Ergonomics efficiency

The main factors found to be affecting the decision to blowdown manually were the blowdown philosophy, procedures, and training. Factors affecting the efficiency of the decision making process and the execution of blowdown were the ergonomics of the information presentation in the control room communications, and various aspects of the hardware. 

Kroemer, K., Kroemer, H., and Kroemer-Elbert, K., Ergonomics How to Design for Ease and Efficiency, Prentice H l, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1994. 

Fox, J. G. (1992), The Ergonomics Audit as an Everyday Eactor in Safe and Efficient Working, Progress in Coal, Steel and Related Social Research, pp. 10-14. 

Simpson, G. C. (1994), Ergonomic Aspects in Improvement of Safe and Efficient Work in Shafts, in Ergonomics Action in Mining, EUR 14831, Commission of the European Communities, Luxembourg, pp. 245-256. 

Colquhoun, W P (1959). The effect of a short rest pause in inspeetion efficiency. Ergonomics, 2,367-376. Dodge, R. (1917). The laws of relative fatigue. Psychological Review, 24, 89-113. 

In small and medium size product, assembly, the work-place for assembly should be arranged in an ergonomically optimal way. This is beneficial for the assembly worker since it will minimize the physical strain during the working day. It will also provide the most efficient execution of the assembly tasks. Based on experience over long time, certain elementary rules for good assembly workplace layouts have been established. These rules are based on definition of movement classes for the assembly subtasks. Five classes are defined ... 

Ergonomics developed out of the need to make work less stressful and more comfortable. And these are laudable goals that can be more effectively achieved if managements understand that the application of ergonomics principles also serves their productivity and cost efficiency goals. Case histories are now prevalent describing ergonomics applications that were initiated to resolve injury and illness problems and also achieved improvements in productivity and cost efficiency. 

Emphasizing the possible productivity and cost efficiency gains from applied ergonomics is a somewhat different approach from that found in the prominent ergonomics literature. This novel idea gets management attention. 

Ergonomics is the art and science of designing the work to fit the worker—to achieve optimum productivity and cost efficiency, and minimum risk of injury. 

It should be the exception when an ergonomics analysis is made only for safety purposes. Rather, the analysis should address the aspects of productivity, cost efficiency, and risk reduction—all in one study. 

Unfortunately, ergonomics has been narrowly and inappropriately perceived by some to include only cumulative trauma disorders. Opportunities for risk reduction and improving productivity and cost efficiency are lost if ergonomics concepts are not applied to all aspects of workplace and work methods design presenting excessive biomechanical stresses—cumulative or instantaneous. 

WHY DEFINE ERGONOMICS TO INCLUDE PRODUCTIVITY AND COST EFFICIENCY... 

What is needed is an integrated ergonomics task analysis system that addresses productivity, cost efficiency, safety, and sometimes quality — all in one study. That would be unique. In support of that idea, consider these excerpts from the web page for ergo web, taken from a January 2001 entry quoting Dr. Peter Budnick, a professional ergonomist and CEO of ErgoWeb ... 

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