Ergonomics Design & Mgmt. Theory & Applications – serie

One of the latest developments being pursued by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other international organizations (ILO, ISO), in relation to preventing work-related diseases and disorders, concerns the creation of "toolkits" and, within them, of simple tools.This book suggests a methodology and a comprehensive simple tool (ERGOCHECK, downloadable for free from the website www.epmresearch.org) for bringing together various potential risk factors to undertake a preliminary mapping of discomfort/danger in the workplaces and to assess consequent priorities for prevention, especially (but not only) in small and very small businesses. The tool is primarily designed to be used by employers, OSH (Occupational Health and Safety) operators and trade union representatives, but it may also be useful for occupational medical staff conducting periodical inspections and drafting health surveillance protocols, and for supervisory bodies (labor inspectors) conducting inspections in the workplace needing to rapidly detect potentially dangerous situations requiring specific preventive interventions.Daniela Colombini is a certified European ergonomist and a senior researcher at the Research Unit Ergonomics of Posture and Movement, Milan, where she developed methods for the analysis, evaluation and management of risk and damage from occupational biomechanical overload. She was a professor at the School of Specialization in Occupational Medicine in University of Milan and University of Florence. She is the coauthor of the OCRA method (EN 1005-5 standard and ISO 11228-3). She is the founder and president of the EPM International Ergonomics School (EPMIES). She has been working with accredited native teachers in countries such as the USA, France, India, Spain, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Brazil and other South American countries. She is a member of the Ergonomics Committee of UNI working in the international commissions of European Committee for Normalization (CEN) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Enrico Occhipinti is a certified European ergonomist. He is a professor at the School of Specialization in Occupational Medicine in University of Milano, and the director of the Research Unit Ergonomics of Posture and Movement (EPM) at Fondazione Don Gnocchi ONLUS-Milano. He developed and coauthored the OCRA method. He is a member and has been a coordinator (up to 2012) of the Technical Committee on Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA), and represents Italy in international commissions of the CEN and the ISO dealing with ergonomics and biomechanics.

This newly updated edition presents a global perspective on ergonomics, addressing its application across occupational, recreational, design, and technological environments. This comprehensive textbook reflects the technological advancements that have reshaped the field, offering revised chapters, the integration of previously separate topics, and the addition of two entirely new chapters. With an emphasis on cultural sensitivity and inclusive representation, the book takes a modern approach to ergonomics with diversity at the heart of it.Readers will find a complete and ready-to-use resource ideal for both instruction and independent study. The book features real-world examples, case studies, and innovative applications that help bridge theory and practice. Students and professionals will benefit from enhanced accessibility to global perspectives, a wide range of ergonomics software, and detailed guides for research and project development. It presents readers with the tools to understand, teach, and apply ergonomic principles effectively in both academic and practical settings.Ergonomics, Second Edition is designed for a broad audience including researchers and students in human factors, industrial and organizational psychology, sociology, biomechanics, medicine, and design disciplines. It is also an essential resource for human resource professionals, industrial engineers, ergonomists, psychologists, HCI specialists, educators, and architects.This textbook also contains ancillary materials including PowerPoint slides and a solutions manual for qualifying textbook adoptions.

The book is a comprehensive guide for anyone who wants to design with purpose, empathy, and impact. Rather than rushing to solutions, the book champions the art of framing and refining a problem, revealing how powerful design begins with asking smarter questions. It takes readers on a journey from uncovering user needs to creating and validating meaningful solutions. Built around the new GRIP (gather, refine, ideate, produce) framework, the book emphasizes designing with people, not just for them. It introduces themes like design for all, empathy, creativity and ideation, sustainability, and ethics while offering hands- on tools such as storytelling, persona building, advanced prototyping techniques, including augmented reality/ virtual reality (AR/ VR) testing.From shaping lovable products to aligning designs with market needs, the book combines the artistry of empathy with the rigor of engineering.The book is ideal for students of design, engineering, and innovation as well as educators, entrepreneurs, and early- career professionals. It covers different methods and is intended to spark a mindset shift. Readers will be equipped to build better products to shape experiences that are accessible and delightful to use. This is more than a book on design; it is a roadmap for creating solutions that matter.

