Ergonomic Behavior Research Articles

The Relationship Between Knowledge And Attitudes Towards Ergonomic Behavior Of Employees At Upt Lik Magetan District

Ergonomic problems are related to the body's suitability to work tools when performing work tasks. Based on an initial study conducted by researchers on 10 employees at UPT LIK, Magetan Regency. There are 7 out of 10 workers who lack understanding about ergonomics such as how to lift weights, the maximum limit of the weight lifted, the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), the effects of excessive weight lifting. Meanwhile, in the IKM section, understanding the principles of ergonomics is very important, because the work done by employees is closely related to ergonomics. The lack of awareness of workers in implementing ergonomic behavior is influenced by knowledge factors and work attitudes. Poor work knowledge and attitude are caused by the lack of ergonomics application by the industry to workers. In addition, workers also lack understanding of ergonomics in the work environment. This type of research is a quantitative research with cross sectional research. The population in this study is 230 respondents with a sample of 70 respondents in this study. The data of this study was obtained from the collection of questionnaire sheets and observation sheets. Data analysis using the Chi Square Test. The results of the bivariate test in this study showed that there was no relationship between the independent variable of knowledge and ergonomic behavior with p = 0.687 and there was a relationship between the independent variable of attitude and ergonomic behavior with p = 0.000 The conclusion in this study is that there is no significant relationship between knowledge and ergonomic behavior and there is a significant relationship between attitudes to ergonomic behavior. Keywords: Knowledge, Attitude, Ergonomic Behavior

The Ergonomic Behaviors Evaluation Tool (EBET) based on social cognitive theory for the assembly line workers: development and psychometric assessment

BackgroundErgonomic behaviors play a crucial role in preventing work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). To measure these behaviors, this research aimed to develop and evaluate an ergonomic behaviors tool (EBET) based on the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) among women workers on assembly lines (WwAL).MethodsThe study was conducted from December 2022 to January 2023 with a focus on the psychometric assessment of EBET. Initially, a literature review and interviews were carried out to identify crucial concepts and primary items. The questionnaire’s validity was evaluated using the Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and the Content Validity Index (CVI). To determine the domains of the tool, construct validity was examined by administering the items to 270 eligible women. The reliability of the tool was assessed using McDonald’s Omega coefficient.ResultsFrom a total of 67 primary items, 50 were confirmed. The study demonstrated good validity with CVR = 0.92 and CVI = 0.97, along with reliable results indicated by McDonald’s Omega coefficient of 0.74. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed ten distinct dimensions: outcome expectations, outcome expectancies, normative beliefs, perceived barriers, social support, observational learning, reinforcement, behavioral skills, self-efficacy, and intention. Together, these dimensions accounted for 66.25% of the variance in the data. Additionally, the confirmatory factor analysis results supported the presence of these ten constructs and demonstrated a satisfactory fit.ConclusionsEBET is a dependable and valid instrument for evaluating the ergonomic behaviors of workers, utilizing the principles of SCT. Researchers can employ EBET to gather data and implement suitable training interventions to enhance ergonomic behavior among WwAL. However, it is crucial to recognize that EBET may not encompass all facets of ergonomic behaviors. Therefore, it is imperative for future research to prioritize the evaluation of EBET’s suitability among diverse worker populations and to consider additional dimensions of ergonomics to ensure its wider applicability and effectiveness.

Predictive factors of ergonomic behaviors based on social cognitive theory among women workers on assembly lines: application of Bayesian networks

