Introduction To Ergonomics 2

Introduction to
Ergonomics
Jaba Prabu A
What is Ergonomics?
 The word Ergonomics is derived from the
Greek words Ergon" and "Nomos" which
together mean "The law of work".
jabaprabu@gmail.com 2
Definition
 Shackel (1974) "the study of the relation
between man and his occupation,
equipment and environment, and
particularly the application of anatomical,
physiological and psychological knowledge
to problems arising there from".
Definition
 Ergonomics Society (1993) "the fit between
people, the activities they wish to carry out,
the tools, machines and systems they use
to aid them and the environments in which
they are performed".
Why Ergonomics?
 Complexity of modern industry, equipment
and tasks
 Time and space barriers between designers
and users
 A whole range of user population (male,
female, elderly) from many different
cultures.
The Aim of Ergonomics
History of Ergonomics
 During the 1700's and early 1800's, great
changes took place in the lives and work of
people in several parts of the world. These
changes resulted from the development of
industrialization.
 1911: Scientific management, developed by F. W.
Taylor at the turn of the century, was one of the
first attempts at maximizing productivity by
improving the design of tasks rather than the
design of machines
1945 to 1960: The Birth of the
Profession
 At the end of the war in 1945, engineering
psychology laboratories were established
by the U.S. Army Air Corps.
 The name was invented by Murrell in 1949.
It was during the period after the war that
the human factors profession was born.
Profession
 In Britain, the field of ergonomics was
inaugurated after the Second World War.
 In 1949 the Ergonomics Research Society
(now called simply the Ergonomics Society)
was formed in Britain, and the first book on
human factors was published, entitled
Applied Experimental Psychology: Human
Factors in Engineering Design (Chapanis,
Garner, and Morgan, 1949).
Profession
 The year 1957 was an important year especially
for human factors in the United States. In that
year the journal Ergonomics from the Ergonomics
Research Society appeared, the Human Factors
Society was formed.
 In 1959 the International Ergonomics Association
was formed to link several human factors and
ergonomics societies in various countries around
the world.
1960 to 1980: A Period of Rapid
Growth
 Until the 1960s, human factors in the
United States were essentially
concentrated in the military-industrial
complex. With the race for space and
staffed space flight, human factors quickly
became an important part of the space
program.
1960 to 1980: A Period of Rapid
Growth
Indication of the growth of human factors
during this period:
 Membership of the Human Factors Society
was about 500 (1960)
 Membership of the Human Factors Society
was about 3000 (1980)
 Membership of the Human Factors and
Ergonomics Society was about 6000 (2001)
History of Ergonomics
Ergonomics as Science
Physiology Toxicology Anatomy
Management
Biomechanics
Engineering
Design
Ergonomics
Ergonomics
Environmental
Economy sciences
Computer sciences
Occupational health & safety
Sociology Psychology
The Scope of Ergonomics
 The scope of Ergonomics is extremely
wide and is not limited to any particular
industry or application.
 Ergonomics comes into everything which
involves people, Work systems, sports and
leisure, health and safety should all
embody ergonomics principles if well
designed.
The Scope of Ergonomics
1. The Focus of Ergonomics
2. The Objectives of Ergonomics
3. The Approach of Ergonomics
1. The Focus of Ergonomics
People and their requirements should be considered
when:
 Objects, facilities, systems and environments
which people use and operate within are being
designed and developed
 Procedures for people to carry out work and their
activities are being developed
 Objects, facilities, etc., which involve and affect
people are being evaluated
2. The Objectives of Ergonomics
 To enhance the effectiveness with which
work and other human activities are carried
out
 To maintain or enhance certain desirable
human values in the process, health,
safety, satisfaction etc.,
3. The Approach of Ergonomics
 Improving interactions by considering all