During the last 60 years the discipline of human factors (HF) has evolved alongside progress in engineering, technology, and business. Contemporary HF is clearly shifting towards addressing the human-centered design paradigm for much larger and complex societal systems, the effectiveness of which is affected by recent advances in engineering, science, and education. Human Factors of a Global Society: A System of Systems Perspective explores the future challenges and potential contributions of the human factors discipline in the Conceptual Age of human creativity and social responsibility.Written by a team of experts and pioneers, this book examines the human aspects related to contemporary societal developments in science, engineering, and higher education in the context of unprecedented progress in those areas. It also discusses new paradigms for higher education, including education delivery, and administration from a systems of systems perspective. It then examines the future challenges and potential contributions of the human factors discipline.While there are other books that focus on systems engineering or on a specific area of human factors, this book unifies these different perspectives into a holistic point of view. It gives you an understanding of human factors as it relates to the global enterprise system and its newly emerging characteristics such as quality, system complexity, evolving management system and its role in social and behavioral changes. By exploring the human aspects related to actual societal developments in science, the book opens a new horizon for the HF community.

Edited by Jussi Kantola, the founding faculty member of the world’s first university Knowledge Service Engineering Department at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, and Waldemar Karwowski from the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems at UCF, Knowledge Service Engineering Handbook defines what knowledge services engineering means and how it is different from service engineering and service production. This groundbreaking handbook explores recent advances in knowledge service engineering from the accomplished researchers and practitioners in this field from around the world and provides engineering, systemic, industry, and consumer use viewpoints to knowledge service systems and engineering paradigms. The handbook outlines how to acquire and utilize knowledge in the 21st century presenting multiple cultural aspects including US, European, and Asian perspectives. Organized into four parts, it begins with an introduction to the main concepts of knowledge services. It then explores data, information and knowledge based engineering methods and applications that can be used to develop knowledge services, followed by discussions of the importance of human networks in knowledge services. The handbook concludes with descriptions of high-performance knowledge service systems. This structure allows different uses: the information can be looked up as needed or read in the order presented. As with any new field, the excitement lies in seeing how to combine these advances in data, information, and human parts of knowledge services in the future. While most books on this subject concentrate on data, information, or knowledge, this handbook integrates coverage of all three, thus providing a complete examination of sustainable knowledge services. The handbook has been carefully designed to be of use to professionals who develop new knowledge services and related businesses, for academic researchers and lecturers to start new research projects, and for students studying knowledge services, knowledge service production, and knowledge service business.

Broadly defined as the science and technology of systems responding to neural processes in the brain, neuroadaptive systems (NASs) has become a rapidly developing area of study. One of the first books available in this emerging area, Neuroadaptive Systems: Theory and Applications synthesizes knowledge about human behavior, cognition, neural processing, and technology and how it can be used to optimize the design, development, modeling, simulation, and applications of complex neuro-based systems. Balancing coverage of theory and applications, the book examines the general aims of NASs and how neurogenomics can be applied in training applications. It includes important results and findings gathered from approximately two decades of brain computer interaction research. But more than this, the book details the underlying rationale for using NASs compared to other kinds of human-machine systems and raises questions and concerns about budding neuro-scientific areas that gives insight into the way humans may interact with neuro-technological systems in the future. With contributions from international professionals and researchers, this book presents state-of-the-art developments in neuroscience, human factors, and brain activity measurement. Packed with models, case studies, research results, and illustrations, it discusses approaches to understanding the functions of neuronal networks, and then explores challenges and applications of neuroadaptive systems. It provides tools for future development and the theory to support it.