BackgroundThis study focuses on identifying the key factors associated with ergonomic behaviors (ERBE) among women workers on assembly lines (WwAL) to prevent musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) caused by repetitive motions and unfavorable body postures. To achieve this objective, this study employed Bayesian networks (BN) analysis based on social cognitive theory (SCT).MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted to examine the predictive factors of ERBE among 250 WwAL from six different industries located in Neyshabur, a city in northeastern Iran. The study used a two-stage cluster sampling method for participant selection and self-report questionnaires to collect data on demographic characteristics, variables associated with SCT, ERBE, and the standard Nordic questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using Netica and SPSS version 21, which involved statistical analyses such as independent t-tests, Pearson correlation, and ANOVA tests at a significance level of p < 0.05. BN analysis was conducted to identify the important factors that impact ERBE.ResultsThe majority of individuals reported experiencing chronic pain in their back, neck, and shoulder areas. Engaging in physical activity, consuming dairy products, and attaining a higher level of education were found to be significantly associated with the adoption of ERBE p < 0.05. Among the various SCT constructs, observational learning, intention, and social support demonstrated the highest levels of sensitivity towards ERBE, with scores of 4.08, 3.82, and 3.57, respectively. However, it is worth noting that all SCT constructs exhibited a certain degree of sensitivity towards ERBE.ConclusionsThe research findings demonstrate that all constructs within SCT are effective in identifying factors associated with ERBE among WwAL. The study also highlights the importance of considering education levels and variables related to healthy lifestyles when promoting ERBE in this specific population.

Workstation Suitability Maps: Generating Ergonomic Behaviors on a Population of Virtual Humans With Multi-Task Optimization

Workstation Suitability Maps: Generating Ergonomic Behaviors on a Population of Virtual Humans With Multi-Task Optimization

The Effects of Smartphones/Gadgets Use on Senior High School Students in Padang City

AIM: This study aims to examine the effect of smartphone use on health and socio-economics aspects of students in the city of Padang. METHODS: The population was 11,429 senior high school students in Padang. Samples were taken by accidental sampling as many as 210 students (35 students in each senior high school). The analysis used in this research used correlation analysis between behavioral related to using smartphones and gadgets and health and socio-economic variables. RESULTS: The results showed that the effect of using smartphones/gadgets on vision and hearing health was influenced by the duration of use of more than 4 h 17 min with a continuous use of not more than 2 h. The use of smartphones/gadgets that exceeded these rules caused visual impairment, hearing loss, and weakens students’ social relationships. CONCLUSION: Healthy and ergonomic behaviors in using smartphones/gadgets for senior high school students in Padang City were in the duration of use not more than 4 h 17 min, with a continuous use of &lt;2 h. The negative effects of using smartphones/gadgets on high school students exceeding the healthy and ergonomic behaviors time limit were hearing loss and visual impairment.

Back and neck problems as well as disadvantageous ergonomic behavior patterns in university students: Concomitants of the pandemic?

Back and neck problems as well as disadvantageous ergonomic behavior patterns in university students: Concomitants of the pandemic?

Pregnancy Back Pain: Its Prevalence, Pattern, and The Practice of Ergonomic Behaviors Among Pregnant Women in Rural Sule Tankarkar Local Government Area of Jigawa State Nigeria

Background: Studies on Back pain in pregnancy have reported rates ranging from 25% and 90%, with most studies estimating that 50% of pregnant women will suffer from back pain during the course of their pregnancy. Low back is the most common region affected followed by posterior pelvic region and upper back region being the region least affected. In Nigeria, relative to the minimum wage, back pain consumes a significantly high amount of money in accessing health care thereby incurring both direct and indirect cost. Therefore, this study explored pregnancy back pain and the practice of ergonomic behaviors among pregnant women. Methodology: Three hundreds and eighty one pregnant women were recruited using Multi-stage sampling technique from eight Primary Health Care Centers of Sule Tankarkar local government. A questionnaire was used to obtain the required information. The data was analyzed using frequency and percentage to summarize the data and inferential statistic of chi square test to check association between categorical variables. Results: Majority of the participants are within the age range of 15-19 (34.9%), multiparous (70.3%) and in their third trimester (54.6%). The prevalence of back pain was 57.2% and it is mostly in the low back region (36%). Majority of the participants (44.9%) do not practice any ergonomic behavior. Conclusion: Low back pain is highly prevalent among pregnant women attending ante natal clinic in rural Jigawa State of Nigeria. Exercise during pregnancy, proper lifting techniques and ergonomics by experts could help pregnant women.

