Safety or comfort? Can you truly have one without the other? Is it feasible to have both? Although by no means the only factor, a deep understanding of biomechanics plays a leading role in the design of work and workplaces that are both pain and injury free. Standing firmly on the foundation built by the previous edition, the second edition of Biomechanics in Ergonomics establishes an understanding of gross biomechanical loads on the human system at the tissue level and then brings that understanding through to the whole body level.

Applications for the Real World

Produced under the aegis of editor Shrawan Kumar with contributors who are leading scholars in the field, the book contains unique chapters such as Exposure Assessment Tools and Techniques and Cumulative Load and Models. Also included is a chapter on hand tools, which have a real application to the field of ergonomics.

New and significantly revamped chapters:

• Theories of occupational musculoskeletal injury causation
• Anthropometry and Biomechanics - Anthropometrics
• Mechanical Exposure Assessment in the Design of Work
• Determinant of Muscle Strength
• Biomechanics of Gloves
• The ACGIH TLV(r) for Hand Activity Level
• Whiplash Injuries - In Vitro Studies
• Whiplash Injuries - In Vivo Studies
• Models in Manual Materials Handling
• Revised NIOSH Lifting Equation
• Whole Body Vibration
• Cumulative Load and Models

Create Safety Through Better Workplace Design

The book dives deep into the biomechanics of the connective tissues before thoroughly covering upper and lower extremities, shoulder and neck, low back, and whole body mechanics. With chapters selected and designed to provide extensive coverage of ergonomically relevant biomechanics, this volume supplies an integrated understanding of the inseparable relationship between ergonomics and biomechanics that can be translated into better safety design and better workplaces.

This book looks at how the physical environment of work shapes organizational behaviour, demonstrating that our physical surroundings at work can have a big influence on employee productivity, performance and wellbeing. Drawing upon the latest research, Organizational Behaviour and the Physical Environment provides comprehensive coverage of the different aspects of the physical environment at work - the buildings, furnishings, equipment, lighting, air quality and their configurations. From theories of psychological ownership and work design, to cultural issues and technology in the workplace, its international range of contributors provide voices from Australasia, North America, Europe and the Middle East. This book will be invaluable supplementary reading for advanced students, researchers and practitioners across the fields of organizational behaviour, HRM, organizational and environmental psychology, and workspace design.

This simple and manageable guide to user interface design is written for the professional in industry working on product development and the decision process. It is directed not only to the human factors specialists, but also to technicians, designers, marketing and product managers and students. The book presents guidelines for user interface design including a catalogue of input and output devices for electronic appliances, adding material on the design process, interaction design, advanced input, speech interfaces, evaluation, standards, the move from usability to pleasure and cultural differences. Each chapter stands alone, so the book can be used as a reference handbook. Contributions come from several human factors specialists working in industry and in academia. The text is extensively illustrated by product examples showing good user interface design.

Nature aside, the world in which we live should be designed for us, from everyday products like scissors and chairs to complex systems in avionics, medicine and nuclear power applications. Now more than ever, technological advances continue to increase the range and complexity of tasks that people have to perform. As a discipline, human factors psychology (ergonomics) therefore has an increasingly important role to play in ensuring that the human user's physical characteristics, cognitive abilities and social needs are taken into account in the development, implementation and operation of products and systems.
In this book, Jan Noyes provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of human-machine interaction and the design of environments at work. Focusing on topics relevant to user-centred design, she includes coverage of the capabilities and limitations of humans, human-machine interactions, work environments, and organizational issues. Health and safety issues underpin a large amount of work on the human factors of design, and these are addressed fully throughout the book. Each chapter includes case studies that demonstrate the real-world relevance of the points being made and concludes with a list of key points.
Although aimed primarily at advanced undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers in organizational and occupational psychology, this book will also be of relevance to students on engineering, computing and applied psychology/human factors programmes.

