Ergonomics Laboratory Research Articles

ΑΞΙΟΛΟΓΗΣΗ ΒΑΣΕΙ ΣΗΜΑΤΩΝ ΔΟΝΗΣΗΣ ΤΩΝ ΚΡΑΔΑΣΜΩΝ ΠΟΥ ΔΕΧΕΤΑΙ Ο ΧΕΙΡΙΣΤΗΣ ΤΟΥ ΕΛΚΥΣΤΗΡΑ

Operator fatigue during work with agricultural machinery is a significant factor contributing to fatal accidents in Greece. Workers operating agricultural machinery, especially those working with tractors and off-road machines, constitute one of the most hazard-prone groups due to mechanical vibrations transmitted from the ground to the operators’ seats. Operators of tractors and off-road machines are exposed to intense mechanical vibrations, underscoring the importance of cumulatively calculating permitted working hours. This work presents a study that was conducted at the Laboratory of Safety and Ergonomics of Agricultural Machinery, Department of Agriculture – Agrotechnology, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Thessaly, in order to evaluate the vibrations generated when operators work with agricultural tractors and off-road machinery. The results of the study showed that the highest levels of vibration occurred during disc harrowing operation, particularly when the disc harrow moved vertically or at an angle of 30° to the ploughing direction. For seed bed preparation, it is recommended to use tractors equipped with a suspension system for the operator's cabin and a seat with an adjustable range of perceived vibration. Additionally, to prevent fatigue or health problems for tractor operators, it is advisable to limit permitted working hours to fewer than 8 hours per day.

The Effects of Constant Illuminance at Multiple Temperatures Towards Muscle Activities for Rubber Scrap Industries

The objective of this study is to determine the effect of ergonomic factors, such as temperature and illuminance level towards muscle activities through repetitive loading and unloading tasks. The study settings are in Ergonomic Laboratory Chamber and a rubber factory. Six male respondents that participated in this study wear Electromyography (EMG) device on both sides of their bodies to measure muscle fatigue. EMG output signal data were analysed to determine the correlation between muscle activities with illuminance level and temperature. At constant 500 lux illuminance level and 24˚C temperature, respondent’s body shows optimum correlation between left sides and right sides. On the contrary, findings show unbalanced correlation at 19˚C and 32˚C which indicate one side of the body is using too much energy for the task.

PENGUKURAN DAN ANALISIS KECEPATAN REAKSI TERHADAP PERUBAHAN WARNA DAN BUNYI SEBAGAI DASAR DALAM PERANCANGAN ALAT PENGENDALI ERGONOMIS

Reaction time is the time span between receiving a stimulus and the initial appearance of a person's response. Many work equipment requires a quick reaction from the operator on the signal displayed. The quick reaction is turning off the engine, pressing the emergency button, braking etc. Quick action is needed, among others, to prevent work accidents, prevent damage to equipment. To find out the characteristics of the speed of reaction to several types of stimuli, a series of experiments was carried out. The study was conducted under normal conditions on 47 respondents in the ergonomics laboratory. Stimulation given changes in color and sound as well as visual cues in the form of moving needles. The calculation results show that the speed of reaction is influenced by the type of stimulus. The highest reaction speed occurs when the stimulus is in the form of a moving pointer, followed by the yellow, green, red buttons, the sound of the alarm and finally the whirring sound. The control board prototype designed using reaction speed characteristic data is equipped with 3 color push buttons that correspond to the color of the indicator light, 1 yellow push button to respond to a whirring sound indicator and an emergency stop button to respond to an alarm sound and a step on by foot switch to respond to indicators moving pointer emergency stop button to respond to the alarm sound as well as a step-by-foot switch to respond to indicators in the form of a moving pointer.

Impact of Correlated Color Temperature on Visitors’ Perception and Preference in Virtual Reality Museum Exhibitions

From the perspective of psychophysiological evaluation, this paper provides a theoretical reference for the lighting settings of museums. In order to study the impact of correlated color temperature (CCT) on visitors' perception and preference in museum exhibitions, an experiment was conducted in the ergonomics laboratory of Nanjing Forestry University. We invited 50 participants to visit the virtual reality museum exhibitions with different CCTs, built by Autodesk 3D's Max 2017. Specific psychophysiology variables-eye movement, electrodermal activity (EDA), and heart rate variability (HRV)-and the perception and preference of participants were collected. The results indicated that the association of CCT with eye movement, HRV, and some perceptual dimensions was significant. Under high illumination conditions with different CCTs, the pupil diameter and warmth decreased with the increase in CCT, but the comfort and pleasure scores increased first and then decreased. The CCT scenes sorted by LF/HF ratio from high to low were 4500 K, 6000 K, and 3000 K, which was consistent with the results of preference ranking. The LF/HF ratio showed significant sex differences and major discrepancies.

