CONTENTS:

Articles:

PROTECTION OF HUMAN IN THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT

The Workload and Performance Relationshipin the Real World: A Study of Police Officersin a Field Shooting Exercise Tal Oron-Gilad, James L. Szalma, Shawn C. Stafford, Peter A. Hancock 119-131 Simulation of Reflected and Scattered Laser Radiation for Designing Laser Shields Piotr Konieczny, Agnieszka Wolska, Jacek Świderski, Andrzej Zając , 133-147 Cognitive Failures, Driving Errors and Driving Accidents Teimour Allahyari, Gebraeil Nasl Sarami, Javad Adl, Mostafa Hosseini, Mahmood Iravani, Masood Younesian, Steven J. Kass, 149-158 Participatory Ergonomics Intervention in an Industrially Developing Country—A Case Study Faramarz Helali, Emma-Christin Lönnroth, Houshang Shahnavaz, 159-176

PROTECTION OF HUMAN AT THE WORKSTATION

Working Conditions in a Selected Sample of Call Centre Companies in Sweden Kerstin Norman, Ewa Wigaeus Tornqvist, Allan Toomingas 177-194 Heuristic Job Rotation Procedures for Reducing Daily Exposure to Occupational Hazards Sorawit Yaoyuenyong, Suebsak Nanthavanij, 195-206 Occupational Risk Identification Rusing Hand-Held or Laptop Computers Paula Naumanen, Heikki Savolainen, Jyrki Liesivuori, 207-215

NOTES

Guidance Note: Risk Management of Workers With Medical Electronic Devices and Metallic Implants in Electromagnetic Fields Bruce Hocking, Kjell Hansson Mild, 217-222 MHAC—An Assessment Tool for Analysing Manual Material Handling Tasks Ajay Batish, Tejinder P. Singh, 223-235 An Investigation of Ergonomics Analysis Tools Used in Industry in the Identification of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Silvia A. Pascual, Syed Naqvi, 237-245 Ergonomic Hand Tool and Desk and Chair Development Process Dongmin Shin, Jung-Yong Kim, M. Susan Hallbeck, Joel M. Haight, Myung-Chul Jung, 247-252

The Workload and Performance Relationship in the Real World: A Study of Police Officers in a Field Shooting Exercise
Tal Oron-Gilad, James L. Szalma, Shawn C. Stafford, Peter A. Hancock


We examined the relationship between perceived workload and performance by evaluating the responses of police officers to 4 different draw-and-shoot tasks in a night field training exercise which was part of their regular training regimen. Sixty-two police officers volunteered to participate. Results demonstrated an associative trend among 3 tasks where shooting performance decreased and workload increased as the tasks became more complex. However, performance on 1 specific shooting task did not correlate with any of the other 3 tasks, and in this 1 exceptional case, insensitivities were observed in which workload increased but performance remained constant.

Simulation of Reflected and Scattered Laser Radiation for Designing Laser Shields
Piotr Konieczny, Agnieszka Wolska, Jacek Świderski, Andrzej Zając


This paper presents a computer simulation of reflected and scattered laser radiation for calculating the angle of laser shields performed with the Laser Shield Solver computer program. The authors describe a method of calculating the shield angle for laser shields which protect workers against reflected and scattered laser radiation and which are made from different materials. The main assumptions of the program, which calculates and simulates reflected laser radiation from any material and which can be used for designing shield angles, are presented. Calculations are compared with measurements of reflected laser radiation. The results for one type of laser and different materials which interacted with a laser beam showed that the Laser Shield Solver was an appropriate tool for designing laser shields and its simulations of reflected laser radiation distribution have practical use.

Cognitive Failures, Driving Errors and Driving Accidents
Teimour Allahyari, Gebraeil Nasl Sarami, Javad Adl, Mostafa Hosseini, Mahmood Iravani, Masood Younesian, Steven J. Kass


Introduction. The impact of a driver’s cognitive capability on traffic safety has not been adequately studied. This study examined the relationship between cognitive failures, driving errors and accident data. Method. Professional drivers from Iran (160 males, ages 18–65) participated in this study. The cognitive failures questionnaire (CFQ) and the driver error questionnaire were administered. The participants were also asked other questions about personal driving information. A principal component analysis with varimax rotation was performed to determine the factor structure of the CFQ. Poisson regression models were developed to predict driving errors and accidents from total CFQ scores and the extracted factors. Results. Total CFQ scores were associated with driving error rates, but not with accidents. However, the 2 extracted factors suggested an increased effect on accidents and were strongly associated with driving errors. Discussion. Although the CFQ was not able to predict driving accidents, it could be used to identify drivers susceptible to driving errors. Further development of a driving-oriented cognitive failure scale is recommended to help identify error prone drivers. Such a scale may be beneficial to licensing authorities or for developing driver selection and training procedures for organizations.

Participatory Ergonomics Intervention in an Industrially Developing Country—A Case Study
Faramarz Helali, Emma-Christin Lönnroth, Houshang Shahnavaz


In industrially developing countries, a few ergonomists have directed great efforts towards developing ergonomics awareness among managers and workers in organizations. There is little research on the degree of their success, though. Furthermore, access of organizations to ergonomics knowledge is usually very difficult, especially in industrially developing countries. Thus, building ergonomics awareness is certainly the first phase of the process. Three companies from one industry (44 people: 14 females and 30 males) participated in a project aimed at improving their work system. At the beginning, we needed to create a common goal and ensure participation with appropriate ergonomics tools. The findings of this study were the key issue for the ergonomics intervention (i.e., a shared vision, awakened need of change and learning). Further, to build ergonomics awareness and develop a continuous learning process in the company, it was necessary to use more ergonomics tools through workers’ participation in different workplaces.

