Ergonomics Theory Research Articles

Community Ergonomics: A Theoretical Model for Rebuilding the Inner City

There is a critical need for various forces that are working to improve the inner city to coordinate their efforts and to develop cooperative approaches. This includes governments at all levels, social agencies, educational systems, the business community, financial institutions, religious groups, ethnic groups, police, universities and inner-city residents. The diversity in values, approaches, goals, desires and legal requirements makes such a systematic integration very complex and difficult. Several human factors and ergonomics theories for the management and control of complex systems can provide insight into effective means to address these issues. General principles can be established to promote “community ergonomics.”

A DYNAMICAL THEORY OF HETEROCHRONY: TIME-SEQUENCING CHANGES IN ECOLOGY, DEVELOPMENT AND EVOLUTION

This work provides a foundation for a quantitative dynamical theory of heterochronic processes in the evolution of colonial invertebrate animals including Bryozoans, Siphonophores and Ants. These processes are environmentally induced changes in the time-sequencing of growth and development which can produce alterations in the morphotypes or castes within an individual colony. Motivation comes from Křivan’s theory of environmentally induced constraints on population densities for ecological interactions, but the present theory is second order with allometric production variables xi and population densities for morphotypes, Ni. We are able to unite ecological theory and the allometric form of the Wilson Ergonomic Theory via projective differential geometry and Wagner spaces which provide a natural description of environmentally induced time-sequencing changes altering the allometric curve of a species. Such changes define a model of heterochronic processes important in paleontology.

Ergonomics and labour protection in the USSR and the commonwealth of independent states — historical landmarks and present status

The article describes the difficulties of ergonomics formation in the USSR. The relationship of ergonomics and labour protection are also discussed. Advanced and conceptual studies in the field of ergonomics and labour protection were carried out at all stages of USSR history; ingenious concepts and approaches were suggested and many regulations, technological norms, and concrete recommendations to improve engineering facilities, labour processes and conditions were developed. The main results of the All-Union scientific and technological ergonomic program are characterized. One of the main aims of the program was to improve labour conditions and to reduce the number of accidents and catastrophes. The contradictory influence of perestroika on ergonomics and labour protection development is shown. The causes of the gap between theory and practice in ergonomics and labour protection are analysed.

Calculating relaxation allowances for construction operatives — Part 2: Local muscle fatigue

Local muscle fatigue usually occurs at low levels of energy output where loads are applied to a localised group of muscles. Local muscle fatigue can be either static or dynamic, depending upon the frequency of loading. Several ergonomics theories relating to local muscle fatigue are reviewed. An alternative method for determining relaxation allowances for construction work is presented.

From ergonomic theory to practice: Organisational factors affecting the utilisation of ergonomic knowledge : Liker, J.K., Joseph, B.S., and Armstrong, T.J. In: Human Factors in Organisational Design and Management, Proceedings of the First Symposium held in Honolulu, Hawaii, 21–24 August 1984, Edited by H.W. Hendrick and O. Brown. North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1984, pp 563–568

From ergonomic theory to practice: Organisational factors affecting the utilisation of ergonomic knowledge : Liker, J.K., Joseph, B.S., and Armstrong, T.J. In: Human Factors in Organisational Design and Management, Proceedings of the First Symposium held in Honolulu, Hawaii, 21–24 August 1984, Edited by H.W. Hendrick and O. Brown. North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1984, pp 563–568

Repertoire convergence in two Mangrove ants,Zacryptocerus varians andCamponotus (Colobopsis) sp.

The convergence ofZacryptocerus varians andCamponotus (Colobopsis) sp. is manifest in three ways: i) Structural convergence (shield-headed major workers, large eggs), ii) Qualitative behavioral convergence (high rate of oral trophallaxis, traffic in infrabuccal pellets, iii) Repertoire convergence (number of behavioral categories in common, behavioral distance). Methods of analyzing repertoire convergence using techniques borrowed from numerical taxonomy may be especially useful in obtaining quantitative measurements of the relative effects of phylogeny and ecology in social insect behavior. In constrast to the behavioral convergence of the minor workers, the major workers do not show this convergence. The major workers ofColobopsis are not as behaviorally specialized as the major workers ofZ. varians and in accordance with current ergonomic theory are relatively more numerous. An effort is made to account for the areas of convergence and divergence in features of their sociobiology.

Isodynes of women in the reaching area of the arms

SUMMARY Some important factors of female work are analysed, and the importance and use of knowledge about maximum muscular strength of women in theory and praxis of Ergonomics, Biomechanics is demonstrated. With the term of maximum isometric muscular strength of position isodynes are defined as curves which join points of application of forces within the arm reach and which indicate strengths of the same type and amount. Isodynes are used for complex describing the dynamo-metric structure of the arm reach. Some examples of isodyne-diagrams demonstrate their practical applicability for work study practitioners and designers of work places and layout.