Ergonomics Analysis of Computer Use in Distance Learning during the Pandemic of COVID-19

One impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education is the mandated learning from home or distance learning (DL) in both state and private education institutions to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. DL may require long periods of time in front of a computer screen, which can create ergonomic issues such as eye, shoulder or neck problems, low back pain, and fatigue or stress. This study was structured to look at the ergonomic behavior of students in the statistics department at Padjadjaran University. The data were gathered using questionnaire, and there were 146 respondents who were willing to answer and send back the questionnaire. The results of the analysis show that the majority of students do not have knowledge about ergonomics when using computers. However, students agree that wrong posture can affect health conditions, especially those related to musculoskeletal disorders. The real impact felt by students is the health condition around their neck, shoulders, waist, bottoms, and wrists.

Instrumented Office Chair With Low-Cost Plastic Optical Fiber Sensors for Posture Control and Work Conditions Optimization

People spend more and more time sitting and this habit has been shown to cause spine pathologies. Thus, the scientific community and the industry have become interested in instrumented chairs development to detect incorrect user postures. In this work we present the development and implementation of invisibles and non-intrusive plastic optical fiber sensor cells to monitor the posture and evaluate the ergonomic behavior of a seated person. The low-cost plastic optical fiber (POF) based sensing devices developed in this work, were implemented in an office chair, to evaluate the workers posture throughout their work day. In addition to the sensors, Android and PC software applications were developed, to provide real time feedback and alerts to the user whenever an inadequate posture is detected, or the seating position is the same for a long time. The proposed approach was evaluated in a study involving six users, and results show that it can detect the user&#x2019;s position with 96.6% accuracy.

Workforce development: understanding task-level job demands-resources, burnout, and performance in unskilled construction workers

This study examines how task demands and personal resources affect unskilled construction worker productivity and safety performance. It extends the job demands-resources (JD-R) burnout model to show how job characteristics interact with burnout to influence performance. A modified model was designed to measure burnout, with exhaustion and disengagement among unskilled construction workers taken into consideration. An observational study was conducted in a laboratory environment to test the research hypotheses and assess the prediction accuracies of outcome constructs. Twenty-two subjects participated in multiple experiments designed to expose them to varying levels of task-demands and to record their personal resources as they performed common construction material-handling tasks. Specifically, both surveys and physiological measurements using wearable sensors were used to operationalize the model constructs. Moreover, partial least squares structural equation modeling was applied to analyze data collected at the task and individual levels. Exhaustion and disengagement exhibited different relationships with productivity and safety performance outcomes as measured by unit rate productivity and ergonomic behavior, respectively. Subjects with high burnout and high engagement showed high productivity but low safety performance. Thus, exhausted workers stand a greater chance of failing to comply with safety. As the sample and the task performed in the experiment do not cover the experience and trade of all construction workers, our findings are limited in their application to entry-level and unskilled workers, whose work is mainly manual material-handling tasks.

The Impact of Mobile Phone Use on Adolescent Health

With the increasing rise of smartphones among adolescents, the question arose about the impact of the use of mobile phones among this audience, seeking to assess the harms caused by their excessive use. The present work was elaborated through bibliographical research in articles, books and websites, in a non-systematic way through qualitative and quantitative research, analyzing printed questionnaire. Regarding the results related to the problems caused by the use of smartphones, such as lack of attention, indisposition, poor school performance, little interaction in the classes kept an average of 22.5% difference for those who felt affected, about the posture we have a relatively few. high, however, is still less than half of respondents, but only 33.75% of people who do not worry about posture when using the phone showing, therefore, that young people, focus of our research, has a good ergonomic behavior , both when using the smartphone and watching classes, picking up objects on the floor, and sitting in the chair.

