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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND ERGONOMICS
Volume 8 Number 4, 2002
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CONTENTS:
Articles:
  PROTECTION OF HUMAN IN THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT
- Evaluation of Different Scales for Measurement of Perceived Physical Strain During Performance of Manual Tasks
Luz Hernandez, Ali Alhemood, Ashraf M. Genaidy, Waldemar Karwowski, 413-432 
- Ergonomic Program Effectiveness: Ergonomic and Medical Intervention
Kevin P. McSweeney, Brian N. Craig, Jerome J. Congleton, David Miller, 433-449
- Interaction of Physical and Mental Work
Sukhvinder Singh, Fereydoun Aghazadeh, Thomas G. Ray, 451-463
- The Effects of Worksite Stress Management Intervention on Changesin Coping Styles
Dorota Żołnierczyk-Zreda, 465-482
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PROTECTION OF HUMAN AT THE WORKSTATION
NOTES
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Evaluation of Different Scales for Measurement of Perceived Physical Strain During Performance of Manual Tasks
Luz Hernandez, Ali Alhemood, Ashraf M. Genaidy, Waldemar Karwowski
The main objective of this study was to evaluate different scales of perceived strain during the performance of various physical tasks. A total of 52 male and female participants took part in 4 experiments to achieve the study objective. The results suggest that a bipolar comfort-discomfort scale is a more appropriate instrument than a discomfort scale for assessing cumulative physical stresses at work, especially at the beginning of the shift. For assessing discomfort at the end of the work shift, a unipolar scale may also be used. On the basis of the obtained results, red, green, and yellow zones are suggested to establish priorities for work redesign efforts in ergonomic control programs.
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Ergonomic Program Effectiveness: Ergonomic and Medical Intervention
Kevin P. McSweeney, Brian N. Craig, Jerome J. Congleton, David Miller
The implementation of a successful ergonomic and medical intervention program designed to reduce the number and severity of injuries and illnesses and the associated levels of discomfort in the workplace is presented. Because of the recent activity concerning the on-again-off-again Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Ergonomic Program Standard questions have been raised as to the value and effectiveness of an organization’s ergonomics program. In light of these concerns, the immense cost associated with work-related injury and illness, and the related pain and suffering associated with such injuries and illnesses, it is important to present a workable and effective ergonomic and medical intervention program. The results of this applied study demonstrate that through the application of an ergonomic and medical intervention program, workplace-related injuries and illnesses can be reduced or eliminated.
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Interaction of Physical and Mental Work
Sukhvinder Singh, Fereydoun Aghazadeh, Thomas G. Ray
The objective of the research was to determine the effect of mental load on the physical capacity of an individual. An experiment involving 9 combinations of lifting tasks, 1 lowering task, and 3 treadmill tasks was conducted. Heart rate was measured and maximum acceptable weight of lift was determined using the psychophysical method. A simple multiplication task was used as the mental load. The output variables were determined with and without the mental task. The results indicate that the individual's physical capacity decreased with the mental task while lifting from floor to knuckle and shoulder to reach lifting heights.
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The Effects of Worksite Stress Management Intervention on Changes in Coping Styles
Dorota Żołnierczyk-Zreda
In this study the effects of a worksite stress management intervention on changes in coping styles were examined. Ninety-five participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group participating in the intervention or to a control group with a delayed intervention. The stress management intervention was structured on enhancing so-called positive coping styles focused on problem solving and social diversion and on decreasing negativeľemotion-focused and distractionľcoping. The results showed that in the experimental group the level of positive coping styles significantly increased. The effect of decreased negative coping styles due to the intervention was observed only in the group of participants with a high level of negative affectivity.
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Combining Psychophysical Measures of Discomfort and Electromyography for the Evaluation of a New Automotive Seating Concept
Mike Kolich, Salem M. Taboun
The purpose of this study was to determine if the advantages and disadvantages of a new automotive seating concept, known as the micro-adjuster control system, could be reliably evaluated using both a physiological assessment technique (i.e., electromyography [EMG]) and a subjective questionnaire. The results indicate that psychophysical measures of discomfort and the root mean squared (RMS) activity of the EMG are statistically related, r (8) = –.788, p = .020. More specifically, subjective perceptions of comfort were found to improve with decreasing levels of muscle activity. This implies that seat comfort can be evaluated on the basis of physiological as well as subjective responses to prolonged driving. This finding should drastically improve automobile seat design efforts.
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Permeability of Medical Gloves to Mono- and Dimethacrylate Monomers in Dental Restorative Materials
Emma-Christin Lönnroth, I. Eystein Ruyter
Dental personnel manually handle methacrylate-based restorative materials, which can cause skin irritation and allergies. The protection given by different types of medical gloves is not well known. Breakthrough time (BTT, min) was used as a measure of protection according to a European standard, using 2 test mixtures consisting of respectively 3 and 5 monomers. Fourteen gloves representing natural rubber latex, synthetic rubber, and synthetic polymeric material were tested. The BTT ranged from some minutes to more than 2 hrs for the 4 monomers with a molecular mass less than 300. The longest protection was recorded for Nitra Touch (nitrile rubber), Tactylon (synthetic rubber), and Metin (PVC).
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Three-Dimensional Lifting Model For Non-Homogeneous Loads
Issachar Gilad, Daniel Boughanim
A 3-dimensional model and analysis methodology is suggested for treating lifting tasks when unbalanced loads are involved. The paper describes the biomechanical equations that are coupled with the worker’s posture geometry, to address a practical problem of non-symmetric lifting. The analysis has a dominant biomechanical modeling scope, as it contains a breakdown of the internal lifting forces resulting from posture and external loads acting on the body. The load model represents the acting forces due to unbalanced lifting, which is commonly found in industrial situations. The suggested model allows the user to simulate the influence of the practical load distribution, aiding safe design of a lifting job.
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Lifter, a Computerized Lifting Analysis Technique
Issachar Gilad, Daniel Boughanim
A computer driven technique to analyze lifting forces, in non-homogeneous load situations, is described and tested. Analysis is based on a dynamic algorithm aimed to evaluate unconstrained lifting posture and non-homogeneous content of loads. For inputs we use actual geometrical body postures in the form of 3-dimensional co-ordinates obtained from pictures taken at a work site. The outputs show a good match between the findings and pre-study assumptions for balanced and non-balanced load lifting practice. The results of the experiments show a good degree of correlation with results reported by researchers for symmetrical lifting tasks and with National Institute for Occupational Health (NIOSH) lifting guidelines. It is believed that the technique can serve as the proper choice for industrial and safety analysts of lifting activities.
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Driver Workload Response to In-Vehicle Device Operations
Christian J. Jerome, H.C. Neil Ganey, Mustapha Mouloua, Peter A. Hancock
A central concern of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) is the effect of in-vehicle devices (e.g., cell phones, navigation systems, radios, etc.) on driver performance and safety. As diverse and innovative technologies are designed and implemented for in-vehicle use, questions regarding the presence and use of these devices assume progressively greater importance. Further concerns for advanced driver training require us to develop and validate reliable and effective procedures for assessing such effects. This work examines a number of candidate procedures, in particular the evaluation of change in cognitive workload as a strategy by which such goals might be achieved.
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