Lessons Learned to Effectively Teach and Evaluate Undergraduate Engineers in Work Design and Ergonomics Laboratory from a World Before, During, and After COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted traditional in-person engineering education requiring instructors to adapt to a remote-learning environment. Hands-on engineering is a critical component of engineering education, where students learn applications of the industry through physical design. Remote learning provides opportunities for students to think and instructors to evaluate students using online-learning tools that may not be available in an in-person lab setting. This study compares the effectiveness of undergraduate engineering education in Work Design and Ergonomics Laboratory taught in-person pre-pandemic to during-pandemic remote teaching and post-pandemic in-person instruction. Various hypothesis tests reveal mode of instruction’s impact on effectiveness of engineering education. Three lab case studies (Eye Tracker, Lean Lego, and Time Study) and student evaluations (Student Experience of Teaching Surveys (SETs)) of the course and instructor help assess student learning outcomes and experiences. We analyze the barriers to teaching the lab synchronously both in-person and remotely and how to overcome those.

Ollie Jay: managing heat, improving health

Ollie Jay: managing heat, improving health

Working posture analysis of wall building activities in construction works using the OWAS method

Activities of construction works are carried out manually and continuously with critical and repetitive working postures. The poor working condition causes fatigue, musculoskeletal disorder, in the worst case could lead to working accident. The paper discussed critical working postures of construction works of house construction project in Indonesia. Three mains activities have been identified to be studied, namely building up the brick wall, plastering the wall, and casting the concrete column. The activities were video recorded, the dimension of the work place and its component were measured and further analyzed in ergonomics laboratory. The postures were studied using Ovako Working Posture Analysis System (OWAS) method to identify their critical levels. The improvements were proposed to remove the critical posture and reduce the risk of injury. Result of the study showed that building up the brick wall was the most critical task since it has 2 critical postures, while plastering the wall and casting the concrete column have 1 critical posture respectively. The propose improvement has successfully removed the critical posture and reduce the risk of injury.

Physical Distancing in Small Industries to Prevent COVID-19 in New Normal Era - Case Study: Workstation Canting at Batik Tulis Workshop in Central Java

The COVID-19 pandemic has a significant impact on the economic sector, especially small industries. One that feels the impact is the traditional batik industry. In the traditional batik tulis business, the process is still mostly done by humans. One of the most critical processes in the traditional batik tulis is the canting process, and batik workers do it in groups in a canting workstation with the value of togetherness and sharing. However, given the New Normal Era, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, new considerations are needed in arranging workspaces for traditional batik workers. This study aims to provide recommendations for alternative layout compositions of equipment in the workspace, canting workstations, following New Normal standards. This research was conducted through an ethnographic approach with interviews and observations of several batik houses in Central Java. The research continued with experimentation by reconstructing batik activities using canting at the Ergonomics Laboratory, Faculty of Art and Design, Bandung Institute of Technology. The experimental results were then simulated to produce the best layout composition according to the New Normal workspace standards. In conclusion, a circular layout with one stove with a capacity of two batik workers with opposite orientations was the best layout for following physical distancing to prevent the spread of the SARS-COV-2 virus. Keywords : batik tulis, behavior, layout, physical distancing, workstation DOI: 10.7176/ADS/88-02 Publication date: December 31 st 2020

ПСИХОЛОГИЯ ТРУДА И ОРГАНИЗАЦИОННАЯ ПСИХОЛОГИЯ В УСЛОВИЯХ ПАНДЕМИИ: ПРОБЛЕМЫ И РЕШЕНИЯ Обзор научно-практической дискуссии в лаборатории психологии труда, эргономики, инженерной и организационной психологии ИП РАН, состоявшейся 10 сентября 2020 г.)

