BUSINESS RESEARCH METHOD ASSIGNMENT

STUDY ON APPLICATION OF ERGONOMICS IN IT INDUSTRY

SUBRATA KUMAR SINGH 1BG10MBA53

Introduction
Ergonomics is the study of designing equipment and devices that fit the human body, its movements, and its cognitive abilities. The International Ergonomics Association defines ergonomics as follows: Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance.

Ergonomics is employed to fulfill the two goals of health and productivity. It is relevant in the design of such things as safe furniture and easy-to-use interfaces to machines. Proper ergonomic design is necessary to prevent repetitive strain injuries, which can develop over time and can lead to long-term disability. Ergonomics is concerned with the fit between people and their technological tools and environments. It takes account of the user's capabilities and limitations in seeking to ensure that tasks, equipment, information and the environment suit each user. To assess the fit between a person and the used technology, ergonomists consider the job (activity) being done and the demands on the user; the equipment used (its size, shape, and how appropriate it is for the task), and the information used (how it is presented, accessed, and changed). Ergonomics draws on many disciplines in its study of humans and their environments, including anthropometry, biomechanics, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, industrial design, kinesiology, physiology and psychology. Typically, an ergonomist will have a BA or BS in Psychology, Industrial/Mechanical Engineering or Industrial Design or Health Sciences, and usually an MA, MS or PhD in a related discipline. Many universities offer Master of Science degrees in Ergonomics, while some offer Master of Ergonomics or Master of Human Factors degrees. In the 2000s, occupational therapists have been moving into the field of ergonomics and the field has been heralded as one of the top ten emerging practice areas. According to the International Ergonomics Association: Physical ergonomics: is concerned with human anatomical, and some of the anthropometric, physiological and bio mechanical characteristics as they relate to physical activity. Cognitive ergonomics: is concerned with mental processes, such as perception, memory, reasoning, and motor response, as they affect interactions among humans and other elements of a system.

(Relevant topics include mental workload, decision-making, skilled performance, human-computer interaction, human reliability, work stress and training as these may relate to humansystem and Human-Computer Interaction design.) Organizational ergonomics: is concerned with the optimization of socio technical systems, including their organizational structures, policies, and processes.(Relevant topics include communication, crew resource management, work design, design of working times, teamwork, participatory design, community ergonomics, cooperative work, new work programs, virtual organizations, telework, and quality management.) Research Design: METHODOLOGY: Descriptive research, also known as statistical research, describes data and characteristics about the population or phenomenon being studied. Descriptive research answers the questions who, what, where, when and how... Although the data description is factual, accurate and systematic, the research cannot describe what caused a situation. Thus, Descriptive research cannot be used to create a causal relationship, where one variable affects another. In other words, descriptive research can be said to have a low requirement for internal validity. The description is used for frequencies, averages and other statistical calculations. Often the best approach, prior to writing descriptive research, is to conduct a survey investigation. Qualitative research often has the aim of description and researchers may follow-up with examinations of why the observations exist and what the implications of the findings are. In short descriptive research deals with everything that can be counted and studied. Advantage:

The subject is being observed in a completely natural and unchanged natural environment. A good example of this would be an anthropologist who wanted to study a tribe without affecting their normal behavior in any way. The experiments, whilst giving analyzable data, often adversely influence the normal behavior of the subject. Descriptive research is often used as a pre-cursor to quantitative research designs, the general overview giving some valuable pointers as to what variables are worth testing quantitatively. Quantitative experiments are often expensive and timeconsuming so it is often good sense to get an idea of what hypotheses are worth testing. Data Collection: Source: Data collected on source which has not been subjected to processing or any other manipulation, it is also known as primary data. It is a relative term. Raw data can be input to a computer program or used in manual analysis procedures such as gathering statistics from a survey. It can refer to the binary data on electronic storage devices such as hard disk drives .In computing, it may have the following attributes: possibly containing errors, not validated; in several different (colloquial) formats; uncoded or unformatted; and suspect, requiring confirmation or citation. Once captured, this raw data may be processed and stored as a single format. So as to be easier for computers and humans to interpret during later processing. Primary data (sometimes called sourcey data or eggy data) is data that has not been processed for use. A distinction is sometimes made between data and information to the effect that information is the end product of data processing. Primary data that has undergone processing is sometimes referred to as cooked data. Although primary data has the potential to become "information," it requires selective extraction, organization, and sometimes analysis and formatting for presentation. Method: Questionnaire is a structured technique for data collection that consists of a series of questions, written or verbal, that a respondent answers

