Ergonomic Workplace Research Articles

Research and analysis of work ergonomics of selected transport means operators

Ergonomics of transport means along with safety, availability, efficiency or eco-friendliness is one of the main assessment criteria for transport means functioning. Assessment of the considered transport systems operation depends on their operators’ behaviour, functioning of vehicles and environmental factors. Having this in mind, it needs to be noted that the issue of transport systems ergonomics is, on the one hand closely related to the transport means, and on the other hand it directly affects peoples’ actions and improves the possibilities to adapt to the environment, taking into consideration external factors. The aim of this study is to provide assessment and analysis of the influence of the operator’s work place ergonomics of given transport means on the quality of transport services. The research object are delivery trucks, and motor cars, different in terms of the total capacity. In the first part of the study the problems connected with an operator’s work place ergonomics is discussed and the concept of transport means ergonomics is defined. The role of ergonomics in a professional driver’s work is specified. The factors and threats affecting safety of operators’ behaviour are identified. A survey was developed and carried out among professional drivers to identify factors affecting the transport process as well as factors improving the driver’s work comfort. On this basis, an analysis of the obtained results was made and negative ergonomic aspects involved in a vehicle driver’s work place have been presented. The impact of selected elements of the driver’s cabin equipment on safety and work comfort is evaluated. Problems ad their causes are identified. Solutions to these problems are proposed in order to improve ergonomics of the vehicle driver’s work place, thus affecting the quality of a system operation according to the sociotechnical approach.

Improvement of the Ergonomic Quality of the Work Process

Abstract The improvement of production processes is currently one of the key elements of the company's competitiveness. In the pursuit of profit, the rationality of streamlined processes is not always taken into account, i.e. that both process needs and these of employees should be considered. Caring of the comfort of work, of adjusting the workplace to the employee is the main goal of ergonomic activity. On the level of implementation of ergonomic demands depends not only the quality and modernity of the products, but also the ergonomics of the workstation and the production process, forming the basis for better quality and more efficient work. The Improvement of the quality of the ergonomic workplace is possible on the basis of a properly conducted assessment, using a variety of tools. This article presents the evaluation and ergonomic analysis of the work process at four production workplaces, and then indicates the directions of changes. The analysis included elements of physical effort: energy expenditure, static load and traffic monotype. Traditional tools were used, such as OWAS, REBA, and also the use of quality assessment tools (Ishikawa diagram, Pareto-Lorenzo diagram) was proposed in order to suggest solutions to improve the ergonomic quality of the workstations under analysis.

Unpacking the Literature on Stress and Resiliency: A Narrative Review Focused on Learners in the Operating Room

The operating room is a high pressure environment for surgical trainees as they attempt to reach a high level of performance in the midst of a multitude of stressors. The purpose of this work was to examine the relationships between stress, coping, and psychological resilience and their effects on performance and learning in surgical training. A narrative review was carried out of the existing literature on stress, coping, and resilience in surgeons and surgical trainees. Multiple fields of study were examined including medical education, surgery, surgical safety, anesthesia, workplace ergonomics, and psychology. Sources of intraoperative stress include fatigue, disruptions, interpersonal conflicts, time pressure, a complex case or high risk patient, surgical errors, and surgeon temperament. These stressors can negatively impact the performance of surgeons and trainees and may inhibit learning. How a learner responds to stress in the operating room is highly variable and influenced by the context of the stress, the coping mechanisms available, and individual psychological resilience. Stress management techniques, such as mental rehearsal, are beneficial for reducing stress. Resilience is protective against stress and burnout, and resilience training is useful for reducing stress and improving mental health in physicians and medical students. Surgical trainees experience significant stress in the operating room and their experience of stress is modulated by cognitive and behavioral factors. Further research is required on the development of effective interventions to help trainees manage intraoperative stress, with the potential to improve surgical performance, learning, and patient safety.

The impact of workplace ergonomics and neck-specific exercise versus ergonomics and health promotion interventions on office worker productivity: A cluster-randomized trial.