A digital-based education to improve occupational health and ergonomic conditions of dentists: an application of theory of planned behavior

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of digital education by using the Theory of Planned Behavior on the improvement of occupational health and ergonomic conditions of dentists. This Quasi-experimental study, which consisted of two descriptive and quasi-experimental parts, was conducted on 63 dentists in Bojnourd city (Iran) in 2017. The dentists were included in the study through the census method. After identifying the determinants of ergonomic conditions in the descriptive study, the Quasi-Experimental study was undertaken to determine the effect of digital intervention. Data collecting methods were demographics information questionnaire, Nordic questionnaire, a self-administered questionnaire designed in compliance with theoretical constructs and the RULA tool, which were completed before and after the intervention by dentists. More than 97% of the dentists were at high risk of developing skeletal problems. The constructs of subjective norm, perceived control, attitude and behavioral intentions were significant predictors of their ergonomic behaviors (p < 0.001). Results show that there was no significant difference in the mean attitude and knowledge scores between the experimental and control groups before the educational intervention (p = 0.164). But after the intervention, the mean attitude and knowledge scores in the experimental group were significantly different from before the intervention (p < .05). Training based on the (TBP) using digital media was effective in the knowledge and attitude of ergonomic conditions of the dentists. However, it was not effective for behavioral intention.

Relationship between Job Stress and Ergonomic Behavior with Musculoskeletal Disorders in an Auto-part Production Company

Relationship between Job Stress and Ergonomic Behavior with Musculoskeletal Disorders in an Auto-part Production Company

Social Network Analysis of peer-specific safety support and ergonomic behaviors: An application to safe patient handling

This study applied Social Network Analysis (SNA) to test whether advice-seeking interactions among peers about safe patient handling correlate with a higher frequency of equipment use. Patient-care workers (n=38) at a community hospital in Oregon nominated peers they would consult for advice regarding safe patient handling. Results show a positive correlation between identifying more peers for safe patient handling advice and using equipment more frequently. Moreover, nurses with more reciprocal advice seeking nominations used safe patient handling equipment more frequently. However, employees who would be more consulted about safe patient handling by their peers did not use equipment more frequently than nurses with fewer nominations. Despite the small sample size, the magnitude of the adjusted regressions coefficients ranged between 3 to 4 standard deviations. These results suggest that having more or reciprocal sources of peer-based support may trigger ergonomic related behaviors such as frequent utilization of equipment.

Decision making models and human factors: TOPSIS and Ergonomic Behaviors (TOPSIS-EB)

Decision making models and human factors: TOPSIS and Ergonomic Behaviors (TOPSIS-EB)

Ergonomics in the Operating Room: Protecting the Surgeon

Study ObjectiveTo review elements of an ergonomic operating room environment and describe common ergonomic errors in surgeon posture during laparoscopic and robotic surgery. DesignDescriptive video based on clinical experience and a review of the literature (Canadian Task Force classification III). SettingCommunity teaching hospital affiliated with a major teaching hospital. Subjects/AudienceGynecologic surgeons. InterventionDemonstration of surgical ergonomic principles and common errors in surgical ergonomics by a physical therapist and surgeon. Measurements and Main ResultsThe physical nature of surgery necessitates awareness of ergonomic principles. The literature has identified ergonomic awareness to be grossly lacking among practicing surgeons, and video has not been documented as a teaching tool for this population. Taking this into account, we created a video that demonstrates proper positioning of monitors and equipment, and incorrect and correct ergonomic positions during surgery. Also presented are 3 common ergonomic errors in surgeon posture: forward head position, improper shoulder elevation, and pelvic girdle asymmetry. Postural reset and motion strategies are demonstrated to help the surgeon learn techniques to counterbalance the sustained and awkward positions common during surgery that lead to muscle fatigue, pain, and degenerative changes. ConclusionCorrect ergonomics is a learned and practiced behavior. We believe that video is a useful way to facilitate improvement in ergonomic behaviors. We suggest that consideration of operating room setup, proper posture, and practice of postural resets are necessary components for a longer, healthier, and pain-free surgical career.

Ergonomic assessment and musculoskeletal health of the underprivileged school children in pune, India.

