This paper introduces and discusses the use of "Action Research' (AR) modalities in ergo... more This paper introduces and discusses the use of "Action Research' (AR) modalities in ergonomics intervention research as a means to improve intervention quality and study the processes of organisational change.
Many methods track company performance and process integration for quality, productivity, environ... more Many methods track company performance and process integration for quality, productivity, environment and safety. Similar methods do not exist for human factors (HF) even though it has impact on these outcomes. Without a HF specific assessment method it is impossible for managers to know if they are achieving 'world class' HF integration. An assessment tool is under development to address this need. The tool assesses the capability of each functional unit in an organization to manage HF aspects in their processes. This includes organizational strategy, design, maintenance, operations, logistics, marketing, and human resources, among others. For each department, the presence of HF aspects including indicators, process flows, and methods are evaluated. The maturity level of HF integration for each is rated in five classifications, conceptually similar to the Baldridge criteria, to reflect its level of 'world class'. The tool is non-prescriptive as it recognises the val...
We have extended the research methods used in epidemiological studies of low back pain into asses... more We have extended the research methods used in epidemiological studies of low back pain into assessment software that is suitable for use by industrial personnel. The system we are developing extends the capability of current biomechanical modelling approaches in two ways. We now have the ability to calculate shift-long cumulative loading (load integrals) on the spine as well the peak hand forces and peak spine load forces. We can also use epidemiological evidence to provide insight into low back injury risk in the presence of multiple, proven injury risk factors. This decision support aspect of the tool helps users apply current scientific evidence to make better decisions about job design and ergonomic program performance in industrial settings. Keywords Biomechanical models, physical load assessment, injury risk, low back pain
This report presents the views of participants in a series of workshops on Human Factors (HF) in ... more This report presents the views of participants in a series of workshops on Human Factors (HF) in virtual production planning. The participants, ergonomists and engineers from both public and private sectors, were presented with 6 different Virtual Human Factors (VHF) tools: Discrete Event Simulation, Predetermined Motion Time Systems, Complex and Simple Digital Human Models, Virtual Reality and SIMTER . Comments expressed by participants were recorded on digital audio tapes and by note takers and questionnaires were handed out. Eight main characteristics were identified as influencing factors for the use of VHF tools: cost, time, training, difficulty of use, reliability, graphics, flexibility and usefulness. Other findings included a need to modify report layouts and improvement recommendations particular to each tool. The findings in this report present the initial steps of an ongoing research program with the aim of developing improved approaches to using simulation to integrate h...
This paper describes two approaches for integrating human factors into discrete event simulations... more This paper describes two approaches for integrating human factors into discrete event simulations of production systems. In the first, biomechanical loading information was integrated with a simulation model in a car dismantling operation. In the second study, the productivity sensitivity of three systems with varying parallelisation was tested with respect to a) allowing operators to take breaks ‘as desired’, and b) having ‘reduced capacity’ operators at work. Both methods provided insight into design options that gave superior performance with improved ergonomics. Such ‘virtual ergonomics’ approaches can help establish boundary crossing discussions to support ergonomics application in early design stages.
This paper addresses a number of issues for work environment intervention (WEI) researchers in li... more This paper addresses a number of issues for work environment intervention (WEI) researchers in light of the mixed results reported in the literature. If researchers emphasise study quality over intervention quality, reviews that exclude case studies with high quality and multifactorial interventions may be vulnerable to ‘quality criteria selection bias’. Learning from ‘failed’ interventions is inhibited by both publication bias and reporting lengths that limit information on relevant contextual and implementation factors. The authors argue for the need to develop evaluation approaches consistent with the complexity of multifactorial WEIs that: a) are owned by and aimed at the whole organisation; and b) include intervention in early design stages where potential impact is highest. Context variety, complexity and instability in and around organisations suggest that attention might usefully shift from generalisable ‘proof of effectiveness’ to a more nuanced identification of interventi...
This paper introduces and discusses the use of "Action Research' (AR) modalities in ergo... more This paper introduces and discusses the use of "Action Research' (AR) modalities in ergonomics intervention research as a means to improve intervention quality and study the processes of organisational change.
Many methods track company performance and process integration for quality, productivity, environ... more Many methods track company performance and process integration for quality, productivity, environment and safety. Similar methods do not exist for human factors (HF) even though it has impact on these outcomes. Without a HF specific assessment method it is impossible for managers to know if they are achieving 'world class' HF integration. An assessment tool is under development to address this need. The tool assesses the capability of each functional unit in an organization to manage HF aspects in their processes. This includes organizational strategy, design, maintenance, operations, logistics, marketing, and human resources, among others. For each department, the presence of HF aspects including indicators, process flows, and methods are evaluated. The maturity level of HF integration for each is rated in five classifications, conceptually similar to the Baldridge criteria, to reflect its level of 'world class'. The tool is non-prescriptive as it recognises the val...