Objectives Using an employer's perspective, this study aimed to compare the immediate and longer-term impact of workplace ergonomics and neck-specific exercise versus ergonomics and health promotion information on health-related productivity among a general population of office workers and those with neck pain. Methods A prospective one-year cluster randomized trial was conducted. Participants received an individualized workstation ergonomics intervention, combined with 12 weeks of either workplace neck-specific exercises or health promotion information. Health-related productivity at baseline, post-intervention and 12-months was measured with the Health and Work Performance Questionnaire. Intention-to-treat analysis was performed using multilevel mixed models. Results We recruited 763 office workers from 14 organizations and allocated them to 100 clusters. For the general population of office workers, monetized productivity loss at 12 months [AU$1464 (standard deviation [SD] 1318) versus AU$1563 (SD=1039); P=0.023]; and presenteeism at 12 months [2.0 (SD 1.2) versus 2.4 (SD 1.4); P=0.007] was lower in the exercise group compared to those in the health promotion information group. For office workers with neck pain, exercise participants had lower sickness absenteeism at 12 months compared to health promotion information participants [0.7 days (SD 1.0) versus 1.4 days (SD 3.1); P-=0.012], despite a short-term increase in sickness absenteeism post-intervention compared to baseline for the exercise group [1.2 days (SD 2.2) versus 0.6 days (SD 0.9); P<0.001]. Conclusion A workplace intervention combining ergonomics and neck-specific exercise offers possible benefits for sickness presenteeism and health-related productivity loss among a general population of office workers and sickness absenteeism for office workers with neck pain in the longer-term.

Spine arrangement during work in sitting position and occurrence of pain among dentists and medical assistants

Back pain is common among people working in the sitting position. Quality of the sitting position depends among others on the standard of work station. Dental units are built on the basis of contemporary ergonomic workplace concepts, while medical assistant workstations are typically computer office workstations. The purpose of the study was pain estimation in association with the identification of the spine arrangements during sitting work with better and worse ergonomic adjustment. The study involved 80 women working in the sitting position suffering from pain - 40 dentists working on dental units with a higher ergonomic potential and 40 medical assistants working on stations with lower ergonomic potential. The study included interviews, pain assessment and working spine arrangements analysis using the ultrasonographic measurement system. There were exceeds of work parameters in particular segments of the spine observed in all examined persons. The relationship between pain intensity and work parameters as frontal bending amplitude of lumbar spine segment, transversal amplitude of cervical spine segment and transversal amplitude of lumbar spine segment were observed in the group of dentists. There was observed the relationship between pain severity and the values of sagittal bending amplitude of cervical spine segment and thoracic spine segment in the group of medical assistants. Other determinants of pain also have been identified. Exceeded values of work parameters were observed amongst subjects working both at the higher and the lower ergonomic potential work stations. The working postures of people working in the sitting position are similar only to their external characteristics. Pain depends on working position. The pain intensity is determined by other factors: length of professional experience, duration of the pain, the number of working hours per week, body mass index (BMI). Med Pr 2018;69(5):509-522.

Conceptual frameworks for the workplace change adoption process: elements integration from decision making and learning cycle process

Sound workplace ergonomics and safety-related interventions may be resisted by employees, and this may be detrimental to multiple stakeholders. Understanding fundamental aspects of decision-making, behavioural change, and learning cycles may provide insights into pathways influencing employees’ acceptance of interventions. This manuscript reviews published literature on thinking processes and other topics relevant to decision making and incorporates the findings into two new conceptual frameworks of the workplace change adoption process. Such frameworks are useful for thinking about adoption in different ways and testing changes to traditional intervention implementation processes. Moving forward, it is recommended that future research focuses on systematic exploration of implementation process activities that integrate principles from the research literature on sense-making, decision-making, and learning processes. Such exploration may provide the groundwork for development of specific implementation strategies that are theoretically grounded and provide a revised understanding of how successful intervention adoption processes work.Practitioner summary: Adoption and acceptance of workplace changes may be facilitated through sound implementation strategies. This manuscript explores several principles of sense-making and decision-making processes that can potentially be used by industrial practitioners to inform the design and development of implementation strategies for interventions that improve workplace ergonomics and safety.Abbreviations: Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs); National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH); National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA); Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

Book Review: Ergonomic Workplace Design for Health, Wellness, and Productivity

Book Review: Ergonomic Workplace Design for Health, Wellness, and Productivity

Optical correction of refractive error for preventing and treating eye symptoms in computer users.

Optical correction of refractive error for preventing and treating eye symptoms in computer users.

