Ergonomics/human factors is, above anything else, a systems discipline and profession, applying a systems philosophy and systems approaches. Many things are labelled as system in today's world, and ...this paper specifies just what attributes and notions define ergonomics/human factors in systems terms. These are obviously a systems focus, but also concern for context, acknowledgement of interactions and complexity, a holistic approach, recognition of emergence and embedding of the professional effort involved within organization system. These six notions are illustrated with examples from a large body of work on rail human factors.
•New definition of systems ergonomics/human factors.•Identification of six fundamental components of systems ergonomics/human factors.•Illustrations of ideas through real contemporary examples from rail systems.
There is a worldwide interest in implementing collaborative robots (Cobots) to reduce work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSD) risk. While prior work in this field has recognized the importance ...of considering Ergonomics & Human Factors (E&HF) in the design phase, most works tend to highlight workstations’ improvements due to Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC). Based on a literature review, the current study summarises studies where E&HF was considered a requirement rather than an output. In this article, the authors are interested in understanding the existing studies focused on Cobots’ implementation with ergonomic requirements, and the methods applied to design safer collaborative workstations. This review was performed in four prominent publications databases: Scopus, Web of Science, Pubmed, and Google Scholar, searching for the keywords ‘Collaborative robots’ or ‘Cobots’ or ‘HRC’ and ‘Ergonomics’ or ‘Human factors’. Based on the inclusion criterion, 20 articles were reviewed, and the main conclusions of each are provided. Additionally, the focus was given to the segmentation between studies considering E&HF during the design phase of HRC systems and studies applying E&HF in real-time on HRC systems. The results demonstrate the novelty of this topic, especially of the real-time applications of ergonomics as a requirement. Globally, the results of the reviewed studies showed the potential of E&HF requirements integrated into HRC systems as a relevant input for reducing WMSD risk.
Surgery demands long hours and intense exertion raising ergonomic concerns. We piloted a sensorless artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted ergonomics analysis app to determine its feasibility for use ...with residents.
Surgery residents performed simulated laparoscopic tasks before and after a review of the SCORE ergonomics curriculum while filmed with a sensorless app from Kinetica Labs that calculates joint angles as a metric of ergonomics. A survey was completed before the session and a focus group was conducted after.
Thirteen surgical residents participated in the study. The brief intervention took little time and residents improved their ergonomic scores in neck and right shoulder angles. Residents expressed increased awareness of ergonomics based on the session content and AI information. All trainees desired more training in ergonomics.
Ergonomic assessment AI software can provide immediate feedback to surgical trainees to improve ergonomics. Additional studies using sensorless AI technology are needed.
Display omitted
•Sensorless AI technology can improve resident ergonomics.•Immediate feedback with a user-friendly app is feasible in ergonomics training.•Trainees desire ergonomics education in training.
Objective:
To gather information on the (a) types of wearable sensors, particularly personal activity monitors, currently used by occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals; (b) potential ...benefits of using such technologies in the workplace; and (c) perceived barriers preventing the widespread adoption of wearable sensors in industry.
Background:
Wearable sensors are increasingly being promoted as a means to improve employee health and well-being, and there is mounting evidence supporting their use as exposure assessment and personal health tools. Despite this, many workplaces have been hesitant to adopt these technologies.
Methods:
An electronic survey was emailed to 28,428 registered members of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) and 1,302 professionals certified by the Board of Certification in Professional Ergonomics (BCPE).
Results:
A total of 952 valid responses were returned. Over half of respondents described being in favor of using wearable sensors to track OSH-related risk factors and relevant exposure metrics at their respective workplaces. However, barriers including concerns regarding employee privacy/confidentiality of collected data, employee compliance, sensor durability, the cost/benefit ratio of using wearables, and good manufacturing practice requirements were described as challenges precluding adoption.
Conclusion:
The broad adoption of wearable technologies appears to depend largely on the scientific community’s ability to successfully address the identified barriers.
Application:
Investigators may use the information provided to develop research studies that better address OSH practitioner concerns and help technology developers operationalize wearable sensors to improve employee health and well-being.
