Slope effect on pushing forces

In some occupations pushing forces are frequent when performed on horizontal ground and are standardized (ISO 2002). In special cases employees are obliged to grow container on slopes and the strains are poorly investigated. The objective of this work is to measure forces required to push garbage container on horizontal and inclined at 0, 4, 11 and 16 % grounds. Sudden and significant increases in heart rate reflect the possible risk of heart overload in long displacements. This study proposes realistic limits and provides a simple and protective tool for a group of employees without distinction of age or gender. These limits can even be reduced to a quasi-linear model where push 200 kg is the maximum for 0% slope and 60 kg for 10% slope.     

Assessments of patients with a 5-category or a 3-category practical classification system: validaty and practicality

In order to implement preventive programs to prevent back pain in nurses, assessments of the degree of passivity and mobility of patients is imperative. After all, the load in health care ergonomics, is often the patient. The degree of cooperation or resistance determines the load on the back for the nurses and the necessity of the use of lifting devices like patient lifters or sliding sheets. These assessments must be done in both a practical and a reliable way. For this purpose a 3-category and a 5- category system to assess the degree of patient mobility and passivity was developed and tested. The results are presented on the poster.     

Flying through the hospital: efficiency and safety of an ergonomic solution

In hospitals many horizontal transfers (from stretcher to bed etc.) are performed from the moment a patient is admitted (f.e. with an ambulance) through examination departments all the way to the wards. These transfers can be very strenuous and solutions may be to use a special lifting device that accompanies the patient on this route: a stretcher sling This is a specially designed disposable lifting sling for horizontal transfers and repositioning, the sling can easily be connected to a ceiling or mobile lift. The ambulance service, two hospitals and a manufacturer decided to study the effects. The stretcher sling travels with the patient. Does this provide an ergonomically sound solution and is this an effective and efficient solution? The results were positive, but a behavioral change was also necessary.     

The effect of visualization method on the performance of simulated microsurgery tasks

The operating microscopes may be a significant cause of fatigue and discomfort in surgeons. The need for the microscope to be placed over the operating field forces surgeons to remain at the microscope's eyepieces at an uncomfortable posture for the entirety of the surgery. This study compared the effects on microsurgical task performance for four visualization methods: a monocular microscope, a binocular microscope, a three-dimensional (3D) flat-panel television display and a two-dimensional (2D) flat-panel television display. Eleven subjects each performed two microsurgical tasks and their performance was documented by video camera. The statistical analysis performed indicated utilization of the microscope as a visualization method increased subject performance. No significant difference in performance between the 2D and stereoscopic visualization methods.