Workplace design elements

Kondraske, G.V. 1988c. Workplace design an elemental resource approach to task analysis and human performance measurements. Proceedings of the International Conference on Association in Advances Rehabilitation Technology, pp. 608-611. 

Workers do not create hazards if the working guidelines are properly in place and strictly followed. In many cases, the hazards are built into the workplace (Kletz, 1991). It has been identified that most accidents involved design elements (Kidam, 2012). It is therefore important to make work safer by designing an inherently safer workplace rather than trying to get workers to adapt to unsafe conditions. 

From the traditional HF/E perspective, error is seen as a consequence of a mismatch between the demands of a task and the physical and mental capabilities of an individual or an operating team. An extended version of this perspective was described in Chapter 1, Section 1.7. The basic approach of HF/E is to reduce the likelihood of error by the application of design principles and standards to match human capabilities and task demands. These encompass the physical environment (e.g., heat, lighting, vibration), and the design of the workplace together with display and control elements of the human-machine interface. Examples of the approach are given in Wilson and Corlett (1990) and Salvendy (1987). 

A program is necessary for identifying all materials in the workplace, and making employees aware of the hazards of these materials and the necessary precautions to be taken to prevent or control personnel exposure. Materials Hazard Identification and information gathering is an essential element of fire prevention. The hazardous properties of all chemical substances used in the workplace should be known in order to develop the appropriate design, routine handling practices, and fire prevention plan. 

Participatory ergonomics sees end users contributions as indispensable elements of its scientific methodology. It stresses the validity of simple tools and workers experience in problem solution and denies that these characteristics result in nonscientific outcomes. Employees or end users are in most situations in the best position to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the work situations. Their involvement in the analysis and redesign of their workplace can lead to better designs as well as increase their and the company s knowledge on the process. 

Designing for successful occupational health and safety performance requires a systematic approach. This includes understanding that the workplace is a system where changes in one element lead to influences on the other system components. It also means that efforts to make improvements must... 

The expected time to execute home appliances development projects in man-year is longer than for modules or elements. Bigger core teams should be collocated in the same office to enable smooth inter-team communication. Some of the activities for vacuum cleaner motor development, which were managed before by external team members located in functional departments, are now managed by core team members. For example, industrial designers inside a core team communicate directly with end users, a specialist for process planning has direct contact with tool suppliers. Direct communication reduces the probability of wrong data interpretation and improves the transfer of information inside the core team. It is known that increased physical distance between employees workplaces dramatically reduce the frequency of informal communication and data transfer [2]. 

The electrical standards help minimize potential electric-related hazards by specifying safety aspects in the design and use of electrical equipment and systems. Currently the standards cover only those parts of any electrical system that an employee would normally use or contact. For example, the exposed and/or operating elements of an electrical installation—lighting, equipment, motors, machines, appliances, switches, controls, and enclosures — must be constructed and installed so as to minimize workplace electrical dangers. 

Personal protective equipment (PPE) includes all clothing and accessories designed to create a barrier against workplace hazards. The basic element of any PPE management program is an in-depth evaluation of the equipment needed to protect against the job hazards. 

A safety management system is a term used to refer to a comprehensive business management system designed to manage safety elements in a workplace (Safety Management Systems, n.d.). A basic safety management system s main purpose is to accomplish the following elements ... 

What elements of the social order should be restructured. The litany of social and work factors contributing to stress in the office were endless and diffuse. Every facet of workplace conditions was involved from environmental quality issues (temperature and overcrowding) to labor relations (lack of respect and no promotions) to job design (constant sitting and repetitive work). Stress was the expression of the dispersed quality of office oppression, and thus its presence revealed failures of the social order, not the worker. 

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