Ergonomics

Question 1

What is ergonomics?

Answer 1

Er­gonom­ics is an ap­plied sci­ence re­lat­ed to the analy­sis of work items

Er­gonom­ics deals with the adap­ta­tion of work­ing con­di­tions to the skills and char­ac­ter­is­tics of the work­ing per­son.

Question 2

Er­gonom­ics ob­serves what?

Answer 2

Er­gonom­ics ob­serves the hu­man-ma­chine in­ter­ac­tion and mul­ti­ple in­flu­ences from the work­ing en­vi­ron­ment to the work sys­tem.

On this ba­sis de­sign pro­pos­als and de­vel­op­ment for in­struc­tions, for work and equip­ment, for prod­ucts or for work or­ga­ni­za­tion can be done.

Question 3

Why is er­gonom­ics im­por­tant?

Answer 3

High­ly stan­dard­ized work process­es re­peat­ed­ly put the same de­mands on their bod­ies, caus­ing strain. This led to the ma­jor prob­lem of em­ploy­ees be­ing un­able to work.

Question 4

What is the main ob­jec­tive and pur­pose of ergonomics?

Answer 4

The aim of er­gonom­ics is to or­ga­nize work pro­ce­dures, tool­ing and the work en­vi­ron­ment in such a way that staff can work in con­di­tions that are com­pat­i­ble with health re­quire­ments, even for years.

Question 5

There is a di­rect link be­tween er­gonom­ics and what?

Answer 5

pro­duc­tiv­i­ty and qual­i­ty

Question 6

What does ergonomics directly have influence on?

Answer 6

pro­duc­tiv­i­ty and qual­i­ty

Question 7

When good of­fice er­gonom­ics is prac­ticed, it re­sults in what?

Answer 7

• re­duced pain in the neck and back
• less­er oc­cur­rences of headaches and eye strain
• ten­don prob­lems which arise by do­ing the same tasks repet­i­tive­ly will be elim­i­nat­ed

Question 8

In office ergonomics, you should do what?

Answer 8

… move and change po­si­tions every 30 - 50 min.
… take stretch breaks to coun­ter­act re­peat­ed or sus­tained awk­ward pos­tures.
… have your el­bow po­si­tioned lev­el or above your wrists while typ­ing.
… stand up to reach far away ob­jects.
… con­sid­er a stand­ing desk. Sit­ting is in­her­ent­ly un­healthy!

Question 9

In office ergonomics, you should you NOT do?

Answer 9

… work through the pain. This is your body yelling at you that you are hurt­ing.
… keep your mon­i­tor clos­er than arms-reach away from your eyes.
… reach for far-away ob­jects. This stress­es your ten­dons and mus­cles great­ly.
… overuse your mouse. Learn handy key­board short­cuts to save time and ex­er­tion.

Question 10

What are useful tips for a healthier office workspace?

Answer 10

• use “crtl+ s” to save a document instead of clicking the save button with a computer mouse
• use a height-adjustable desk
• use a footrest if necessary to keep knees in line with or slightly lower than hips

Question 11

In the office, how often should you move or change position? Every…

Answer 11

30 – 50 min

Question 12

Er­gonom­ic ap­praisal is per­formed by who?

Answer 12

trained er­gonom­ics of­fi­cers on the ba­sis of rec­og­nized ref­er­ence val­ues with clear er­gonom­ics in­di­ca­tors

Question 13

What are good characteristics of ergonomics in production?

Answer 13

Safe, clear­ly er­gonom­i­cal­ly de­signed arrange­ment of work pl­ace and tool stag­ing, con­trols and soft­ware

Re­duc­tion of the num­ber of dif­fer­ent machine con­trol sys­tems

All the nec­es­sary tool­ing/aids/in­for­ma­tion/doc­u­ments are clear­ly iden­ti­fied and have per­ma­nent stor­age po­si­tions in line with de­fined stan­dards and de­fined vi­su­al­iza­tion

Re­duc­tion in harm­ful work­ing con­di­tions (noise, dirt, heat, etc.)

Avoid­ance of twist­ing, bend­ing, knee­ing, work­ing over­head etc.

Min­i­mize work po­si­tions which are un­avoid­able and unergonomic

Question 14

What is motion simplification?

Answer 14

Motion simplification is an aspect of motion economy that involves designing movement flows to reduce time needed or strain

Question 15

What are four ergonomic rules that help simplify movement?

Answer 15

1. Reduce number of movements
2. Conduct movements
3. Reduce motion distances
4. Make movements easier

Question 16

When designing work processes, what are the goals?

Answer 16

• Two-handed work (simultaneous, symmetrical, balances strain equally, begins and ends at the same time)
• Steady movements (circular if possible)
• Small movements (small distances, minimal movement of limbs)
• Installing foot controls
• Minimizing wait time in hand activities

Question 17

When designing work processes, what should you try to optimize?

Answer 17

• material and tool placement to reduce reaching distances (blind reach possible, placement at best point)
• part alignment to avoid changing grip (orientation of parts, magazining

Question 18

When designing work processes, what should you try to avoid?

Answer 18

• heavy demands on shoulders or elbows or “extension positions” (e.g. working over one’s head, reaching behind oneself)
• frequent or demanding movement of a single part of the body (one-sided strain poses a health risk)

Question 19

What are the Dos and Don’ts in production regarding ergonomics?

Answer 19

Do
• two-handed work
• foot controls
• reduce reaching distances

Don’t
• one-sided movements
• working over head
• longer wait times to recover from strains

Question 20

What are the four basic ergonomic rules?

Answer 20

• Reduce number of movements
• Conduct movements simultaneously
• Reduce motion distances
• Make movements easier

Question 21

What are the ergonomics reference values?

Answer 21

recommendations set by the CoC for Ergonomics in consultation with the factory ergonomics officers

Question 22

What do ergonomics reference values act as a guide for?

Answer 22

workplace designers dealing with the different categories of physical strain (postures, manual load handling and active forces)

Question 23

The risk classifications, which result from the reference values, are based on what?

Answer 23

findings from the ergonomic work system assessment (“ErgonomischeArbeitssystembeurteilung” = EAB)

Question 24

An EAB provides what?

Answer 24

a thorough evaluation of a workstation, taking into account the combined effect of all categories of physical strain

Question 25

What is a main strain factor in final assembly?

Answer 25

Work performed above shoulder-height

Such work is therefore defined as the basic strain, which can potentially be accompanied by additional strains. The length of activity is one full shift or one cycle within a full shift.

Question 26

Mark all mistakes in following text. Hint: there are two words that are wrong.

An EAB provides a thorough evaluation of a workstation, taking into
account the combined effect of selected categories of physical strain.
When designing a workspace, the plans should aim to be within the
yellow-red border.

Answer 26

An EAB provides a thorough evaluation of a workstation, taking into account the combined effect of SELECTED categories of physical strain. When designing a workspace, the plans should aim to be within the YELLOW-RED border.

Question 27

What represents the transition from green to yellow and from yellow to red respectively?

Answer 27

The EAB scores 25P and/or 50P

Question 28

What’s the allowed max. load weight for manual handling of loads (men & women)?

Answer 28

25