В статье проанализированы ход и результаты недавней научной дискуссии, посвященной задачам психологии труда и организационной психологии в условиях пандемии, которая оказывает огромное влияние на профессиональный труд. Были выделены наиболее актуальные проблемы, которые должны решать психологи труда. Сегодня психологи труда имеют уникальную возможность внести свой вклад в формирование моделей будущих форм профессиональной деятельности и помочь выработке организационной политики и практики, которые значительно повысят жизнестойкость субъекта труда даже условиях повторных экономических и пандемических кризисов. В ходе дискуссии было высказано пожелание сделать такие обсуждения актуальных проблем психологии труда и организационной психологии регулярными, приглашая для диалога ведущих психологов страны. The article analyzes the course and results of a recent scientific discussion on the problems of labor psychology and organizational psychology in the context of a pandemic that has a huge impact on professional work. The most urgent problems that labor psychologists should solve were highlighted. Today, labor psychologists have a unique opportunity to contribute to the formation of models for future forms of professional activity and help develop organizational policies and practices that will significantly increase the resilience of the labor subject even in the face of repeated economic and pandemic crises. During the discussion, a desire was expressed to make such discussions of topical issues of labor psychology and organizational psychology regular, inviting leading psychologists of the country for a dialogue.

Ergonomic Evaluation of Simulated Apple Hand Harvesting by Using 3D Motion Analysis

Objective: This study was conducted with the aim of using 3D motion analysis system to reveal ergonomic exposures while apple hand picking. Material and Method: The study was carried out in the ergonomics laboratory located at ATB (Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy Potsdam e.V.) in Germany with an artificial dwarf apple tree. Body postures, especially upper arm elevation, were determined by a 3D motion capture system. Evaluations were made according to ISO 11266 standard and RULA classification. Results: Average upper arm elevation changed between 27.86 0 and 33.60 0 . Time spent with elevated arm above 20 0 which is the base limit suggested by standards was found significant for entire experiments as 77% on average of the process time. It was estimated that 5 to 6 hours may be spend within 8 hours shift per day with elevated arms more than 20 0 . Conclusions: More detailed information was obtained in comparison to observational methods. This technique allows the determination of exact values of the arm positions depending on time intervals. It can also be used to determine other awkward postures such as trunk and head inclination and for any other work process.

Training With Wii Balance Board for Dynamic Balance in Older Adults

Background and Purpose: Age-related muscle strength deterioration and decreased ability to react appropriately and regain balance after unexpected sudden disturbances and deficit they have in the use of responsible mechanisms to control the dynamic stability in response to a disturbance are important intrinsic risk factors for the fall. The main objective of this study is to verify the impact on the dynamic balance, through the Limits of Stability test, of a physical exercise program in older adults using the Nintendo Wii console. Methods: The sample consisted of a total of 12 patients. Pre and posttreatment measurements and assessments were carried out at the Laboratory of Motion Analysis, Biomechanics, Ergonomics and Motor Control (LAMBECOM) in the Faculty of Health Sciences of the Rey Juan Carlos University. Results and Conclusions: The results of this study show improvements in the scores of all the variables analyzed by Limits of Stability: RT, MVL, EPE, MXE and DCL. The results obtained seem to determine that the protocol used through training with the Nintendo Wii and its Wii Fit video game produced clinical improvements in postural control and dynamic balance and a positive impact on quality of life.

CAPACITY TO REDUCE TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS (TDS) LEVELS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ERGONOMIC WATER KNOCK FILTERS

Clean water is very important forlife. Provision of clean water is still a problemin Indonesia. 80% of Indonesia's populationstill consumes water that is not in accordancewith health standards. Whether ergonomicwater filters knock down for clean watersupply is the consumer's interest in waterusers. This ergonomic knock down water filterall parts are easily removed, carried easily,then reassembled where the location requireswater as long as there are waterways to getclean water. The design of this study iscomparative and experimental descriptive.Large sample of 30 people who use waterfilters. Place of Research in the IndustrialEngineering Ergonomics Laboratory, PGRIAdiBuana University Surabaya, Indonesia.Data is taken by observation, questionnaire,and experimental results. Data were analyzedusing descriptive percentages. The resultsshowed that 73.3% water filter material chosestainless steel. Ergonomic knock down waterfilters have the ability to reduce levels of totaldissolved solids (TDS) from 380 ppm to 156ppm, down 224 ppm (41%). Conclusions: 1)water filter users have the highest interest inchoosing filters made of stainless steel, areeasily installed and used ergonomically, andanti-oxidation does not cause corrosion; 2) thewater yield from ergonomic knock down waterfliter is 41% clearer than before filtering.Suggestion: To implement the QualityFunction Deployment of a knock down waterfilter, ergonomics are expected to be guided byanalytical analysis according to theconclusions above.

