Weeks six-seven Flashcards
Key Terms
Archival Data
The body of existing records held by an organisation, which were collected for reasons unrelated to the study in hand.
Possible data sources include:
task data (methods, procedures, diaries, position descriptions)
organisational data (statistics, policies, procedures, training information, reports, injury
data)
industry data (guidelines, training resources, information sheets, newsletters, research)
academic research (refereed journals or serials, conference proceedings, edited texts)
standards (NZ standards, joint NZAS standards, BSI, ISO)
government bodies (guidelines, codes of practice, regulations, acts of parliament).
Direct observation;
Observational measurement is when the ergonomist is the instrument of measurement with minimal interaction with the people and situations being observed. Assessing and measuring a system directly whilst it is in operation is essential if we are to gain even rudimentary understanding. Direct observation is usually unobtrusive, although the observer’s presence will of course influence system users. To what extent and in what direction the people are influenced will depend on how you are perceived. For example, are you introduced to people on the work floor by the local occupational health nurse (perceived as being ‘on their side’ perhaps) or simply escorted in with no introductions by a notorious ‘hatchet man’ from Head Office? The data collected will differ - perhaps significantly. For ethical as well as practical reasons, it is important that your involvement is understood and accepted by those being observed. Direct observation can be carried out quickly and is relatively non-invasive, but must be well planned so that the information collected is valid and appropriate.
Ergonomics risk assessment:
An ergonomic risk assessment aims to assess, identify and eliminate hazards and risks associated with the ergonomics of an individual’s workstation. A workstation may be a desk for an office worker, but may include benches for process workers or the driver’s seat in a work vehicle.
Literature review;
A comprehensive literature search, and a review of the relevant literature (and other documents such as industry reports) is likely to uncover relevant information from the industry and from refereed work carried out internationally. Such searches do however require significant time; determining which sources of information are most likely to be useful and requesting, receiving and reviewing this information (possibly interpreting non-English material). This process may be repeated several times as each new piece of information raises further references or possible information sources. Searching for existing recent published reviews about a given topic can help make this task more manageable.
Rating of perceived exertion (RPE);
The RPE scale is used to measure the intensity of your exercise. The RPE scale runs from 0 – 10. The numbers below relate to phrases used to rate how easy or difficult you find an activity. 0 – Nothing at all 0.5 – Just noticeable 1 – Very light 2 – Light 3 – Moderate 4 – Somewhat heavy 5 – Heavy 6 7 – Very heavy 8 9 10 – Very, very heavy
RULA;
The RULA was developed to assess exposures and determine the action level of tasks thought to contribute to the development of ULDs (McAtamney and Corlett, 1993). This technique considers postures, forces and muscles activity associated with work tasks by examining the upper and lower body postures. The upper body group (Table 16.11) consists of the upper arms, lower arms and wrists; the lower body group (Table 16.12) includes the legs, trunk and neck. A score sheet is used to calculate a grand score for each task based on the sum of the posture, muscle use and force scores (Figure 16.8). Posture is observed and given a numerical classification based on values provided in charts (Figure 16.9). These values are then used to determine a posture score for Tables 16.11 and 16.12. No force or muscle activity measurements are taken; instead, charts are used to determine a score based on the duration of static posture and weight of loads (Figure 16.10). A table is used to determine the grand score from the subtotal scores for Tables 16.11 and 16.12 (Figure 16.11). This grand score is then used to determine the action level of the associated task.
In the RULA technique, individual scores are assigned due to risks associated with posture, force and muscle activity and thus allow the identification of areas which are driving risks due to less desirable conditions. When using this method for prioritisation of redesign, modifications should be focused on the areas associated with the highest scores. This technique is relatively easy to conduct and provides reliable results without specialised tools or equipment beyond the associated tables and charts.
Semi-structured interview;
A semi-structured interview is a qualitative method of inquiry that combines a pre-determined set of open questions (questions that prompt discussion) with the opportunity for the interviewer to explore particular themes or responses further.
A semi-structured interview does not limit respondents to a set of pre-determined answers (unlike a structured questionnaire).
Semi-structured interviews are used to understand how interventions work and how they could be improved. It also allows respondents to discuss and raise issues that you may not have considered.
Subjective matter experts;
The person or people that have specific or special skills or knowledge about a particular job, task or topic can be referred to as Subject Matter Experts. In an ergonomics context, these will include workers, supervisors, engineers, managers, designers etc.
Subjective measurement;
The opinions of the people within a system are essential sources of information. “The common thread here is to use the people involved in the system that you wish to study as measuring instruments. In effect, you rely on the system stakeholders to come to some sort of conclusion about the system and its behaviour, then access that conclusion as a measurement of the system. This class contains any method that draws its data from the psychological contents of people’s heads.” (Wilson & Corlett, 2005, p. 85).
Task analysis;
a methodology used to systematically break down a task into organised elements. The main purpose is to fully comprehend the functions required, and hence optimise the allocation of those functions and the overall system design. Task analysis refers to a number of specific techniques and there appears to be considerable inconsistency within the health and safety disciplines in NZ as to the definition of TA. Therefore, it is important that the technique[s] used in a given task analysis are described fully, including: the process followed, the level of analysis undertaken and the findings that can therefore be validly drawn from the data collected.
Systematic
Repeatable
Essential within almost every ergonomics investigation
Valid conclusions and recommendations cannot be formed without sufficient understanding of the task(s) being investigated
Commonly TA includes: an overview of the activities involved with a task, interrelationships between tasks, task objectives, and the performance criteria required for each task.
Task analysis is used not only during the assessment of existing systems, but also during the design cycles of new ones as part of the iterative processes.
Triangulation
It is good practice to employ a number of analysis or evaluation methods in any given study, drawing on qualitative and quantitative techniques, in the field and/or laboratory settings. This is done to improve the effectiveness of the study and confidence in any findings. No single stream of data will provide a perfect picture of a dynamic system in operation. Instead, a balanced combination of measures is essential. Collected data from different sources helps to ‘triangulate’ findings and have confidence in the solutions. The use of more than one method to provide sufficient information and data to have confidence in assessments or evaluations is often therefore called triangulation.
