Users/consumers differences regarding ergonomics and design theory and practice

This paper presents the concept of direct and indirect users, a key issue to cooperation between ergonomists, designers and managers involved in a sustainable approach to design. What issues for Ergonomics and Design are launched by this concept? User/consumer differences should be approached taking into account Ergonomics and Design theory and practice. What dialogue and tools could help the ergonomist/designer/manager to respond to all the requirements of the future clients of the product?     

Applying research to practice: generalist and specialist (visual ergonomics) consultancy

Ergonomics is a holistic discipline encompassing a wide range of special interest groups. The role of an ergonomics consultant is to provide integrated solutions to improve comfort, safety and productivity. In Australia, there are two types of consultants--generalists and specialists. Both have training in ergonomics but specialist knowledge may be the result of previous education or work experience. This paper presents three projects illustrating generalist and specialist (visual ergonomics) consultancy: development of a vision screening protocol, solving visual discomfort in an office environment and solving postural discomfort in heavy industry. These case studies demonstrate how multiple ergonomics consultants may work together to solve ergonomics problems. It also describes some of the challenges for consultants, for those engaging their services and for the ergonomics profession, e.g. recognizing the boundaries of expertise, sharing information with business competitors, the costs-benefits of engaging multiple consultants and the risk of fragmentation of ergonomics knowledge and solutions. Since ergonomics problems are often multifaceted, ergonomics consultants should have a solid grounding in all domains of ergonomics, even if they ultimately only practice in one specialty or domain. This will benefit the profession and ensure that ergonomics remains a holistic discipline.     

Some implications of Winnicott's concept for clinical practice

Donald Winnicott's observations about mother/infant interactions and the importance of creating and maintaining a facilitating environment are useful ideas for clinical practice. In this paper Winnicott's fundamental assumptions about the holding environment, transitional space, and ego relatedness are described, and two familiar concepts, True and False Self and Transitional Objects and Transitional Phenomena, are analyzed as they clarify and contribute to a better understanding of the interpersonal aspects of therapist/patient relationships. The case of a teenager and her parents is presented to describe how these concepts may be used in a direct practice situation.     

The concept of confiding ties: Implicatons for social work research and practice

Abstract

Recent research into the effects of life event stress and other areas has begun to accumulate evidence of the apparently protective effect which an informal confiding relationship can have in everyday life. This paper first looks briefly at the results of this research and at ways in which measures which have been used so far could be developed and refined. Some determinants of confiding ties are then discussed as a guide to social work practice, and types of relevant assessment and intervention are considered.     

A multi-ontology view of ergonomics: applying the Cynefin Framework to improve theory and practice

Ergonomics literature has often identified concerns about the difficulty of gaining support for ergonomics interventions. There appears to be a shift from the view that ergonomics issues can be made to be simple, towards a wider appreciation of the complexity of ergonomics problems in the real world. A framework from knowledge management--the Cynefin Framework--is recommended as providing a way of re-perceiving situations where ergonomics problems may be present or have already been identified. The framework uses multiple ontologies and indicates appropriate courses of investigation and action for each of four domains--the simple, the complex, the complicated and the chaotic. This paper presents evidence of the need for a multi-ontology approach and shows how the Cynefin Framework can be applied to ergonomics.     

The amount of ergonomics and user involvement in 151 design processes

Ergonomics, usability and user-centered design are terms that are well known among designers. Yet, products often seem to fail to meet the users' needs, resulting in a gap between expected and experienced usability. To understand the possible causes of this gap the actions taken by the designer during the design process are studied in this paper. This can show whether and how certain actions influence the user-friendliness of the design products. The aim of this research was to understand whether ergonomic principles and methods are included in the design process, whether users are involved in this process and whether the experience of the designer (in ergonomics/user involvement) has an effect on the end product usability. In this study the design processes of 151 tangible products of students in design were analyzed. It showed that in 75% of the cases some ergonomic principles were applied. User involvement was performed in only 1/3 of the design cases. Hardly any correlation was found between the designers' experience in ergonomic principles and the way they applied it and no correlations were found between the designers' experience in user involvement and the users' involvement in the design process.     

