This study was performed at a truck manufacturing company with three production lines. It employed a paper-based survey with two demographic questions, 16 Likert-type questions covering physical, cognitive and organisational human factors, and three qualitative questions to invite workers to state improvement ideas and current challenges and strengths. The response rate was 35%. The median across the 70 completed surveys for all human factors areas investigated was M=3 out of 4 maximum, except for the quality of instructions (M=2), physical load demands (M=2) and job variety (M=4). Statistically significant differences amongst the three production lines were observed for four human factors aspects. The years of work experience in the company were found significantly and negatively correlated with three human factors aspects. Most of the improvements suggested by the workers were related to organisational and procedural aspects. A similar focus was revealed for the challenges met, whereas collegial relationships were appreciated as the strongest area.
Understanding human factors to improve occupational safety in manufacturing: a case study
Authors: Botti Lucia , Oliva Maniva , Melloni Riccardo
Published: June 2022

This paper investigates how the deviation of an industrial process from its optimal productivity, maintenance, and quality levels can lead to safety issues. An integrated approach was developed in 2021 to analyze the correlation between safety deficiencies and process inefficiencies. In this study, the proposed approach was adopted, aiming to identify potential connections between the safety issues that emerged from the previous investigations and the process inefficiencies. A case study describes the application of the proposed approach in an Italian company leader in the production of boilers for domestic and industrial heating and cooling systems. The findings show that the joint analysis of the results from the investigations in the proposed approach allows understanding the human factors in the investigated manufacturing process, i.e. the environmental, organizational, and job factors, and the human and individual characteristics which influence behavior at work in a way which can affect occupational safety.
KÜRESEL ÖLÇÜDE SANSASYON YARATAN SQUID GAME DİZİSİNDEKİ SANATSAL YANSIMALAR
Authors: TINGIR Merve , TARLAKAZAN Burak Erhan
Published: June 2022

Squid Game, Netflix platformunda yer alan dokuz bölümlük Güney Kore yapımı bir dizidir. Gerilim-dram türünün bir örneği olan dizide oyun sahnelerinde çocuksu masum temalar gösterilmesine rağmen gerçekte çokça kan ve şiddet unsuru yer almaktadır. Söz konusu dizide, birçok sahnede bilinçaltına yönelik etkileme yöntemleri uygulanmaktadır. Bilinçaltındaki bilgiler çağrışımlar yoluyla izleyici hem sorgulatıp hem de merak ettirmektedir.

Dijital platformların sıklıkla kullanıldığı günümüzde Squid Game dizisi; gerek sosyal medya paylaşım ve tartışmaları gerek konusu gerek içerdiği şiddet sahneleri ve gerekse küçük yaşta izleyiciler tarafından da izlenmesi gibi unsurlar nedeniyle dünya çapında adından söz ettirerek gündemde kalmayı başarmaktadır. Son dönemlerdeki popüler dizilerden olan Squid Game şiddet sahneleriyle çok tartışılsa da, bazı bölümlerde sanatsal göndermeler de bulunmaktadır. Rene Magritte, Van Gogh, Picasso, Claude Monet, Maurits Cornelis Escher, Friedrich Nietzscheve ve Jacaques Lacan gibi sanatçı ve düşünürlerin eserlerinden izler barındıran dizi bu bakımdan incelenmiştir. Bu amaçla araştırmada dizide yer verilen ve kimi sahnelerde kullanılan sanatsal yansımalar ve bu yansımalarla ilgili sanatçı eserlerine yapılan göndermeler ele alınmıştır.
Financial Burden and Average Cost of COVID-19 per Patient Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit in Kuwait
Authors: Abuhadida Salem , Alzaid Saud , Elshazely Medhat , Alhindal Barrak
Published: June 2022

Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic imposed a massive impact on constrained healthcare resources especially Intensive Care Units beds. Nevertheless, few studies have explored direct medical costs of ICU admissions and the financial burden associated with them.Aim: Our aim is to estimate the average direct medical cost of COVID-19 admitted to ICU per patient and per diem as well as the associated financial burden.Methods: A stochastic financial model was developed in accordance with Kuwait Task Force guidelines for COVID-19 management in ICU.Results: Our results showed the average cost of COVID-19 patients admitted in the ICU per patient and per diem to be 16,471 KWD (53,354 USD) and 1,643 KWD (5,422 USD) respectively. While the financial burden over one fiscal year amounted to 15,795,830 KWD (52,126,239 USD).Conclusion: This estimate can guide policy makers, researchers and financial analysts to follow a data driven decisions in planning and budgeting healthcare resources for this concurrent event or similar future events.