Man is the measure of all things

Our system of measures referred to human proportions and human perception, as Protagoras stated, is “Man is the measure of all things”. In this paper, we present an overview of the measure of Man as a travel on time from the point of view of the past historical development to the future with the insight of different disciplines such as Anthropology, Ergonomics, and Human Factors. The key concept is that all the most famous scholars, architects artists and philosophers that have been working on system of human measures such as Polyclitus, Vitruvius and Leonardo until Le Corbusier are designers of Human canonical proportion and they design the things with the measure of their “Canonical Human”. We are looking to create a design with the differentiation of the measure of the “Real Humans”. The real human is not a canon but can be measured applying methodological international standards to obtain an anthropological database and to represent human variability on the base of standardized statistics for ergonomic design. This essay presents the result of 50 years of study at the Laboratory of Anthropometry and Ergonomics in the Turin University (Italy), applying Anthropometry of the real human evolution and Earth adaptation as result of the main factors: “gravity”, also investigated on context without this factor that is in “Outer Space”. In the Laboratory, researches were conduced not only to study past and present human populations, but also to deduce potential future expectations.

Metodologia de projeto ergonômico aplicada ao desenvolvimento de bancos de arremesso de atletas paralímpicos brasileiros

The objective of this article was to present and describe the project methodology implemented in the development of five throwing frames for paralympic athletes. The process was divided into project different phases / stages, which, although following a logical sequence of development, include activities performed simultaneously. The athletes and technicians were invited to participate in technical meetings with the research group at INT. These technical meetings were held throughout the project, so that athletes and their technicians could interact with the project team of the Three-Dimensional Models Laboratories (LAMOT) and Ergonomics Laboratory (LABER) athe Industrial Design Division at the National Institute of Technology. 3D motion captured and laser scanning captured with 1D anthropometric measurements were collected in order to provide information to the bank usability designer and anthropometric dimensions of the athletes. With this information, the LAMOT / DVDI project team developed project alternatives that were presented to the athletes and technicians. The chosen project frame alternative allowed greater rigidity to the seat. Athletes participated in all subsequent stages of prototype development and final testing in use. The conclusion was that the methodology provided a logical and comprehensible structuring of the product development process for all the actors involved in the project, even from different areas of activity, and thus, could contribute in a harmonic and productive way to the final result.

A study of 6S workplace improvement in Ergonomic Laboratory

This article discusses 6S implementation in Ergonomic Laboratory, Department of Industrial Engineering, Islamic University of Indonesia. This research is improvement project of 5S implementation in Ergonomic laboratory. Referring to the 5S implementation of the previous year, there have been improvements from environmental conditions or a more organized workplace however there is still a lack of safety aspects. There are several safeties problems such as equipment arrangement, potential hazards of room dividers that cause injury several times, placement of fire extinguisher, no evacuation path and assembly point in case of fire, as well as expired hydrant condition and lack of awareness of stakeholders related to safety. Therefore, this study aims to apply the 6S kaizen method to the Ergonomic laboratory to facilitate the work process, reduce waste, improve work safety and improve staff performance. Based on the score 6S assessment increased audit results by 32 points, before implementation is 75 point while after implementation is 107 point. This has implications for better use for mitigate people in laboratory area, save time when looking for tools and materials, safe workplace, as well as improving the culture and spirit of ‘6S’ on staff due to better and safetier working environment.

Development of the Strength Level on Arm for Indonesian People in Lifting Activity

Lifting is one of manual material handling activity that involves the whole part of a body. This activity is significant to contribute musculoskeletal disorder specifically on arms. It is because the arms are a major strength to lift objects. However, many people do not know the capability of their arm so that the task designed does not comply with the limitation of workers. Thus, it is required to determine a level of strength on arms. The objective of this study is to develop the strength level of arms for Indonesian people based on musculoskeletal contraction. An experimental study is conducted in the ergonomics laboratory. 24 males and 24 females was participated in this study which consists of three different ethnics. They are sixteen participants of Ethnic A, sixteen participants of Ethnic B and sixteen participants of Ethnic C. A case study of lifting consists of 4 positions of object. They are 38 cm in height, 50 cm in height, 85 – 115 cm in height for forming 90 degrees of the elbow and 100 cm in height. Back lift technique was implemented. An Electromyography is used to investigate muscle contraction on arms. Statistical analysis is done to test the hypothesis. The result of this study shows that the arm strength level for Indonesian workers has significant differences between males and females among difference Ethnic. For male, Ethnic A has 28.82% - 79.28% of MVC, Ethnic B has 17.74% - 58.67% of MVC, and Ethnic C has 22.13% - 68.67% of MVC. For female, Ethnic A has 28.28% - 84.63% of MVC, Ethnic B has 24.47% - 70.98% of MVC, and Ethnic C has 24.24% – 75.67% of MVC.