Working Conditions in a Selected Sample of Call Centre Companies in Sweden
Kerstin Norman, Ewa Wigaeus Tornqvist, Allan Toomingas


Background. Call centres (CCs) are among the most rapidly growing forms of workplaces in Sweden. The purpose of the study was to describe and compare working conditions between operators at internal and external CC companies and work tasks of different complexity. Method. A questionnaire was answered by 1 183 operators, 848 women and 335 men, from 28 different CCs. The questionnaire covered background factors, employment, working hours and remuneration, call logging and monitoring, duties, computer work and workplace design during the previous month. Results. Operators at external companies and operators with low-complexity work tasks were younger, more often employed by the hour and worked on a varying roster. They spent longer time on customer calls and had less varied tasks. Additional remuneration, call logging and monitoring were more common at external companies and among operators with low-complexity work tasks. Conclusion. The working conditions varied between internal and external CCs. There was also a variation in working conditions between work tasks of different complexity. There were aspects of supervision style and organization of work at CCs, especially at external ones and those with low-complexity tasks that could introduce stress and lack of well being among the staff.

Heuristic Job Rotation Procedures for Reducing Daily Exposure to Occupational Hazards
Sorawit Yaoyuenyong, Suebsak Nanthavanij


This paper discusses 2 heuristic job rotation procedures for preventing industrial workers from being excessively exposed to ergonomics and safety hazards in their workplaces. The objective of the procedures is 2-fold: (a) to find a minimum number of workers required for the given set of jobs, and (b) to determine a set of safe worker–job–period assignments such that all workers’ exposure to hazard does not exceed the permissible limit. Here, occupational hazards are divided into 2 categories: single- and variable-limit hazards. In the first category, workers are considered to have equal capability to withstand the hazard; in the second category, the limit of hazard exposure varies for different individuals. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the procedures.

Occupational Risk Identification Rusing Hand-Held or Laptop Computers
Paula Naumanen, Heikki Savolainen, Jyrki Liesivuori


This paper describes the Work Environment Profile (WEP) program and its use in risk identification by computer. It is installed into a hand-held computer or a laptop to be used in risk identification during work site visits. A 5-category system is used to describe the identified risks in 7 groups, i.e., accidents, biological and physical hazards, ergonomic and psychosocial load, chemicals, and information technology hazards. Each group contains several qualifying factors. These 5 categories are colour-coded at this stage to aid with visualization. Risk identification produces visual summary images the interpretation of which is facilitated by colours. The WEP program is a tool for risk assessment which is easy to learn and to use both by experts and nonprofessionals. It is especially well adapted to be used both in small and in larger enterprises. Considerable time is saved as no paper notes are needed.

Guidance Note: Risk Management of Workers With Medical Electronic Devices and Metallic Implants in Electromagnetic Fields
Bruce Hocking, Kjell Hansson Mild


Medical electronic devices and metallic implants are found in an increasing number of workers. Industrial applications requiring intense electromagnetic fields (EMF) are growing and the potential risk of injurious interactions arising from EMF affecting devices or implants needs to be managed. Potential interactions include electromagnetic interference, displacement, and electrostimulation or heating of adjacent tissue, depending on the device or implant and the frequency of the fields. A guidance note, which uses a risk management framework, has been developed to give generic advice in (a) risk identification—implementing procedures to identify workers with implants and to characterise EMF exposure within a workplace; (b) risk assessment—integrating the characteristics of devices, the anatomical localisation of implants, occupational hygiene data, and application of basic physics principles; and (c) risk control—advising the worker and employer regarding safety and any necessary changes to work practices, while observing privacy.

MHAC—An Assessment Tool for Analysing Manual Material Handling Tasks
Ajay Batish, Tejinder P. Singh


This paper describes an assessment tool for analysing material handling tasks and its application for material handling tasks prevalent in engine bearing industry. After a close observation of material handling tasks spread over many days, a list of tasks and parameters/variables affecting those tasks was made. Ergonomic conditions present in these tasks and their deficiencies were then identified and on the basis of the relationships between the tasks and their affinities, categories were developed. Using the data of those categories and various conditions and parameters, an assessment tool called MHAC (material handling assessment chart) was developed.

An Investigation of Ergonomics Analysis Tools Used in Industry in the Identification of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders
Silvia A. Pascual, Syed Naqvi


Web-based surveys were sent to Canadian certified ergonomists, Joint Health and Safety Committees (JHSCs) and health and safety certification trainers to understand better which ergonomics analysis tools were used in industry and help JHSCs obtain the necessary training required to reduce work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). The results showed that most of the certified ergonomists used the Snook/Mital tables, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) equation and rapid upper limb assessment (RULA)/rapid entire body assessment (REBA). The most frequently used methods by JHSCs to identify ergonomics risk were injury reports and worker complaints. The surveys for the health and safety certification trainers revealed that most curricula did not include ergonomics analysis tools. There appears to be a gap between what is recommended by certified ergonomists for JHSC, what is taught in training and what is used by JHSCs for ergonomics risk analysis. A better understanding, modifications in training curricula and education of JHSCs are needed to help reduce WMSDs.

Ergonomic Hand Tool and Desk and Chair Development Process
Dongmin Shin, Jung-Yong Kim, M. Susan Hallbeck, Joel M. Haight, Myung-Chul Jung


This paper suggests a practical and simple process consisting of 8 stages: needs assessment, ergonomics guidelines, anthropometry, brainstorming and idea sketch, preliminary model, drafting and rendering, working prototype, and user trials. The feasibility of this process was verified with the development of a modified clamping hand tool and a new student desk and chair. The case studies showed how design difficulties were overcome by integrating ergonomics guidelines in the process.