Human Factors That Influence Behaviour At Work Flashcards
3 factors in organisation in individual/group behavior
Resources -Resources
It is the responsibility of senior management to ensure that health and safety is adequately resourced. The allocation of sufficient time, money and staff for health and safety shows strong evidence of management commitment.
Work patterns -
Different work patterns can impact on health and safety performance in different ways.
Workers on short hour contracts typically have higher injury rates than those on full-time contracts.
Shift workers are more likely to suffer psychological and physical ill-health than day workers.
Fatigue associated with long shifts and night shifts in particular make it more likely that mistakes will be made.
Continuous exposure to specific hazards (vibration, noise, repetitive tasks etc.) without sufficient breaks makes damage more likely.
Communication-
Effective communication between and wit
What does ergonomics ensure
A good physical and mental match between people and the things they use to do their job
Physical match- (anthropometrics) includes the design of the whole workplace and working environment.
Psychological match- involves the individual’s information and decision making requirements, as well as their perception of tasks and risks.
What assessment should be carried out for the fit between a person and their work
The job/task being done:
■ The demands on the worker (activities, workload, work pacing, shiftwork and fatigue).
■ The equipment used (its design in terms of size, shape, controls, displays, and how appropriate it is for the task).
■ The information used (how it is presented, accessed, and changed).
■ The physical environment (temperature, humidity, lighting, noise, vibration).
The individual’s physical and psychological characteristics:
■ Body size and shape.
■ Fitness and strength.
■ Posture.
■ The senses, especially vision, hearing and touch.
■ Mental abilities.
■ Personality.
■ Knowledge.
■ Training.
■ Experience.
The organisation and social environment:
■ Teamwork and team structure.
■ Supervision and leadership.
■ Supportive management.
■ Communications.
■ Resources.
How can ergonomics and human factors improve health and safety?
Applying ergonomics to the workplace can:
■ reduce the potential for accidents;
■ reduce the potential for injury and ill health;
■ improve performance and productivity.
Ergonomic problems in the workplace
Design of tasks-■ Work demands are too high or too low.
■ The employee has little say in how they organise their work.
■ Badly designed machinery guards (awkward to use or requiring additional effort)
slow down the work.
■ Conflicting demands, eg high productivity and quality.
■ These problems can lead to employees failing to follow procedures or removing guards, causing accidents, injury and ill health.
Manual handling-
■ The load is too heavy and/or bulky, placing unreasonable demands on the person.
■ The load has to be lifted from the floor and/or above the shoulders.
■ The job involves frequent repetitive lifting.
■ The job requires awkward postures, such as bending or twisting.
■ The load can’t be gripped properly.
■ The job is performed on uneven, wet, or sloping floor surfaces.
■ The job is performed under time pressures and doesn’t include enough rest
breaks.
Workstation layout-
■ Items that are used frequently are out of convenient reach.
■ Inadequate space under work surface for legs.
■ Work surface height inappropriate for the tasks causing awkward and
uncomfortable postures.
■ Lighting inadequate causing eyestrain when inspecting detail on work items.
■ Chair not properly adjusted to fit the person and workstation.
Managing the working day
■ Not enough recovery time between shifts.
■ Poor scheduling of shifts.
■ Juggling shifts with domestic responsibilities.
■ Employees working excessive overtime.