Although often taken for granted, safety doesn’t just happen. It requires a deep understanding of the principles of safety culture that then must be applied in all of your actions. Safety Management in a Competitive Business Environment discusses the meaning of the culture of safety in all areas of industrial manufacturing, focusing on risk management preventative measures. It explores the new and emerging risks and underlines the significance of effective education methods as prerequisites for acquiring appropriate risk management skills.The book provides an integrated and systematic point of view on the field of occupational health and safety management, safety of machines and machinery, and certain complex technologies. It touches on civil safety as a part of safety culture in the sense of national culture—an area that is now becoming very topical. The author details the risk assessment methods available and the many factors that come into play such as deterioration due to ageing, construction issues, and workplace noise, to name just a few. He also covers the importance of education for risk management professionals of all levels and the integration of safety related to industrial technology and civil security into comprehensive safety and security.The culture of safety provides space for adopting principles leading to risk minimization or, in some areas, risk elimination. It creates a legal basis for obligatory application of risk management methods adjusted to particular work environment, technology, and machinery. This book demonstrates how risk management systems form component parts of comprehensive managerial systems, especially in integration with quality management systems. It gives you the tools necessary for systematic management of traditional and emerging risks in the man–machine–environment system, especially in industrial technologies.

Industrially developing countries have the largest populations, the highest levels of poverty, poor health, and illiteracy, and the greatest need for improvement in working conditions. And as the marketplace and the workforce goes increasingly global, accountability with regard to the abuse of cheap labor in developing countries is becoming an issue. Presenting a global view of the state of ergonomics in industrially developing countries (IDCs), Ergonomics in Developing Regions: Needs and Applications identifies problems, offers solutions, and explores costs and benefits. It defines the steps that can be taken to close the gap between working conditions in affluent and deprived nations.The book highlights the plight of millions of laborers and the poor working conditions pertaining to industrially less developed countries where the working environment mirrors the socio-economic deprivation of the people. Woven throughout the 34 chapters of this book is the tenet that good ergonomics is good economics. The chapters include examples of low-cost interventions at the work place in IDCs. The contributors discuss the ripple effect of ergonomics beyond the workplace to the betterment of life in general for the huge workforce in IDCs around the world. They focus on work-site problems and ergonomic solutions in developing regions around the globe, covering work conducted in Asia, Africa, South America, Russia, and China. Examining the factors unique to IDCs, leading ergonomists provide insights as to how sustainable progress is achievable in the developing world. They demonstrate the need for a more inclusive macro approach, citing managerial input essential for sustainable progress. With a panel of authors that reflects the multidisciplinary nature of the field, this book chronicles the nuances of differences in aim, practice, and outcome when ergonomists tackle Developing World problems from a Developing World perspective.

What should every airline and manufacturer know about comfort?What can we learn from studies in the scientific literature?What do most passengers know about comfort and how can we translate that into interior design?Where can I find the latest knowledge and research useful for designing aircraft seats? Although the answers to these questions are available, they have often been hard to find. Until now. Based on studies conducted by the author and the latest knowledge on comfort, Aircraft Interior Comfort and Design links scientific research on customer likes and dislikes with technical know-how of aircraft interior design. It contains theoretical information on comfort gathered directly from the voice of the passenger, specific tips and photographs on passenger likes and dislikes, and an overview of the latest scientific demands for passenger seats. Presenting the results of current research and development in the aircraft interior industry, this book provides insight that, when applied to the daily work of managing the passenger experience, can lead to further improvements. The author makes the case for using improved comfort as a selling tool and identifies new opportunities for comfort improvement in the different phases of the passenger experience. He demonstrates how by optimizing the passengers senses at each phase, you can design comfort back into flying.

This book covers the application of the OCRA (Occupational Repetitive Actions) method. The methods make up a system dedicated to the analysis and management of the risk of biomechanical overload of the upper limbs. The book focuses on the OCRA checklist which presents various models from the most simplified, to the most complex. It describes methods, criteria, procedures and tools on how to perform such an assessment, in line with international standards. The book provides you with the correct methods and tools for prevention of upper limb work related musculoskeletal disorders no matter what the working environment is or what the international standards dictates.

Commonly used throughout the world, manual lifting tasks whether simple or complex all involve variable loads, postures, and movements. This practical guide discusses how to analyze the intricate lifting function and prevent injury during its execution. Outlining revised NIOSH Lifting Equation (RNLE) methods, the book illustrates their use in assessing manual lifting tasks of varying degrees of difficulty. Using examples to reinforce presented concepts, it explains how RNLE methods can be applied to evaluate single, composite, variable, and sequential lifting tasks. It also explores how to interpret and apply the results according to international standards and guidelines.