Computer users’ ergonomics and quality of life – evidence from a developing country

ABSTRACTThis study is aimed at investigating the quality of workplace ergonomics at various Pakistani organizations and quality of life of computer users working in these organizations. Two hundred and thirty-five computer users (only those employees who have to do most of their job tasks on computer or laptop, and at their office) responded by filling the questionnaire covering questions on workplace ergonomics and quality of life. Findings of the study revealed the ergonomics at those organizations was poor and unfavourable. The quality of life (both physical and mental health of the employees) of respondents was poor for employees who had unfavourable ergonomic environment. The findings thus highlight an important issue prevalent at Pakistani work settings.

Differences in ergonomic and workstation factors between computer office workers with and without reported musculoskeletal pain.

Some studies have suggested a causal relationship between computer work and the development of musculoskeletal disorders. However, studies considering the use of specific tools to assess workplace ergonomics and psychosocial factors in computer office workers with and without reported musculoskeletal pain are scarce. The aim of this study was to compare the ergonomic, physical, and psychosocial factors in computer office workers with and without reported musculoskeletal pain (MSP). Thirty-five computer office workers (aged 18-55 years) participated in the study. The following evaluations were completed: Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA), and Maastricht Upper Extremity Questionnaire revised Brazilian Portuguese version (MUEQ-Br revised). Student t-tests were used to make comparisons between groups. The computer office workers were divided into two groups: workers with reported MSP (WMSP, n = 17) and workers without positive report (WOMSP, n = 18). Those in the WMSP group showed significantly greater mean values in the total ROSA score (WMSP: 6.71 [CI95% :6.20-7.21] and WOMSP: 5.88 [CI95% :5.37-6.39], p = 0.01). The WMSP group also showed higher scores in the chair section of the ROSA, workstation of MUEQ-Br revised, and in the upper limb RULA score. The chair height and armrest sections from ROSA showed the higher mean values in workers WMSP compared to workers WOMSP. A positive moderate correlation was observed between ROSA and RULA total scores (R = 0.63, p < 0.001). Our results demonstrated that computer office workers who reported MSP had worse ergonomics indexes for chair workstation and worse physical risk related to upper limb (RULA upper limb section) than workers without pain. However, there were no observed differences in workers with and without MSP regarding work-related psychosocial factors. The results suggest that inadequate workstation conditions, specifically the chair height, arm and back rest, are linked to improper upper limb postures and that these factors are contributing to MSP in computer office workers.

Work-related musculoskeletal symptoms among otolaryngologists by subspecialty: A national survey.

Given the high prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal symptoms, increased appreciation for workplace ergonomics is critical. The purpose of this study is to assess work-related musculoskeletal symptoms and injury among otolaryngologists across subspecialties, as well as to quantify the understanding and application of ergonomic principles in the operating room. Cross-sectional study. An online REDCap survey was distributed electronically to University of Kansas faculty, alumni, and residents; members of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery; and residency program coordinators for distribution to residents and faculty between August 2016 and March 2017. The survey assessed caseload, ergonomic practices, and associated musculoskeletal symptoms by type of procedure and impact of symptoms on surgeon practice. The survey was distributed to 3,006 individuals. We received 377 responses (12.5%), with 63.9% reporting symptoms. The majority of respondents began to experience symptoms in residency or fellowship. Neck and shoulder were the most affected body areas across all types of surgeries. One-third of surgeons were formally taught or actively sought information on ergonomics principles. Among those who applied ergonomics in practice, 69.6% observed improvement in their symptoms. Although musculoskeletal issues are prevalent among otolaryngologists, awareness of surgical ergonomics principles among otolaryngologists remains limited. Early instruction in ergonomic principles is important because work-related musculoskeletal symptoms commonly present in residency. Most respondents reporting the application of ergonomic principles also acknowledge symptom improvement. NA. Laryngoscope, 128:632-640, 2018.