Fundamentals of systems ergonomics

Ergonomics/human factors is, above anything else, a systems discipline applying a systems philosophy and systems approaches. Many things are labeled as "systems X" in today's world, and this paper specifies just what attributes and notions define ergonomics/human factors in systems terms. These are concern for context, acknowledgement of interactions and complexity, a holistic approach, recognition of emergence and embedding of the professional effort involved within organization systems. These five notions are illustrated with examples from a large body of work on rail human factors.     

The end of the Cuban contradiction in U.S. refugee policy

This article describes and analyzes the Clinton Administration's decision to end the almost automatic acceptance of Cubans as political refugees to the US. The decision came after the Balsero Crisis in July 1994 after many people stormed embassies and diplomatic residences in Havana, Cuba, demanding asylum and complaining about impoverished living conditions. Riots erupted. The May 2, 1995, policy ended the indefinite detention of over 28,000 Cubans in safe haven camps, repealed the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966, restricted travel to Cuba, halted monetary remittances to Cuba, equalized the number of annual visas from Cuba, and legalized the return of Cubans adrift at sea. The goals were to solve the immediate migration crisis created by Cubans detained at Guantanamo Bay, to implement controls of future waves of Cuban asylum seekers, and to oppose Castro with economic and political initiatives. The economic embargo during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s devastated the Cuban economy and led to its alliance with the USSR. Each of the four waves of migration was distinctive in composition and reasons for migrating. By the mid-1990s, Cuba was no longer a threat, Soviet interests in Cuba had declined, and the policy was hoped to bring about the collapse of Castro and promotion of democracy. The 1994 resolution ended the contradictory and preferential treatment of Cubans. It also ended the selectivity of the US in admitting those from countries the US was directly opposed to. The permanence of the embargo due to legislation in 1996 is a push factor for mass migrations.     

Implantation of an ergonomics administration system in a company: report of an occupational therapist specialist in ergonomics

This article aims to describe step-by-step the implementation of an ergonomics administration system in a company from March 2009 till March 2011 by an occupational therapist specialist in ergonomics based on the OSHAS 18001 guidelines and the Regulatory Norms 17 manual. The process began with the definition of five requisites with bases on the manual of application of the Regulatory Norms 17: survey; materials individual transportation and discharge; workplace furniture; workplace equipments; work environment and organization of the work to be managed with bases on the OSHAS 18001 guidelines. The following steps were established: sensitization of the company high administration, elaboration and institution of an ergonomics politics, development of ergonomics committees, ergonomics analysis of the work with recommendation of ergonomic improvements, implantation of improvements and evaluation or the results. This research experiment suggests the importance not only of a guiding axle but also of a professional qualification and participation of the company on the implementation of an ergonomics management system.     

Overview of ergonomics built environment

This article provides an overview of academic research in the scientific discipline of ergonomics in the context of the built environment, from data collected from journals, conferences and research groups whose focus is the theme of the Ergonomics of Built Environment. Starting from the context of the Ergonomics of Built Environment, it identifies the broadcast media who publish work in this area and its scientific production, seeking to recover from the first published papers to the production of the most recent scientific journals and conferences to be launched 2010. From this mapping, we identified the major outstanding and open issues in these studies, outlining the state of the art Ergonomics Built Environment, in order to inform those interested and intend to develop scientific research in this field.     

The gap between exposure and implementation of computer workstation ergonomics in the workplace

The population of people using computers is increasing in home, school and work environments [20,21]. Research suggests that more computer usage may lead to increased incidence of upper extremity cumulative trauma disorder (UECTD) and other work related musculoskeletal injuries [8]. Yet, proper computer workstation ergonomics training is not readily available. This pilot study attempts to better understand the gap between ergonomic interventions and the initiation of work-practice change. The pilot study used self-report through an anonymous Internet survey to explore university faculty and staff training in computer workstation ergonomics, assess UECTD and other computer-use related symptoms, and learn about the respondents' success implementing their knowledge of computer workstation ergonomics. The 55 respondents ranged in age from 21 to 65, and spent an average of 5.3 hours at the computer during a typical workday. Over 70% of respondents experienced symptoms associated with excessive computer use. Although 60% of respondents had exposure to computer workstation ergonomics information, less than 10% reported implementing their knowledge of computer workstation ergonomics in their tasks. This paper looks at organizational and individual issues preventing the implementation of computer workstation ergonomics in the workplace. The Transtheoretical Model for Health Behavior Change [25,27] is used to further evaluate effectiveness of ergonomic interventions. Recommendations for interventions and future evaluations are presented.     

