“Everyday” ergonomics Dr. L. Moody ISE 482 Spring, 2009

L Moody / S09 2 ISE 482 Rationale As an IE, you will be asked to evaluate work processes in your workplace. As an employee in a given workplace, you will want to design your work and workspaces to promote safety, health, and comfort for yourself and your fellow employees. As an IE who has been educated in the principles and practices ergonomics, you should be aware of and promote the use of effective ergonomic design of work and workspaces.

L Moody / S09 3 ISE 482 What are we concerned with? Safety: ___________________________ Health: ___________________________ Productivity: _______________________ Improving these through:  Tool and equipment design  Workstation design  Work design  Design of the work environment

L Moody / S09 4 ISE 482 What do you remember about … Tools?  Power with _________ more than muscles.  Use the proper grip … Example of a power grip is ____________. Example of a precision grip is __________.  Make the grip the proper thickness, _________, and ________.  Consider the angle of ________________________.  Make the grip surface smooth, compressible, and _______________.

L Moody / S09 5 ISE 482 What do you remember about … Workstation design?  Avoid ____________ and fixed work postures.  Reduce musculoskeletal disorders … Set the work height at __________________. Avoid awkward __________________.  Keep arm motions _____________________.  Let the small person __________; let the large person ____________.  Provide everyone with an ______________ seat.

L Moody / S09 6 ISE 482 What do you remember about … Work design?  Repetitive motion:  Vibration:  Lifting:  Work/rest cycles:

L Moody / S09 7 ISE 482 What do you remember about … Environmental design?  Lighting:  Noise:  Climate:  Workplace hazards:

L Moody / S09 8 ISE 482 How is “everyday ergonomics” done? Keep your eyes open! Get involved early (preferably before money is spent.) Involve management, employees, and coworkers. Eliminate risks. Look for quick & useful solutions. Recognize when problems are too complex / too big for “grassroots” solutions. Look for ways to educate others. Stay educated yourself!

L Moody / S09 9 ISE 482 Your turn … Using the enclosed checklist, find some workspace in this building and evaluate the ergonomics of the workspace and work being done. Report back in 15 minutes.

L Moody / S09 10 ISE 482 After your evaluation … Evaluate the checklist. Suggest one other work area where the application of a checklist like this might be appropriate. How will you keep yourself educated with respect to the tools and techniques of ergonomic design and evaluation?