Musculoskeletal health in schoolchildren is a global health problem.The objective of the current study was to assess ergonomic behavior and musculoskeletal health in urban poor schoolchildren in Pune, India. Sixty-five (29 male students) slum dwelling schoolchildren were assessed for their ergonomics using a validated and reliable tool. Average age was 13 years. Out of 65 students, 36 reported presence of musculoskeletal pain. In addition, 78.5% had bad ergonomics when lifting books.Sitting posture was poor in 67.7%, while 50.8% demonstrated bad posture while using a computer. As far as the female students were concerned, it was seen that out of 36 students, 55.6% complained of presence of pain. Out of the 20 students who reported pain, 70% had a score lower than 7.5 on ergonomic score assessment (indicative of bad ergonomics). When the male students were considered, out of 29 students, 65.5% reported presence of pain. Out of the 19 students who reported pain, close to 79% demonstrated bad ergonomics. There is presence of musculoskeletal aches and pains in this underprivileged section of the society, including demonstration of bad ergonomics and postures while performing activities in school. Thus, musculoskeletal health problems exist in urban slum schoolchildren. It is important to identify health problems at an early stage in both boys and girls. Children are the future of the nation and hence, identification of health issues early in life and preventing them from becoming chronic is of utmost importance.

Safety Climate and Prediction of Ergonomic Behavior

One of the most important ways to prevent accidents is to consider safety climate or culture. Moreover, some studies suggest that behavior contributes to 86%-96% of all injuries. This cross-sectional study took place in an Iranian petrochemical company in 2010. Vinodkumar and Bhasi’s safety climate questionnaire and an ergonomic behavior sampling checklist were the data collection tools. Cronbach’s a for questionnaire reliability was .928. With reference to the results of a pilot study, a sample of 1755 was determined for behavior sampling. We used principal component analysis (PCA) to derive the coefficient of paths in the path model and the Anderson-Rabin method to calculate factor scores. The results showed that safety climate was an effective predictor of ergonomic behavior (p < .01). They also showed the importance of decreasing the number of workers with negative safety climate. Moreover, it is necessary to promote workers’ ergonomic behaviors in the workplace.

Preliminary Study of Ergonomic Behavior During Simulated Ultrasound-Guided Regional Anesthesia Using a Head-Mounted Display

A head-mounted display provides continuous real-time imaging within the practitioner's visual field. We evaluated the feasibility of using head-mounted display technology to improve ergonomics in ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia in a simulated environment. Two anesthesiologists performed an equal number of ultrasound-guided popliteal-sciatic nerve blocks using the head-mounted display on a porcine hindquarter, and an independent observer assessed each practitioner's ergonomics (eg, head turning, arching, eye movements, and needle manipulation) and the overall block quality based on the injectate spread around the target nerve for each procedure. Both practitioners performed their procedures without directly viewing the ultrasound monitor, and neither practitioner showed poor ergonomic behavior. Head-mounted display technology may offer potential advantages during ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia.

The effect of interventions based on transtheoretical modelling on computer operators’ postural habits

Summary Objective To determine the effectiveness of ergonomic training on postural habits and computer operators’ psychosocial mediating variables based on the transtheoretical model (TTM). Design A prospective randomized controlled trial. Setting Departments of two universities in Qazvin, Iran. Participants One hundred and thirty-four of operators, mean age 31.0 ± 7.2 years, who worked at a computer for a minimum of 20 h per week. The subjects were divided into intervention (n = 67) and control (n = 67) groups. Intervention The intervention group received a TTM-based intervention involving eight 2-h sessions, which included 45–60 min stage-matched ergonomic counseling, ergonomic behavior training, and a package of training materials comprising a facilitator's handbook and a handout regarding computer ergonomic guidelines (Ergo-Guidelines). Outcome measures Ergonomic knowledge, stage of change, self-efficacy, pros and cons, preventive behavior and rapid upper limb assessment (RULA) scores were measured at baseline, 3- and 6-month post-ergonomics training. Results Although both groups were homogeneous in all variables at baseline, the intervention group showed significant improvements in stages of change (P Conclusions Results from this study provide evidence that TTM-based ergonomic training among computer operators can improve postural risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).