The ergonomics analysis of work: a case study in a experimental farm

This work presents the initial steps of ergonomic analysis of industrial activities, which are being held in the premises of an Agricultural Experimental farm belonging to an institution of higher education. The methods employed in the initial step was confined to desk research, its purpose was to know the demographic profile and understand organizational structure followed by systematic observations in workplaces using semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire of perception to operators. The presentation of the results will provide a summary of the analysis of activity sectors visited, understanding the biomechanical efforts entered (posture and strength), as well as the evaluation according to the perception of officials to respect the constraints, ambience and suggestions. It was noted that 90% of employees surveyed feel some kind of discomfort. It also highlights the age factor of this questionnaire, in which the majority (90%) is above 40 years old, and this fact confirms and reinforces the appearance or accumulation of injuries among the employers. At this stage there was no intention to deploy improvements, but create assumptions and guide future intervention actions that can be performed.     

The importance of ergonomics to sustainability throughout a building's life cycle

Protecting and conserving environmental resources is a global concern. Over the past decade, a number of certification processes have emerged to help designers and operators of buildings assess the potential impact of a building on the environment. Certifications such as the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) consider the environmental impact through the lifecycle of a building, but may not be considering the people that construct and utilize it. It is important to remember the human factor. Considering the human factor throughout the lifecycle is crucial to ensure individuals are protected during construction and in operation in the built environment. The paper highlights how ergonomics can be integrated into the life cycle of a building to promote sustainability goals for both the human factor and the environment. A case study approach will be used to illustrate how ergonomics was integrated into a LEED renovation and expanded into its daily operations on a large university campus..     

The challenges of interdisciplinary education and its application on teaching ergonomics

The education in Brazil is still strongly based on traditional teaching methods that reinforce a passive attitude of the student. Despite the educational guidelines indicate the need for more liberating and interdisciplinary methodologies, there are few actions for change. Within this context, interdisciplinary appears as an important tool to help the creation of a new thinking in education, proposing the connection between the parts of an area of knowledge. In this way leading the student to develop a more critical and reflective thinking about the reality of the community where he lives. Being understood ergonomics as a scientific discipline that looks for the interactions among humans and other elements of a system in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance, interdisciplinary has become essential in this process. The aim of this study was to discuss the educational foundations of interdisciplinarity and their applicability in the teaching of ergonomics in the context of Brazil.     

Visual ergonomics interventions in mail sorting facilities

This study was performed between 2004 and 2011 at mail sorting facilities in Sweden. During this time, different interventions were performed. The first was a lighting intervention that had a positive impact on the postal workers, especially those with eyestrain. A new lighting system also improved the illuminance and gave better light distribution. The second intervention involved new personal spectacles for the postal workers who needed them and this had a positive effect on eyestrain. The third intervention involved a specific type of sorting spectacles for the postal workers who already used progressive lenses privately. The reading distances that the postal workers had while sorting the mail was inverted to the distances in their regular progressive lenses. The new sorting spectacles had a positive effect on head postures and on muscular activity.     

Professional guidelines in occupational health and ergonomics

The disciplines of Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy both play an important role in providing services in the area of Occupational Health and Ergonomics. This article will explore Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy professional guidelines in these two areas. For purposes of this article, Occupational Health and Ergonomic guidelines affecting therapists in Australia, The Netherlands, Canada and the United States will be discussed. The article will illustrate how the Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy organizations of several countries not only have existing Occupational Health and Ergonomic guidelines, position statements or like documents, but are also partnering with other organizations to make an impact on healthy workers and work environments. The information provided is not meant to be all-inclusive, but provide a look into professional responses to these expanding areas of practice.