Its only one element of data-collection package that might also include Fieldwork procedures such as instructions for selecting, approaching and questioning respondents Some reward, gift, or payment offered to respondents Communication aids, such as maps, pictures, advertisements and products (as in personal interviews) and return envelops (in mail surveys) Objectives of questionnaire: Regardless of the form of administration, a questionnaire is characterized by some specific objectives It must translate the information needed into a set of specific questions that the respondents can & will answer A questionnaire must uplift, motivate & encourage the respondent to become involved in the interview, to cooperate & to complete the interview A questionnaire should minimize the error Sampling plan: Sampling method: Stratified random sampling: Where the population embraces a number of distinct categories, the frame can be organized by these categories into separate "strata." Each stratum is then sampled as an independent subpopulation, out of which individual elements can be randomly selected. There are several potential benefits to stratified sampling. Stratified samplings are of two types Proportionate stratified sampling: the number of sampling units drawn from each stratum is in proportion to the population size of that stratum. Disproportionate stratified sampling: the number of sampling units drawn from each stratum is based on the analytical consideration, but not in the proportion to the size of the population of that stratum. Sample size is 30.

Limitation: sample size is very less to represent whole population Answers may be biased because employees dont want to reveal about their company Objective: Ergonomics is the application of human biological sciences to in combination with engineering science to achieve a good matching of capabilities and limitations of human mind and body to the requirements of work. The major objectives Secure health, safety and comfort of persons doing the work. Improve the comfort and utility of various equipments and facilities, such as furniture and dwelling units, used by people by matching their design with physiological characteristics of their intended users Achieve better work efficiency and effectiveness.

Findings:

working on a computer

0-5hrs 5-8hrs 8-12hrs 12 & above

After research I find out that 60% people is working 5-8hrs per day, 23% people is working 812hrs, 10%people is working 0-5hrs per day and 7% people is working more than 12hrs per day.

Experience eye strain

yes no

Experiencing eye strain

0-5hrs 5-8hrs 8-12hrs 12 & above

Study indicates that 67% of employee experiencing eye strain. Its because they are spending maximum time in front of computer. This indicates the weak ergonomics in IT industry To reduce eye strain they required breaks while working on computer And company should provide antiglare systems

Experience discomfort while working

yes no

Study says 83% people experiencing discomfort while working.

Symptoms were first noticed

0-2yrs 2-4yrs 4-7yrs

Symptoms

headache neck pain back pain wrist pain

Symptoms were first noticed after 2yrs while working in IT industries. The major symptoms are Headache, Neck pain, Eye strain, Wrist pain and Back pain.

seen physicsian for the problem

yes no

60% employee shown their injury to the physicsian.

Treatments doctor prescribed

Anti-inflammatory drugs Surgery Ice/heat Steroid injection Phsical therapy Rest

Computer screen always at or just slightly below the eye level

computer screen at the eye level

no yes

Study says that 70% employee is not using the computer below the eye level. Which cause eye strain.

Positioning of elbow at approximately 900

Elbow positioning at approximately 90

yes no

adjusting the chair so that feets are flat on the floor

no yes

When typing wrist are bent at 450 angle

yes no

Employees rate their company ergonomics

company ergonomics

strongly satisfied satisfied neutral dissatisfied strongly dissatisfied

Conclusion:
All these factors go into creating an efficiently designed office chair or workstation. Ergonomics has become a very important aspect of office furniture design, and rightly so. Efficient design makes it easy for people to function better and be more productive. Long term damage to the musculoskeletal system and work related injuries can be minimized or avoided. Important for IT industries Understand, identify, and perform current office ergonomic evaluation tools Differentiate common office ergonomic assessment tools and their benefits Identify common office ergonomic risk factors and solutions to reduce these risk factors Understand basic methods of identifying, selecting, and implementing office ergonomic solutions Select appropriate engineering and administrative controls to reduce office ergonomic risk factors Demonstrate a general knowledge of office ergonomics

 Develop and implement a full office ergonomics injury reduction program Perform a full office work station ergonomic analysis.