Exposure level of ergonomic risk factors in hotel industries

Ergonomic Risk Factors (ERFs) which contribute to Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) among room attendants were considered as a problem or trouble since these ERFs would affect their work performance for hotel industries. The purpose of this study was to examine the exposure level of ERFs among room attendants in hotel industries. 65 of respondents were obtained from selected hotels in Peninsular Malaysia. Data were collected by direct observation via Workplace Ergonomic Risk Assessment (WERA) and Quick Exposure Checklist (QEC). There were 36 males and 29 females room attendants involved throughout the research. Most of room attendants experienced high exposure level for back, leg, forceful and vibration based on the exposure level evaluation through WERA while QEC results showed that all room attendants were found to have moderate exposure level for risk factors including back for movement use, shoulders/arms, wrists/hands and neck. All the results obtained showed that the related ERFs for MSDs were associated and essential ergonomic interventions are needed in order to eliminate risk of exposures to MSDs among room attendants in hotel industries.

Thematic issue: ergonomics in extreme environments and non-traditional workplaces

Thematic issue: ergonomics in extreme environments and non-traditional workplaces

Workplace interventions to improve sitting posture: A systematic review.

Evaluate the effectiveness of workplace interventions to improve sitting posture of workers that spend long periods of time seated at a visual display terminal. A systematic review of randomised controlled trials, non-randomised controlled trials and single-group intervention trials featuring workplace interventions with pre- and follow-up measurements of sitting posture was conducted (registered in PROSPERO, CRD#42015027648). Nine databases were searched for studies available between January 2005 and February 2016. 2519 articles were screened with 12 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. The included studies featured various ergonomic workplace interventions and comprised 4 randomised controlled trial (n=457), 2 non-randomised controlled trials (n=416) and 6 single-group intervention trials (n=328). Due to clinical and methodological heterogeneity, pooling of data was not completed and a narrative summary of findings was developed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment Development and Evaluation (GRADE) framework. The evidence for four review outcomes was assessed with medium to large positive improvements obtained for the majority of studies investigating changes to gross sitting posture, whereas mixed findings were obtained for more specific local segment assessments of sitting posture. The overall evidence quality for all review outcomes were identified as either 'low' or 'very low'. There is evidence which is limited in quality to indicate that ergonomic workplace interventions can improve gross sitting posture. More high quality research across a range of intervention types is required with longer follow-up durations and more advanced methods to assess sitting posture with greater frequency and less bias.

Computer vision syndrome-A common cause of unexplained visual symptoms in the modern era.

The aim of this study was to assess the evidence and available literature on the clinical, pathogenetic, prognostic and therapeutic aspects of Computer vision syndrome. Information was collected from Medline, Embase & National Library of Medicine over the last 30years up to March 2016. The bibliographies of relevant articles were searched for additional references. Patients with Computer vision syndrome present to a variety of different specialists, including General Practitioners, Neurologists, Stroke physicians and Ophthalmologists. While the condition is common, there is a poor awareness in the public and among health professionals. Recognising this condition in the clinic or in emergency situations like the TIA clinic is crucial. The implications are potentially huge in view of the extensive and widespread use of computers and visual display units. Greater public awareness of Computer vision syndrome and education of health professionals is vital. Preventive strategies should form part of work place ergonomics routinely. Prompt and correct recognition is important to allow management and avoid unnecessary treatments.

Ergonomic workplace design in the fast pick area

The aging society in many developed countries has made an ergonomic workplace design to an important topic among researchers and practitioners alike. We investigate the workplace design for order pickers that manually collect items from the shelves of a warehouse. Specifically, we treat the storage assignment, i.e., the placement of products in shelves of different height, and zoning, i.e., the partitioning of the storage space into areas assigned to separate pickers, in the fast pick area of a warehouse. A fast pick area unifies the most fast-moving items in a compact area, so that workers are relieved from unproductive travel, but face extraordinary ergonomic risks due to the frequent repetition of picking operations. Concerning the health of (aged) workers, it is crucial to reduce such risks. Thus, we define a combined ergonomic storage assignment and zoning problem with the objective of minimizing the maximum ergonomic burden among all workers. This problem is formalized, and two construction heuristics and a tabu search procedure are proposed. Our results show that neglecting ergonomic aspects and only focusing on picking performance leads to much higher ergonomic risks of the workforce.

