Postural analysis of workers in a typical meat processing company in Brazil

Companies have increasingly sought strategies that will ensure a more competitive position in the marketplace. Among these strategies adopted by companies include the health and welfare of the worker, factors currently valued by consumers, especially those of most demanding market. Thus, the postural analysis is of great importance and interest because it is the study of positioning related to body parts like head, torso and limbs, capable of producing loads that may be excessive or insufficient causing disturbances in the muscle skeletal system worker. The aim of this study was to perform a postural analysis of the main sectors of workers (slaughter, cutting room, special cuts, packaging and dispatch) of a typical refrigerator pig industry in Brazil during the execution of their daily activities as well as developing proposals to minimize and/or eliminate the diseases and accidents. The study followed the safety norms of Brazilian Ministry of Labor and Employment. The posture analysis used the OWAS (Ovako Working Posture Analyzing System) methodology. The postures assumed by workers in the sector of packaging were as the most in need of emergency and quick action.     

Ergonomic risks on the operational activities of firefighters from Rio de Janeiro

The Fire Brigade of the State of Rio de Janeiro (CBMERJ) is Brazil's most ancient and is one of the military forces of the state. It has the primary function of activities related to civil defense of the state. This study aims to contribute to the improvement of the current situation by proposing a solution of eliminating totally or at least mitigating risks of ergonomic injury, since all operating activities are based on the performance of man, applying techniques and equipment with intensive use of hands, teamwork, extended shifts and living with stressful situations, which enhance the occurrence of awkward postures among other ergonomic risk factors. This is a quantitative study. The fields of study were five operational units with the highest statistical service of the Corporation. The following items were analyzed: profile of the firemen, work environment, activity performed, adequacy of training received and epidemiological assessment of pain. In total, 208 questionnaires were answered. Data analysis was performed by frequency and presented in tables, charts and graphs. It is important to implement procedures aimed at occupational health and safety of firefighters in the light of ergonomic concepts, so that crews activities are carried out with increased safety and quality.     

Support of the upper limbs of office workers during a daily work journey

Generally, the studies assess the upper limbs postures during the work with Visual Display Terminal - VDT through the measurement of the angles formed by the segments or through the relation with the pre-defined anatomical postures (e.g., flexion, extension, abduction). However, few studies were found in the literature which had focused in the measurement of the upper limbs support during a real situation of work with VDT and in the definition of analysis categories for this kind of behavior. The main objective of this study was to measure, in a real situation and using a systematic observation method through video analysis, the main kinds of support for the upper limbs. The analysis was done considering 480 work hours of 30 office workers. Data were collected using a methodology proposed by Rebelo, Filgueiras & Soares [1] and related with the work organization and workspace conditions, the participants had: a) minimum of eight hours daily of work; b) similar activities, characterized as office work; c) same furniture and equipment; and, d) computers with the same hardware, software and peripherals. Results were analyzed 46554 dynamic events, considering only the fourteen Interaction Categories - ICs, for upper limps support. In this way, percentage was computed, considering the total number of occurrence, for the Right arm is: arm support (0.06%); forearm support (31,8%); elbow support (31,92%); hand support (7,41%); multiple supports (12,32%) and without support 16,41%- For the Left arm the results is: forearm support (0,11%); arm support (53,69%); elbow support (8,70%); hand support (7,97%); multiple supports (8,43%) e without support (21,11%). This systemic and ecological approach was obtained through a method which enables experimental Biomechanics and Physiology methods to develop more efficient functional requirements and recommendations for the work with VDTs.     

Is there enough information to calculate the financial benefits of ergonomics projects?

Many authors studied work situations and, mainly, ergonomics projects concerning the financial benefit point of view. At the same time seems to be little information available concerning these financial benefits in manufacturing companies' processes. The aim of this article is to identify if there enough information available within a company to quantify the financial benefits of an ergonomic project. The study was applied on two manufacturing companies, one in Brazil and other in Portugal. A literature review based checklist and a manager interview was applied on each company in order to identify if the information was available and how were been used. The two companies have revealed a good quantity of available information regarding ergonomics benefit calculation. The interviews showed that managers are not aware of the financial savings possibility with investments in ergonomics projects.     

Intermediary objects in the workspace design process: means of experience transfer in the offshore sector

The aim of this paper is to discuss the use of intermediary objects in the workspace design process of offshore accommodations module. The integration of ergonomics in the design process can lead to better work conditions, more effectiveness in the work process and less health and safety issues. Moreover, it is more efficient in terms of cost if ergonomics is considered from the initial phases of the project, as the potential costs of the redesign, the possible losses and the down-time in the operation of the platform would be more increased. The goal, then, is to discuss the integration of ergonomics and users involvement in the design process of accommodations modules, focusing on the transfer of information from reference situations by the use of intermediary objects during the process. In this paper we will present two tools developed to be used as intermediary object(s) aiming at transferring the experience from the use to the design in the specific field of offshore accommodations module.     