This book covers how to analyze awkward working postures, particularly of the spine and lower limbs, in specific groups exposed. The methods covered suggests how to evaluate the postures correctly, taking account of the duration and sequence of the tasks involved, even in very complex scenarios where workers are involved with multiple tasks and work cycles varying from day to day. Excel spreadsheets located on the authors’ website (www.epmresearch.org) have been developed to gather, condense, and automatically process the data. The tools serve to implement the strategy for calculating risk associated with exposure to awkward postures, i.e. the TACOS method. Included are 5 case studies which include physiotherapists, workers from construction, archaeological digs, vineyards, and kindergarten teachers.Features Provides a coherent definition of what the study of awkward postures is Clarifies and explains which parameters need to be detected and analyzed for the study of the working postures Defines the phases of a proper organizational study (e.g. tasks, postures, duration, and how often the postures will last) in the working cycle Presents a new and original risk calculation model for awkward postures, with particular attention to the study of the spine and the lower limbs Offers a free excel spreadsheet located on the authors' website which implements the strategy for calculating risk associated with exposure to awkward postures

This book covers how to analyze awkward working postures, particularly of the spine and lower limbs, in specific groups exposed. The methods covered suggests how to evaluate the postures correctly, taking account of the duration and sequence of the tasks involved, even in very complex scenarios where workers are involved with multiple tasks and work cycles varying from day to day. Excel spreadsheets located on the authors’ website (www.epmresearch.org) have been developed to gather, condense, and automatically process the data. The tools serve to implement the strategy for calculating risk associated with exposure to awkward postures, i.e. the TACOS method. Included are 5 case studies which include physiotherapists, workers from construction, archaeological digs, vineyards, and kindergarten teachers.Features Provides a coherent definition of what the study of awkward postures is Clarifies and explains which parameters need to be detected and analyzed for the study of the working postures Defines the phases of a proper organizational study (e.g. tasks, postures, duration, and how often the postures will last) in the working cycle Presents a new and original risk calculation model for awkward postures, with particular attention to the study of the spine and the lower limbs Offers a free excel spreadsheet located on the authors' website which implements the strategy for calculating risk associated with exposure to awkward postures

This book offers analytical methods for studying human work in ergonomics and psychology that are similar to ones utilized by the engineering sciences. SSAT offers not only new qualitative but also formalized and quantitative methods of analysis. This book will describe quantitative methods of task complexity and reliability assessment, application of queuing theory, etc. The book will also present new data in the area of efficiency of labor force and its evaluation.

Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) is an interdisciplinary field that has gained recognition as an important field in ergonomics. HCI draws on ideas and theoretical concepts from computer science, psychology, industrial design, and other fields. Human–Computer Interaction is no longer limited to trained software users. Today people interact with various devices such as mobile phones, tablets, and laptops. How can you make such interaction user friendly, even when user proficiency levels vary? This book explores methods for assessing the psychological complexity of computer-based tasks. It also presents methods of qualitative and quantitative analysis of exploratory activity during interaction with a computer.

Industrially developing countries have the largest populations, the highest levels of poverty, poor health, and illiteracy, and the greatest need for improvement in working conditions. And as the marketplace and the workforce goes increasingly global, accountability with regard to the abuse of cheap labor in developing countries is becoming an issue. Presenting a global view of the state of ergonomics in industrially developing countries (IDCs), Ergonomics in Developing Regions: Needs and Applications identifies problems, offers solutions, and explores costs and benefits. It defines the steps that can be taken to close the gap between working conditions in affluent and deprived nations.The book highlights the plight of millions of laborers and the poor working conditions pertaining to industrially less developed countries where the working environment mirrors the socio-economic deprivation of the people. Woven throughout the 34 chapters of this book is the tenet that good ergonomics is good economics. The chapters include examples of low-cost interventions at the work place in IDCs. The contributors discuss the ripple effect of ergonomics beyond the workplace to the betterment of life in general for the huge workforce in IDCs around the world. They focus on work-site problems and ergonomic solutions in developing regions around the globe, covering work conducted in Asia, Africa, South America, Russia, and China. Examining the factors unique to IDCs, leading ergonomists provide insights as to how sustainable progress is achievable in the developing world. They demonstrate the need for a more inclusive macro approach, citing managerial input essential for sustainable progress. With a panel of authors that reflects the multidisciplinary nature of the field, this book chronicles the nuances of differences in aim, practice, and outcome when ergonomists tackle Developing World problems from a Developing World perspective.