Shoulder joint kinematics has been used as a representative indicator to investigate musculoskeletal symptoms among computer users for office ergonomics studies. The traditional measurement of ...shoulder kinematics normally requires a laboratory-based motion tracking system which limits the field studies. In the current study, a portable, low cost, and marker-less Microsoft Kinect™ sensor was examined for its feasibility on shoulder kinematics measurement during computer tasks. Eleven healthy participants performed a standardized computer task, and their shoulder kinematics data were measured by a Kinect sensor and a motion tracking system concurrently. The results indicated that placing the Kinect sensor in front of the participants would yielded a more accurate shoulder kinematics measurements then placing the Kinect sensor 15° or 30° to one side. The results also showed that the Kinect sensor had a better estimate on shoulder flexion/extension, compared with shoulder adduction/abduction and shoulder axial rotation. The RMSE of front-placed Kinect sensor on shoulder flexion/extension was less than 10° for both the right and the left shoulder. The measurement error of the front-placed Kinect sensor on the shoulder adduction/abduction was approximately 10° to 15°, and the magnitude of error is proportional to the magnitude of that joint angle. After the calibration, the RMSE on shoulder adduction/abduction were less than 10° based on an independent dataset of 5 additional participants. For shoulder axial rotation, the RMSE of front-placed Kinect sensor ranged between approximately 15° to 30°. The results of the study suggest that the Kinect sensor can provide some insight on shoulder kinematics for improving office ergonomics.
•A low cost sensor was examined for its accuracy on shoulder kinematics measurement.•Placing the sensor in front of the participants is better than placing it on the side.•The measurement error was less than 10° for shoulder flexion/extension.•After calibration, the error was less than 10° for shoulder adduction/abduction.
A web-based survey was conducted of ergonomics practitioners holding certifications in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand. The survey follows 12 years after an earlier ...initial survey reported by Dempsey et al. (2005). Approximately 1221 eligible participants were invited by e-mail to participate, and 405 surveys were included in the final analysis. The survey queried use of basic instruments relevant to ergonomic practice as well as more specific analytical tools such as observational techniques for assessing postural demands of work and instrumentation for direct measurement of such demands. Some ergonomic assessment methods appear to have increased in their overall use by U.S. ergonomists compared to 2005 data. This was observed for: RULA, REBA, Psychophysical Upper Extremity Data, Strain Index, and ACGIH TLV for Hand Activity Level. There is minimal evidence of increased overall use of direct measurement approaches in the U.S. There appear to be geographic differences between countries/continents in terms of use of various methods. The use of mobile device/smart phone “apps” by ergonomists was queried and these technologies presently appear to be in early adoption phase with 24–28% of practitioners reporting use of an app in their ergonomics practice.
Overhead work is an important risk factor for upper extremity (UE) musculoskeletal disorders. We examined the potential of a mechanical arm and an exoskeletal vest as a wearable assistive device ...(WADE) for overhead work. Twelve participants completed 10 minutes of simulated, intermittent overhead work, using each of three payloads (1.1, 3.4 and 8.1 kg) and with/without the WADE. Ratings of perceived discomfort (RPDs) and electromyography (EMG) were obtained for the upper arms, shoulders and low back. Using the WADE, UE RPDs decreased by ∼50% with the heavier payloads, whereas smaller (∼25%) and non-significant increases in low-back RPDs were found and were relatively independent of payload. Changes in RPDs with WADE use were consistent with physical demands indicated by EMG, though EMG-based differences in fatigue were less apparent. Participants generally preferred using the WADE, particularly with heavier payloads. These results supported the potential utility of a WADE as an intervention for overhead work.
Practitioner Summary: A wearable assistive device for overhead work reduced physical demands on the upper extremity and had high acceptance, though some evidence suggested increased demands at the low back. While some design needs were found and field-testing is needed, this may be a useful practical intervention.
Integrating ergonomics (or human factors) in production and service processes is a topic of interest for ergonomics researchers and practitioners, especially in industrially-developing countries. In ...this paper, we present how an ergonomic intervention was carried out in an area of a Colombian meat processing plant using the Ergonomics Checkpoints tool. Of 65 checkpoints verified, 24 required improvement action and 17 of them were a priority. The main problems were related to materials storage and handling, hand tools, machine safety, workstation design, and work organization. Organizational and engineering proposals were made. The engineering proposals were modeled in 3 D to increase understanding of and acceptance by the company's workers. We hope that the lessons learned and reflections derived from this case study serve as a reference for conducting ergonomic interventions in similar contexts.
PDF