components of the work system (Human,
Technology, Organization and Information
as well as consideration of the Internal and
External environment in which the system
operates) enables the work system to
function in its optimal condition.
Anthropometric Principles
 The word "anthropometry" means
measurement of the human body.
1. Clearance: - Dimensions determine the
minimum space required for a human
being to perform the task in the workplace,
such as operating machines and others.
Clearances are established by the larger
people from the expected user population
(e.g., the size of door is determined by the
size of the largest expected user).
1. Reach:- Dimensions determine the
maximum space allowable for the human
being who operates equipment and are
established by the smaller people in the
expected user population (e.g., control
height is determined by accommodating
shorter user).
BASIC ERGONOMIC DESIGN
PHILOSOPHIES
 Design for the average
 Design for extremes
 Design for a range
BODY MEASUREMENTS
Standing
measurements
 A1Stature (standing
height)
 A2Eye height, standing
 A3Elbow height,
standing
 A4Crotch height
 A5Ankle height
BODY MEASUREMENTS
Seated measurement
 B1Sitting height, erect
 B2Eye height, sitting
 B3Elbow rest height , sitting (from
seat)
 B4Thigh depth (maximum) sitting
 B5Shoulder to elbow length
 B6Knee height, sitting
 B7Popliteal height, sitting
 B8Buttock to knee length, sitting
 B9Buttock to Popliteal length,
sitting
 B10Forearm hand length
BODY MEASUREMENTS
Breadth measurements
 C1Hip breadth, sitting
 C2Elbow to elbow
breadth
 C3Shoulder (biacromial)
breadth
 C4Shoulder (bideltoid)
breadth
 C5Knee to knee breadth
BODY MEASUREMENTS
Hand measurements
 D1Hand breadth
 D2Hand breadth across
thumb
 D3Hand length
 D4Hand thickness
Foot measurement
 E1Foot breadth
 E2Foot length
USE OF ANTHROPOMETRIC DATA IN
DESIGN
To get an appropriate fit between the operator and the design (of
equipment, workplace, etc.), the following procedure for the
use of anthropometric data should be utilized:
1. Define the equipment's for potential user population
2. Choose the proportion of the population to be accommodated
by the design (i.e., 90% and 95% are most common).
3. Determine the body dimensions, important for the design of
the chosen equipment (for example, to design hand lever,
hand breadth, hand circumference should be measured).
4. Determine the percentile values of the dimensions.
5. Determine the type of clothing and personal protective
equipment worn by the users (i.e., light summer clothing,
heavy winter clothing, gloves, etc.).
DESIGN TO FIT FOR A RANGE
General principles for workplace design
 1. The worker should be
able to maintain an upright
and forward-facing posture
 2. Avoid unbalanced
postures (leaning or
twisting) and the need for
muscle activity to support
the legs and upper arms.
Small and/or precise
movements require support
of the limb(s) involved.
General principles
 3. Where vision is a requirement
of the task, the necessary work
points must be adequately
visible with the head and trunk
upright or with the head inclined
slightly forward
 4. All work activities should
permit the worker to adopt
several different, but equally
healthy and safe postures
without reducing capability to do
the work.
General principles
 5. Work should be
arranged so that it may
be done, at the worker's
choice, in either a seated
or a standing position.
When seated, the worker
should be able to use the
backrest of the chair at
will, without necessitating
a change of working
movements.
General principles
 6. The weight of the body
when standing should be
carried equally on both feet,
and foot pedals should be
designed accordingly.
General principles
 7. Work should not be performed
consistently at or above the level of the
heart, even the occasional performance
where force is exerted above the heart level
should be avoided. Where light hand work
must be performed above heart level, rests
for the upper limbs are a requirement.
General principles
Risk Factors
Physical factors
 Heavy manual labour
 Manual material handling
 Awkward posture
 Static work
 Whole body/ hand arm vibration
 Slipping and falling
Risk Factors
Psychosocial/ work organisational factors
 Job content
 Work/time pressure
 Job control
 Social support
 Job dissatisfaction
Risk Factors
Individual factor
 Age
 Socio-economic status
 Smoking
 Medical history
 Gender
 Anthropometry
 Physical activity
Risk Factors
Environment:
 Temperature,
 Air quality,
 Lighting,
 Noise
Factors to be considered in the
visual environment
 Intensity of illumination
 Reflections or luminance
 Contrast
 Glare
Lighting for fine work
 High levels of
illumination are
required for fine work
and between 1,000
and 10,000 lux has
been suggested for
different levels of
precision.
Performance in hot environments
 Exhaustion from heavy physical work occurs much sooner in
hot environments due to the competition for blood supply
between the skin and the muscles. As it has been mentioned
before, when the body is hot it increases blood supply to the
vast numbers of capillary beds under the skin, which uses a
significant proportion of the circulating blood and causes a
reduction in circulation to the muscles and core body organs.
 Sweat can affect performance due to discomfort and can
affect the ability to grip objects
 Hot environments can have detrimental effects on the
performance of complex cognitive tasks or that involving
hand eye co-ordination.
Performance in cold environments
 Cold temperatures have a considerable effect on manual
dexterity, the sense of touch and strength. The adverse effects
of cold on manual dexterity can be predicted by hand skin
temperature and 13 C has been suggested as the lower limit for
working with hands exposed.
 Loss of tactile sensitivity creates difficulties in the performance
of tasks which require the manipulation of small objects and
reduces the ability to grip.
 Additionally, if exposed for a period of time, overcooling induces
restlessness, which in turn reduces alertness and
concentration, particularly on mental tasks.
Noise
The factors which influence the risk of work related
hearing damage are:
 duration of continuous exposure to high intensity
noise in work period
 inadequate duration of breaks giving time for
recovery or quiet periods away from the noise
source
 Frequency and level of exposure to impact noise.
WMSD’s
 Myalgia
 Chronic myofascial pain syndrome
 Tendinitis
 Tenosynovitis
 Carpal tunnel syndrome
 Thoracic outlet syndrome
 Hand-arm vibration syndrome
 Degenerated, bulging, or ruptured (herniated) disks
in the neck or back
 Sciatica
 Degenerative or osteoarthritis
References:
 Bridger R.S. Introduction to Ergonomics (1995)
 Hendrick H.W. & Kleiner B.M. Macroergonomics (2002)
 Tayyari, F., and Smith, J.L., 1997, Occupational Ergonomics,
Principles and applications, Chapman & Hall, London, UK.
 People Size, 1994, Visual Anthropometry, version 1.40
 Haslegrave, C.M., 1986. Characterising the anthropometric
extremes of the population. Ergonomics, 29, 2, 281-30
 Pheasant, S., 1990. Anthropometrics - An Introduction. British
Standards Institution: Milton Keynes
Ergonomic
Workplace Analysis
What are the four basic steps?
Four basic stages in conducting a EWA are:
 selecting the job to be analyzed
 breaking the job down into a sequence of tasks
 identifying potential workplace contributing
factors
 determining preventive measures to overcome
adverse effects of these workplace contributing
factors
Factors to be considered
 Accident frequency and severity: jobs where accidents occur
frequently or where they occur infrequently but result in
disabling injuries.
 Potential for severe injuries or illnesses.
 Newly established jobs: due to lack of experience in these
jobs, workplace contributing factors may not be evident or
anticipated.
 Modified jobs: new workplace contributing factors may be
associated with changes in job procedures.
 Infrequently performed jobs: workers may be at greater risk
when undertaking non-routine jobs, and EWA provides a
means of reviewing workplace contributing factors.
Determining preventive
measures to overcome
workplace contributing factors
 1. Eliminate the contributing factor
 2. Revise work procedures
 3. Reduce the exposure
How to improve ergonomics?
I. Engineering improvements
II. Administrative improvements
III. Personal protective equipments
Engineering improvements
It include rearranging, modifying, redesigning, or
replacing tools, equipment, workstations,
packaging parts, or products.
 Reposition the work- reduces bending &
reaching
 Provide comfort
Administrative improvements
Administrative improvements include changing
work practices or the way work is organized.
Some administrative improvements includes:
1. Providing variety in jobs
 Job rotation – rotating the employees through
different jobs.
 Job enlargement – increasing the variety by