A comprehensive introduction to the field of ergonomics, this text includes scientific principles, research, applications, and emerging trends in technology. It contains all the necessary elements for delivery of a quality ergonomics course including a sample course syllabus, PowerPoint slides for instructors and students, homework assignments, class projects, instructor' s manual, suggested lab equipment, proposed lab exercises, and a student laboratory manual. This valuable resource provides allows readers to understand and improve the environments, equipment, and systems with which humans interact in the workplace, recreational environment, and home.

Edited by Jussi Kantola, the founding faculty member of the world’s first university Knowledge Service Engineering Department at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, and Waldemar Karwowski from the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems at UCF, Knowledge Service Engineering Handbook defines what knowledge services engineering means and how it is different from service engineering and service production. This groundbreaking handbook explores recent advances in knowledge service engineering from the accomplished researchers and practitioners in this field from around the world and provides engineering, systemic, industry, and consumer use viewpoints to knowledge service systems and engineering paradigms. The handbook outlines how to acquire and utilize knowledge in the 21st century presenting multiple cultural aspects including US, European, and Asian perspectives. Organized into four parts, it begins with an introduction to the main concepts of knowledge services. It then explores data, information and knowledge based engineering methods and applications that can be used to develop knowledge services, followed by discussions of the importance of human networks in knowledge services. The handbook concludes with descriptions of high-performance knowledge service systems. This structure allows different uses: the information can be looked up as needed or read in the order presented. As with any new field, the excitement lies in seeing how to combine these advances in data, information, and human parts of knowledge services in the future. While most books on this subject concentrate on data, information, or knowledge, this handbook integrates coverage of all three, thus providing a complete examination of sustainable knowledge services. The handbook has been carefully designed to be of use to professionals who develop new knowledge services and related businesses, for academic researchers and lecturers to start new research projects, and for students studying knowledge services, knowledge service production, and knowledge service business.

Commonly used throughout the world, manual lifting tasks—whether simple or complex—all involve variable loads, postures, and movements. This practical guide discusses how to analyze the intricate lifting function and prevent injury during its execution. Outlining revised NIOSH Lifting Equation (RNLE) methods, the book illustrates their use in assessing manual lifting tasks of varying degrees of difficulty. Using examples to reinforce presented concepts, it explains how RNLE methods can be applied to evaluate single, composite, variable, and sequential lifting tasks. It also explores how to interpret and apply the results according to international standards and guidelines.

Broadly defined as the science and technology of systems responding to neural processes in the brain, neuroadaptive systems (NASs) has become a rapidly developing area of study. One of the first books available in this emerging area, Neuroadaptive Systems: Theory and Applications synthesizes knowledge about human behavior, cognition, neural processing, and technology and how it can be used to optimize the design, development, modeling, simulation, and applications of complex neuro-based systems. Balancing coverage of theory and applications, the book examines the general aims of NASs and how neurogenomics can be applied in training applications. It includes important results and findings gathered from approximately two decades of brain computer interaction research. But more than this, the book details the underlying rationale for using NASs compared to other kinds of human-machine systems and raises questions and concerns about budding neuro-scientific areas that gives insight into the way humans may interact with neuro-technological systems in the future. With contributions from international professionals and researchers, this book presents state-of-the-art developments in neuroscience, human factors, and brain activity measurement. Packed with models, case studies, research results, and illustrations, it discusses approaches to understanding the functions of neuronal networks, and then explores challenges and applications of neuroadaptive systems. It provides tools for future development and the theory to support it.