An approach to aircraft seat comfort using interface pressure mapping

The objective of the present study is to propose a method to dynamically evaluate discomfort of a passenger seat by measuring the interface pressure between the occupant and the seat during the performance of the most common activities of a typical flight. This article reports the results of resting and reading studies performed in a simulator that represents the interior of a commercial aircraft.     

VLT: a sustainable solution to urban mobility, in João Pessoa-PB

The changes happen quickly in today's world, simultaneously interacting with technological advances in the sciences and new paradigms socio-political and economic, in search of a sustainable future and a present with emergency strategies for the preservation of humanity and the planet "Earth ". Currently, the mobility of people in the intra-urban space is being threatened by congestion, pollution resulting from the appreciation of the culture of personal transport and the precariousness of public transportation. In the city of Jo?o Pessoa (PB), the subject of this finding for these disorders. Workers suffer the consequences of daily stress takes to access home-work, difficulty in arriving at the right time to the workplace and adverse reactions caused by pollution. The VLT (Light Rail Vehicle) has been presented as a viable solution to the problems of public transport, with several experiments that can be seen as positive in the world. This work involves the implementation of a public transport system based on VLT Corridor along the Avenue Dom Pedro II, in Jo?o Pessoa (PB), aiming to acquire a good transport network for use of the population, reduce the number of vehicles on process, minimize pollution and optimize urban mobility.     

Low back pain disability and stay at work: contradiction or necessity?

The incidence of occupational diseases in the population is high and factors such as long working hours, poor posture, psychological and physical stress can contribute to its development. Among work-related musculoskeletal disorders, back pain has a high prevalence. The aim of the present study was to quantify and characterize pain complaints and to identify individuals with low back pain, in order to assess the degree of disability. Participated 226 employees of an institution of higher education. They answered a general questionnaire about location and quantification of pain complaints visual analog scale for pain and the Quebec Disability Questionnaire. Of all the workers, 69.60% had some type of musculoskeletal complaint; of those, 15.41% had low back pain. Considering workers who had back pain, 54.9% were female, 52.94% are under 30 years old and 43.14% between 1 and 5 years of work. As for the final score for the degree of disability, 41.17% had minimal disability and 37.25% moderate disability. The present study found large number of pain complaints and high prevalence of low back pain, resulting in individual's inability and difficulties in performing work activities.     

Design and ergonomics of package inserts of drugs in Brazil: a reality in construction

This research deals with the design of leaflets of medicines, evidencing the problems resulting from the lack of Brazilian normalization to promote the use of the graphical representation of instructional texts warnings. It approaches studies related to the effectiveness and efficiency of information systems, highlighting the semiotics and the cultural and informational ergonomics. The analysis of the context uses as method, an analytical study on selected warnings of thirty leaflets of medicines, followed by interviews lead with the public managers involved with the regulation of the pharmaceutical companies, and two experiments with users performed in city of Recife, in State of Pernambuco: one aiming at to identify how they interact with the leaflets of medicines, and the second one testing their understanding concerning standardized illustrations in the United States and the South Africa. The results show the need for improvements in presentation and graphic representation of leaflets of medicines, powering them to the role of communication, to ensure the consumption of medicine safely by its users. The conclusion congregates parameters and recommendations for the graphic representation of warnings in leaflets of medicines in Brazil.     

Moral harassment at work model and inability

Moral Harassment at Work (MHW) is considered a recurrent practice of humiliation, mockery, isolation, persecution and psychological torture. Its results go beyond the worker private life: represent financial loss, affects the work, the organization, the productivity and the society. This article aims to develop a model of MHW, which characterizes the main components of the phenomenon and their nexus with the inability to work. For this, the Literature field is consulted, in order to identify systematically, the MHW components and their risky factors. The results showed a multifaceted model which demonstrates: the aggressor/victim and the configuration of the Moral Harassment at Work causes. The management of the degraded work. The characteristic features of the inability to work, caused on the victim. The MHW modalities and as a final product, the integration among these components. It is expected that this model can help the Ergonomist comprehending this phenomenon and contribute on the creation of some strategies of prevention on the workplace. It is concluded that the removal or minimization of this occupational risks requires some changes on the job organization, on the people`s behaviour, the leadership styles, on the humanization of the social labor relationship and on the coping this problem.