combining two or more jobs or adding tasks to a
particular job.
2. Adjusting
work schedules and work pace
 Try to limit the amount of time any employee

has to spend performing a “problem job”.
3.Providing mini breaks
Work should be broken up with frequent, short

recovery periods or mini breaks. These short
breaks (3-5 minutes every hour) can help
prevent the accumulation of fatigue and injury
to muscles and associated structures.
4. Modifying work practices
Pay close attention to how the work is being

performed. Our bodies are stronger, more
efficient, and less injury prone when work in
midrange postures.
5. Encouraging exercises
III. Personal protective equipment
Personal protective
equipment includes
gloves, knees and elbow
pads, footwear, and other
items that employees
wear.
Making informed choices about
ergonomic improvements
 Use in-house human resources

 Look through equipment catalogs
 Talk to equipment vendors
 Contact others in similar organizations
 Consult an expert in ergonomics
Remember!!!
An important part of an effective
ergonomics program is training and
education
Training
A training program should include the following
individuals:
 All affected employees
 Engineers and maintenance personal
 Supervisors
 Managers
 Health care providers
General training
Employees who are potentially
exposed to ergonomic hazards
should be given formal instruction
on the hazards associated with their
jobs and with their equipments
Job specific training
New employees and

reassigned employees should receive
an initial orientation and hands on
training prior to starting their duties.
Training for supervisors
Supervisors are responsible persons for ensuring
that employees follow safe work practices and
receive appropriate training to enable them to do
so. Supervisors therefore should undergo training
comparable to that of the employees, and such
additional training as will enable them to
recognize early signs and symptoms of MSDs, to
recognize hazardous work practices, and to
correct such practices.
Training for managers
Managers should be aware of their safety
and health responsibilities and should
receive sufficient training regarding
ergonomic issues at each work station
and at the organizational level as a
whole so that they can effectively carry
out their responsibilities.
Training for engineers &
maintenance personal
Plant engineers and maintenance

personnel should be trained in the
prevention and correction of
ergonomic hazards through job and
as applied to the specific conditions
of the facility.
For Further Details:
 Jabaprabu@gmail.com
 +91 9880571431

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Introduction To Ergonomics 2

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Introduction to

 Improving interactions by considering all

Some administrative improvements includes:

 Job enlargement – increasing the variety by

 Try to limit the amount of time any employee

Work should be broken up with frequent, short

Pay close attention to how the work is being

 Use in-house human resources

New employees and

Plant engineers and maintenance

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