What should every airline and manufacturer know about comfort?What can we learn from studies in the scientific literature?What do most passengers know about comfort and how can we translate that into interior design?Where can I find the latest knowledge and research useful for designing aircraft seats?Although the answers to these questions are available, they have often been hard to find. Until now. Based on studies conducted by the author and the latest knowledge on comfort, Aircraft Interior Comfort and Design links scientific research on customer likes and dislikes with technical know-how of aircraft interior design. It contains theoretical information on comfort gathered directly from the voice of the passenger, specific tips and photographs on passenger likes and dislikes, and an overview of the latest scientific demands for passenger seats. Presenting the results of current research and development in the aircraft interior industry, this book provides insight that, when applied to the daily work of managing the passenger experience, can lead to further improvements. The author makes the case for using improved comfort as a selling tool and identifies new opportunities for comfort improvement in the different phases of the passenger experience. He demonstrates how by optimizing the passengers’ senses at each phase, you can design comfort back into flying.

During the last 60 years the discipline of human factors (HF) has evolved alongside progress in engineering, technology, and business. Contemporary HF is clearly shifting towards addressing the human-centered design paradigm for much larger and complex societal systems, the effectiveness of which is affected by recent advances in engineering, science, and education. Human Factors of a Global Society: A System of Systems Perspective explores the future challenges and potential contributions of the human factors discipline in the Conceptual Age of human creativity and social responsibility.Written by a team of experts and pioneers, this book examines the human aspects related to contemporary societal developments in science, engineering, and higher education in the context of unprecedented progress in those areas. It also discusses new paradigms for higher education, including education delivery, and administration from a systems of systems perspective. It then examines the future challenges and potential contributions of the human factors discipline.While there are other books that focus on systems engineering or on a specific area of human factors, this book unifies these different perspectives into a holistic point of view. It gives you an understanding of human factors as it relates to the global enterprise system and its newly emerging characteristics such as quality, system complexity, evolving management system and its role in social and behavioral changes. By exploring the human aspects related to actual societal developments in science, the book opens a new horizon for the HF community.

Although often taken for granted, safety doesn’t just happen. It requires a deep understanding of the principles of safety culture that then must be applied in all of your actions. Safety Management in a Competitive Business Environment discusses the meaning of the culture of safety in all areas of industrial manufacturing, focusing on risk management preventative measures. It explores the new and emerging risks and underlines the significance of effective education methods as prerequisites for acquiring appropriate risk management skills.The book provides an integrated and systematic point of view on the field of occupational health and safety management, safety of machines and machinery, and certain complex technologies. It touches on civil safety as a part of safety culture in the sense of national culture—an area that is now becoming very topical. The author details the risk assessment methods available and the many factors that come into play such as deterioration due to ageing, construction issues, and workplace noise, to name just a few. He also covers the importance of education for risk management professionals of all levels and the integration of safety related to industrial technology and civil security into comprehensive safety and security.The culture of safety provides space for adopting principles leading to risk minimization or, in some areas, risk elimination. It creates a legal basis for obligatory application of risk management methods adjusted to particular work environment, technology, and machinery. This book demonstrates how risk management systems form component parts of comprehensive managerial systems, especially in integration with quality management systems. It gives you the tools necessary for systematic management of traditional and emerging risks in the man–machine–environment system, especially in industrial technologies.

This book offers analytical methods for studying human work in ergonomics and psychology that are similar to ones utilized by the engineering sciences. SSAT offers not only new qualitative but also formalized and quantitative methods of analysis. This book will describe quantitative methods of task complexity and reliability assessment, application of queuing theory, etc. The book will also present new data in the area of efficiency of labor force and its evaluation.

Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) is no longer limited to trained software users. Today people interact with various devices such as mobile phones, tablets, and laptops. How can such interaction be made more user friendly, even when user proficiency levels vary? This book explores methods for assessing the psychological complexity of computer-based tasks. It also presents methods of qualitative and quantitative analysis of exploratory activity during interaction with a computer.