We have extended the research methods used in epidemiological studies of low back pain into asses... more We have extended the research methods used in epidemiological studies of low back pain into assessment software that is suitable for use by industrial personnel. The system we are developing extends the capability of current biomechanical modelling approaches in two ways. We now have the ability to calculate shift-long cumulative loading (load integrals) on the spine as well the peak hand forces and peak spine load forces. We can also use epidemiological evidence to provide insight into low back injury risk in the presence of multiple, proven injury risk factors. This decision support aspect of the tool helps users apply current scientific evidence to make better decisions about job design and ergonomic program performance in industrial settings. Keywords Biomechanical models, physical load assessment, injury risk, low back pain
This report presents the views of participants in a series of workshops on Human Factors (HF) in ... more This report presents the views of participants in a series of workshops on Human Factors (HF) in virtual production planning. The participants, ergonomists and engineers from both public and private sectors, were presented with 6 different Virtual Human Factors (VHF) tools: Discrete Event Simulation, Predetermined Motion Time Systems, Complex and Simple Digital Human Models, Virtual Reality and SIMTER . Comments expressed by participants were recorded on digital audio tapes and by note takers and questionnaires were handed out. Eight main characteristics were identified as influencing factors for the use of VHF tools: cost, time, training, difficulty of use, reliability, graphics, flexibility and usefulness. Other findings included a need to modify report layouts and improvement recommendations particular to each tool. The findings in this report present the initial steps of an ongoing research program with the aim of developing improved approaches to using simulation to integrate h...
This paper describes two approaches for integrating human factors into discrete event simulations... more This paper describes two approaches for integrating human factors into discrete event simulations of production systems. In the first, biomechanical loading information was integrated with a simulation model in a car dismantling operation. In the second study, the productivity sensitivity of three systems with varying parallelisation was tested with respect to a) allowing operators to take breaks ‘as desired’, and b) having ‘reduced capacity’ operators at work. Both methods provided insight into design options that gave superior performance with improved ergonomics. Such ‘virtual ergonomics’ approaches can help establish boundary crossing discussions to support ergonomics application in early design stages.
This paper addresses a number of issues for work environment intervention (WEI) researchers in li... more This paper addresses a number of issues for work environment intervention (WEI) researchers in light of the mixed results reported in the literature. If researchers emphasise study quality over intervention quality, reviews that exclude case studies with high quality and multifactorial interventions may be vulnerable to ‘quality criteria selection bias’. Learning from ‘failed’ interventions is inhibited by both publication bias and reporting lengths that limit information on relevant contextual and implementation factors. The authors argue for the need to develop evaluation approaches consistent with the complexity of multifactorial WEIs that: a) are owned by and aimed at the whole organisation; and b) include intervention in early design stages where potential impact is highest. Context variety, complexity and instability in and around organisations suggest that attention might usefully shift from generalisable ‘proof of effectiveness’ to a more nuanced identification of interventi...
Annual Conference of the Canadian Engineering Education Association, 2019
In the cornerstone engineering design course for Mechanical and Industrial Engineering undergradu... more In the cornerstone engineering design course for Mechanical and Industrial Engineering undergraduates at Ryerson University, students' design approaches were being negatively affected by gender and other biases. Therefore, the course was modified to encourage students to explore these biases, with an initial emphasis on gender so that they may design with a fuller sense of women's issues. This novel endeavour aimed to change the course's culture via awareness, and by connecting equity, diversity, and inclusion to an engineering context. Qualitative analysis of student reports before and after these modifications showed that the intervention led to user groups that more closely matched actual de-mographics and included a higher number of women, LGBTQ, and elderly Personas than before. Furthermore, the qualitative descriptions showed less of a skewed tendency to attribute positive characteristics to men and negative characteristics to women after the course modifications were implemented. Student surveys indicated that there was a potential cultural shift within the course, and a broadening of student focus to include equity, diversity , and inclusion when undertaking an engineering design project.
– The introductory design course in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at Ryerson University c... more – The introductory design course in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at Ryerson University combines Human Factors (HF) and Design. Due to its unique character, we have developed custom courseware. In recent years the instructors have noticed four specific shortcomings in students' abilities to incorporate HF into their designs. We are developing new courseware that focuses on embedding HF considerations into the requirements specification stage. The courseware incorporates a novel combination of Hierarchical Task Analysis (a well-known method) with Usage Scenarios (a method of Salustri's invention, based on the work of Stone and Wood). We further alter the courseware in several other ways to minimize the amount of documentation that students need to provide, while still capturing their decision-making process well enough to allow appropriate assessments. A plan for implementing and assessing the proposed work is also presented.
This paper presents a method and tool to achieve a trade-off between workload on assessors of sem... more This paper presents a method and tool to achieve a trade-off between workload on assessors of semester-long team-based design projects in large classes , with the need for fair and comprehensive assessments of each student individually. Students " book time " throughout the semester, recording their level of input into each project element. They each provide totals for time spent on each element of their final reports. The instructor assesses each design report as if one person wrote it. These data are combined into a single ru-bric/spreadsheet. The rubric scales report assessments to accommodate differences in team size, and generates a unique grade for each student in a team. Examples are given in the paper, as are details from the implementation of the method in a Fall 2015 introductory design course. There is anecdotal evidence that the method works, but there is always room for improvement. Several ideas for future modifications to method are discussed. All spread-sheets, documentation, and examples are freely available via the Web. Links are provided.
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