Analisis Postur Kerja Operator Perakitan di Yessy Shoes untuk Mengidentifikasi Resiko Gangguan Muskuloskeletal Akibat Kerja

&lt;span class="fontstyle0"&gt;The application of ergonomics in work place is important because the lack of attention can cause health problems to worker, this can be performed by postural assessment using method of visual management, which assessing each elementary operation of a process to the selected domain ergonomics to produce PES (partial ergonomic score) and with a formula then value of OES (overall ergonomic score) is obtaned that shows the operation status of a process. The results obtained from this study is 5 process have value of OES in the range 0.4&amp;lt;OES≤0.5 so operation status is "investigate; change may be needed” while 17 process have value of OES in the range 0.5&amp;lt;OES≤0.7 so operation status is “investigate; change soon”. The conclusion of this study is the change of work posture of the worker is needed, which can be conducted by designing a facility based on the elementary operation with the highest value of PES.&lt;/span&gt;

Material Handling and Assembly Process Optimization using Value Stream Mapping

&lt;span&gt;The purpose of this project is to evaluate and optimize an assembly process for ergonomic and productivity considerations. Companies use lean manufacturing as a method for continuous improvement in order to increase throughput and for to reallocate resources for more important tasks. For this project, value stream mapping (VSM) was used to evaluate, analyze, and improve the ergonomic factors of an assembly process and to increasing throughput. With the use of VSM, researchers are able to see the areas of added value, non-added value, and bottlenecks. This project illustrates the implementation of VSM for the minimization of waste, by using the design method to restructure the process of assembly. The results show drastic improvement in assembly time and ergonomic workplace design, while providing a platform for a continuous improvement system.&lt;/span&gt;

Ergonomiškos darbo vietos ir raumenų fiziologinių pokyčių sąsajos manikiūro specialisto darbe

Netaisyklingai sėdint bei būnant priverstinėje padėtyje yra didelė tikimybė atsirasti rankų, kaklo, nugaros, kojų kaulų ir raumenų skausmui. Dirbant pritaikytomis, ergonomiškomis ir saugiomis sąlygomis, sukuriama optimali aplinka fizinei ir psichologinei sveikatai palaikyti. Svarbiausia detalė manikiūro specialisto darbe yra jo darbo kėdė, ant kurios sėdint darbingumas būtų išlaikomas kuo ilgesnį laiką ir nuovargis būtų minimaliausias. Kyla klausimas, kokia ergonominių priemonių taikymo svarba manikiūrininko darbe, kokie fiziologiniai pokyčiai vyksta raumenyse, atliekant manikiūrą ant paprastos ir ergonomiškos, balno formos kėdės? Šio tyrimo tikslas: įvertinti ergonominės priemonės taikymo svarbą manikiūrininko darbe. Tyrimo rezultatai rodo, jog kėdės tipas, ant kurios sėdima, nedaro įtakos trapeciniam, deltiniam ir priešpriešiniam rankos nykščio raumenims. Deguonies įsotinimas (StO2) dilbio raumenyse kito priklausomai nuo to, ant kurios kėdės buvo sėdima. Sėdint ant balno formos kėdės StO2 kiekis statistiškai reikšmingai buvo padidėjęs nuo 75,5±0,7% iki 78,3±0,6% p&amp;amp;lt;0,05. Didžiausias StO2 kiekis buvo sėdint ant balno formos kėdės, prieš manikiūrą buvo 92,4±0,4%, po manikiūro – 92,8±0,5%. Arterinė kraujotaka, rezervinė venų talpa, kraujo pritekėjimo greitis venose kito nereikšmingai. Pletizmogramos aukščio sumažėjimas (p&amp;amp;lt;0,05) stebėtas sėdint ant eksperimentinės balno formos kėdės. Eksperimento metu nustatyta, kad reikšmingiausias fiziologinis pokytis, sėdint ant balno formos kėdės – StO2 kiekio kaita. Sėdint ant šio tipo kėdės ištiesiama nugara, laisviau funkcionuoja plaučiai, todėl stebimos didžiausios deguonies įsotinimo reikšmės raumenyse. Kiti fiziologiniai pokyčiai: raumenų tonusas, klampa ir standumas, arterinė kraujotaka, rezervinė venų talpa, kraujo pritekėjimo greitis į venas, pletizmogramos aukštis buvo statistiškai nepatikimi.

Improving Workplace Ergonomics in Corporate Offices: A Comment on Madhwani et al.

Improving Workplace Ergonomics in Corporate Offices: A Comment on Madhwani et al.