Implementation of 5S Method for Ergonomic Laboratory

This article discusses 5S implementation in Work System Design and Ergonomic Laboratory, Department of Industrial Engineering, Islamic University of Indonesia. There are some problems related to equipment settings for activity involving students such as files which is accumulated over the previous year practicum, as well as the movement of waste in the form of time due to the placement of goods that do not fit. Therefore, this study aims to apply the 5S method in DSK & E laboratory to facilitate the work processes and reduce waste. The project is performed by laboratory management using 5S methods in response to continuous improvement (Kaizen). Moreover, some strategy and suggestions are promoted to impose 5S system within the laboratory. As a result, the tidiness and cleanliness can be achieved that lead to the great performance of laboratory users. Score assessment before implementing 5S DSKE laboratory is at 64 (2.56) while the score after implementation is 32 (1.28) and shows an improvement of 50%. This has implications for better use in the laboratory area, save time when looking for tools and materials due to its location and good visual control, as well as improving the culture and spirit of ‘5S’ on staff regarding better working environment

Análise ergonômica do atendimento clínico odontológico

O presente estudo teve por objetivo analisar aspectos ergonômicos de atendimentos clínicos realizados em quatro especialidades odontológicas. Trata-se de um estudo observacional, para o qual foram filmados 48 procedimentos odontológicos, das especialidades de Endodontia, Cirurgia, Dentística Restauradora e Periodontia, realizados por acadêmicos concluintes de um curso de Odontologia em um laboratório de ergonomia. A postura ergonômica foi analisada por meio de um instrumento baseado nas especificações da ISO/FDI (International Standards Organization e a Federation Dentaire Internacionale). De acordo com essa classificação, são observados oito aspectos durante o atendimento, que envolvem o profissional e o equipamento utilizado, recebendo um ponto para cada item corretamente executado. Os tratamentos de Endodontia tiveram média de 3,69 pontos positivos; Cirurgia 4,03; Dentística Restauradora 4,26 e Periodontia 5,99 pontos. O tempo médio de atendimento foi de 62,3 minutos, sendo que os de maior duração resultaram em número maior de infrações ergonômicas (p<0,01). Quanto maior a complexidade do procedimento realizado, menor a adequação aos princípios ergonômicos (p=0,01). Em conclusão, a postura de trabalho foi insatisfatória principalmente em especialidades que demandaram maior tempo clínico.

Search product and experience product online reviews: An eye-tracking study on consumers' review search behavior

This study uses eye-tracking method to investigate consumers' online review search behavior by suggesting that it needs to consider the type of product reviewed. A review-product congruity proposition was testified through a self-report survey and an eye-tracking experiment. The proposition states that consumers of search products expect to seek attribute based reviews, while consumers shopping for experience products tend to seek experience based reviews. Two experiments were conducted in the human factors & ergonomics laboratory of Beihang University, China and all subjects are college students. The results of our first empirical experiment support our hypotheses by showing consumers' more active and positive responses to attribute based reviews when shopping for search products and to experience based reviews when purchasing experience products. The second experiment was conducted with eye tracking method to gain further insights. We found that consumers of search products are attracted and engaged more deeply by attribute based reviews. However, when they browse experience products, the difference of their fixations on experience based reviews and attribute based reviews is not significant, and thus the proposition is partially supported. This study extends our current understanding of consumers' online review search behavior by subsuming product type, which is necessary and helpful, and provides references on the classification and presentation of reviews to facilitate consumers' product judgement and decision making. Moreover, comparison of traditional empirical method and eye-tracking method can help deepen our understanding of complex consumer online shopping behavior.

Impact of Automation on Drivers' Performance in Agricultural Semi-Autonomous Vehicles.

Drivers' inadequate mental workload has been reported as one of the negative effects of driving assistant systems and in-vehicle automation. The increasing trend of automation in agricultural vehicles raises some concerns about drivers' mental workload in such vehicles. Thus, a human factors perspective is needed to identify the consequences of such automated systems. In this simulator study, the effects of vehicle steering task automation (VSTA) and implement control and monitoring task automation (ICMTA) were investigated using a tractor-air seeder system as a case study. Two performance parameters (reaction time and accuracy of actions) were measured to assess drivers' perceived mental workload. Experiments were conducted using the tractor driving simulator (TDS) located in the Agricultural Ergonomics Laboratory at the University of Manitoba. Study participants were university students with tractor driving experience. According to the results, reaction time and number of errors made by drivers both decreased as the automation level increased. Correlations were found among performance parameters and subjective mental workload reported by the drivers.