Human Factors Engineering

Assignment 6 due 3:00 p.m., Thursday, November 13, 2014

(to be handed to the instructor in class)

Note the corrections to the textbook given in the Errata to the textbook posting on Moodle

1 A screening tool for WMSDs is tested by a major US tour operator for suitability of evaluating
crews on cruise ships. The work/rest patterns are very different from shore-based US jobs. The
tour company wants to know if the screening tool is suitable for assessing risk of the crew
members. These are the results of the study:

Screening Tool Predicted Job Risk

Actual Risk High Low
High 43 11
Low 40 85

Calculate the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predicted values of the tool. Would
you advise the company to use this tool?

2 A hand-operated, high-pressure water jet for blasting rocks down mine stopes is operated by
pushing together, with both hands, two handles, shoulder width apart and directly in front of the
operator at chest height. The design engineer wants to know for how long the operator will be able
to operate the jet if the required force is 14 kg. You get data on the maximum force required by
simulating the task using a bathroom scale sandwiched between two piles of books. Volunteers
exert a maximum push force which is read-off the scale. The maximum push forces for 10 male
volunteers are as follows:
Push force (kg): 25, 17, 30, 23, 23, 24, 19, 35, 34, 25

a. Calculate the endurance times for 7th and 93rd percentile push force using Rohmert's equation
b. Calculate the 7th and 93rd percentile endurance times using Rohmert's equation

2 Worker Albert, weighing 60 kg, has a VO2 max of 60 mL/kg/min and worker Brendan, weighing 100
kg, has a VO2 max of 50 mL/kg/min. When walking steadily at 5 km/h with no extra load Albert is
working at 30% of his VO2 max, and Brendan at 40% of his VO2 max. If each of them has to carry
a 30 kg load that requires the consumption of one additional liter of oxygen per minute, which
worker will tire more quickly? Provide necessary calculations to support your choice.

3 Anna works in an environment where great, but gradual changes in temperature occur. These are
the WBGT readings obtained:

Time 1:00 pm 1:30 pm 2:30 pm 3:00 pm 4:00 pm 5:00 pm

WBGT (C) 21 27 33 31 26 20

a. Calculate the weighted mean WBGT for the four hour period
b. For the WBGT calculated in a, what is the maximum metabolic expenditure rate that Anna can
work at for 8 continuous hours.