DESIGNING ERGONOMIC FOUR-CAPACITY DORMITORY ROOMS

INTRODUCTION

Background and Rationale

Ergonomics is the study of the design and arrangement of human-machine systems. It

came from the Greek word ergos meaning work and nomos meaning natural laws. Its roots can

be traced back to the Pre-Historic times. In 1855, Woiciech Jastrzebowski, a Polish biologist,

was the first person to use the word Ergonomics. The Ergonomics Research Society (ERS), the

first professional body in Ergonomics, was established in Oxford, England in 1949. Ergonomics

continued to evolve through time and when World War II began, there was already a great need

for man-machine systems. There were analysis of the problems encountered and these only

stimulated the need to further investigate the interactions between people and machines. The

design and construction of military equipment and machines mainly used Ergonomic principles.

One of the main goals of the authority was to design a machine that could maximize soldier

efficiency with consideration of their safety.

It was evident in the past that different people already make use of Ergonomic principles

but their application was not as effective as the ones used today. Ergonomics nowadays is used

to design products and jobs. It can be used to develop programs and systems for performing

tasks. Safety and health programs are the two main concerns in program developments. Other

concerns include human performance predicting systems, material-handling systems and error

tracking systems. Aside from these, Ergonomics can also be used to create machine, tool and

workplace layouts which are very useful for businesses.

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 There are several reasons why it is important to use Ergonomics not only in the

workplace but also in the everyday lives of people. Improving the safety, health, comfort and

enjoyment of people can provide high morale in the workplace. This will also result to high

productivity of people. Through Ergonomics, the desire, capabilities and limitations of people

are discovered. It has a way of identifying and measuring the different factors present in the

system. Lastly, economic advantages can be achieved such as reducing the effort and decreasing

the cost in the work systems.

With the nature of Ergonomics, it can be applied almost everywhere. Human-centered

design principles are used in designing a workplace. The person designing the system should

take advantage of human attributes and capabilities. The principles consider the proper

arrangement and conditions of the workplace. Adjustability of seats and tables, for example, is

considered to enhance postural flexibility, and compatibility between controls of things is

analyzed to help the user perform the task faster. The user of the design should also be able to

use any materials and tools involved with ease and precision. These are just some of the things

where Ergonomics can be proven useful.

In every system, there is always a design that maximizes the use of resources and the

efficiency of people involved in it. Being said that, Ergonomics can be applied in a system such

as a factory, a shopping mall or even a dormitory.

Statement of the Problem

Every person needs an environment that can maximize work productivity and efficiency.

To achieve such environment, Ergonomics should be used. Several factors are present in any

system so these will all be considered and evaluated. It is ideal to apply Ergonomic principles in

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a usual four-capacity dormitory room because it has an area with lots of things to consider in

order to make it a good place for studying and for performing daily tasks.

Objectives of the Study

The primary objective of this study is to design and develop an optimal Ergonomic four-

capacity dormitory room with consideration to the comfort and safety of its user. The following

are the things that the study is also expected to achieve:

1. To guide the dormitory management in making improvement decisions on the design of

four-capacity rooms

2. To help the students or the users in general to have a comfortable sleeping and study

environment

Conceptual Framework

An ergonomic design always depends on the person who uses it. The chair for example

has many different sizes, forms and structure. Some chairs are inclined, some are adjustable and

some are simple. The designs vary in order to accommodate different types of body structures.

The body structure of men and women, adult and child differs from each other. This is where the

anthropometric measurements and statistical data are usually incorporated. There should be a

computed range of users who can use the design efficiently. The knee length, buttock-popliteal

length and hip breadth are just some of the measurements that should be gathered to be able to

complete the design that can properly fit the user. The same is true when designing an even more

complicated object. A Go-Kart for example, has a more complex structure compared to a chair.

Its design includes the steel cage, the wheel and other controls, the pedal, the seat and many

more. Each component is analyzed individually with the use of the knowledge in ergonomic

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design. The optimal finished product can be produced by incorporating every detail in the design

process. To sum it up, it is best to have a design that can accommodate almost all body structures

without sacrificing quality.

Theoretical Framework

The Human-centered Design Principles of Ergonomics are all about making the designs

fit the person using or experiencing it. To improve a person’s productivity and efficiency, it is

common to think that a good working environment should exist. The usual dormitories have a

relatively small room space compared to a room in houses. The bed and all other things are

arranged in such a way the small space is maximized. This may result to the discomfort of the

user specifically a student. The study area is also usually located inside the room but not all

dormitories take the overall design of the room seriously. It can be observed in some dormitories

that the room’s lighting is not good enough or too dim for studying or for performing tasks

especially at night. Sometimes, the noise in the surroundings can distract and can affect the

productivity and comfort of the residents. These are just some of the things that can be observed

in dormitories. Applying the knowledge in Human-centered Design Principles can test whether

the observations and analysis about the usual dormitory rooms are true.

Significance of the Study

The study of a four-capacity dormitory can help in the development and improvement of

its design. The analysis of the study area in a dormitory, for example, can help the management

in making improvement decisions and can ultimately increase the comfort, productivity and

efficiency of students when studying. This study can also help change the environment of a room

as a whole for better working conditions. The end results of this study can serve as a guide to the

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people designing dormitory rooms. This can be beneficial not only to the students who reside in

the dormitory but also to the management who make corresponding decisions for the system.

Scope and Limitations

This study focuses on the design of a usual four-capacity dormitory room which has four

bed, four tables and chairs and four cabinets. The design process includes the analysis of the

factors that may affect the environment of a dormitory room. Such factors only include the

illumination and noise level. Other than these, the design considers the three basic parts of a

room like the window, the door and the floor. This task will be accomplished by the use of

anthropometric data. Lastly, the cost and the time that the design will incur and will need to

complete the optimal design will not be considered.

Definition of Terms

The following terms are defined by (Freivalds and Niebel 2009) and by Merriam-Webster

Dictionary (2014):

Anthropometry – the study of human body measurement especially on a comparative basis

Buttock-popliteal length – the measurement of the distance from the plane of the most posterior

point on the buttocks to the back of the lower leg at the knee

Efficiency – the ability to do something or produce something without wasting materials, time or

energy

Human-centered design – an Ergonomic design approach which considers the goal, instrument,

process and user, including people responsible for the system being designed or maintained

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Illumination Level – also called illuminance level and defined as the level in which an amount of

light strikes a surface or a section of this sphere, measured in footcandles (fc)

Noise Level – the level in which an amount of undesired sound interferes with one’s hearing,

defined in terms of the frequencies that determine its tone along with the amplitudes that

determine its intensity

Productivity – the rate at which goods are produced or work is completed

Workplace – a place ( as a shop or factory ) where work is done

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