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In The Human Factor, Kim Vicente coined the term 'Human-tech' to describe a more encompassing and ambitious approach to the study of Human-Technology Interaction (HTI) than is now evident in any of its participating disciplines, such as human factors, human-computer interaction, cognitive science and engineering, industrial design, informatics or applied psychology. Observing that the way forward is 'not by widgets alone,' Vicente's Human-tech approach addresses every level-physical, psychological, team, organizational, and political-at which technology impacts quality of life, identifies a human or societal need, and then tailors technology to what we know about human nature at that level. The Human Factor was written for a broad audience, in part to educate general readers beyond the HTI community about the need to think seriously about the tremendous impact that poorly designed technology can have, ranging from user frustration to the tragic loss of human life. The articles collected in this book provide much of the technical material behind the work that was presented in The Human Factor, and the commentaries by Alex Kirlik situate these articles in their broader historical, scientific and ethical context. This collection of articles and commentaries forms a set of recommendations for how HTI research ought to broaden both its perspective and its practical, even ethical, aspirations to meet the increasingly complicated challenges of designing technology to support human work, to improve quality of life, and to design the way will live with technology. As the first book both to integrate the theory and research underlying Human-tech, and to clearly delineate the scientific challenges and ethical responsibilities that await those who either design technology for human use, or design technology that influences or even structures the working or daily lives of others, Human-tech: Ethical and Scientific Foundations will appeal to the broad range of students and scholars in all of the HTI disciplines.

Applied Ergonomics is a concise text focusing on the practical applications of ergonomics and is derived from the annual, ground-breaking, successful US conference of the same name. This is not a conference proceedings but a text of applications, filling a niche in the ergonomics professional market for a book that is strong on the applications side of the field rather than the purely academic.
This book covers a range of topics related to applications in engineering, medicine, and health & safety, and incorporates a number of case studies and examples. The book is split into a number of thematic sections which focus on support and service jobs, ergonomics in the office, health management and design. Within these sections are chapters on the use of the Internet, ergonomics programs, and the economics of ergonomics.
Those involved with the application of ergonomics techniques will find this collection both informative and interesting.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203302591

Safety Science Research: Evolution, Challenges and New Directions provides a unique perspective into the latest developments of safety science by putting together, for the first time, a new generation of authors with some of the pioneers of the field. Forty years ago, research traditions were developed, including, among others, high-reliability organisations, cognitive system engineering or safety regulations. In a fast-changing world, the new generation introduces, in this book, new disciplinary insights, addresses contemporary empirical issues, develops new concepts and models while remaining critical of safety research practical ambitions. Their ideas are then reflected and discussed by some of the pioneers of safety science. Features Allows the reader to discover how contemporary safety issues are currently framed by a new generation of researchers, brought together for the first time Includes an introduction and guide to the development of safety science over the last four decades Features an extraordinary collection of expert contributors, including pioneers of safety research, reflecting the evolution of the discipline and offering insightful commentary on the current and future state of the field Serves as an invaluable reference and guide for safety professionals and students from any established disciplines such as sociology, engineering, psychology, political science or management as well as dedicated safety programmes Some figures in the eBook are in colour

This book covers the application of psychological principles and techniques to situations and problems of aviation. It offers an overview of the role psychology plays in aviation, system design, selection and training of pilots, characteristics of pilots, safety, and passenger behavior. It covers concepts of psychological research and data analysis and shows how these tools are used in the development of new psychological knowledge. The new edition offers material on physiological effects on pilot performance, a new chapter on aviation physiology, more material on fatigue, safety culture, mental health and safety, as well as practical examples and exercises after each chapter.

Thanks to advances in computer technology in the last twenty years, navigation system, cabin environment control, ACC, advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) and automated driving have become a part of the automobile experience. Improvement in technology enables us to design these with greater flexibility and provide greater value to the driver (human centered design). To achieve this, research is required by laboratories, automobile and auto parts manufacturers. Although there has been a lot of effort in human factors research and development, starting from basic research to product development, the knowledge and experience has not been integrated optimally. The aim of this book is to collect and review the information for researchers, designers and developers to learn and apply them for further research and development of human centered design of future automotive technologies. Automotive human factors include psychological, physiological, mathematical, engineering and even sociological aspects. This book offers valuable insights to applying the right approach in the right place.

This book brings together concepts from the building, environmental, behavioural and health sciences to provide an interdisciplinary understanding of office and workplace design. Today, with changes in the world of work and the relentless surge in technology, offices have emerged as the repositories of organizational symbolism, denoted by the spatial design of offices, physical settings and the built environment (architecture, urban locale). Drawing on Euclidian geometry that quantifies space as the distance between two or more points, a body of knowledge on office buildings, the concept of office and office space, and the interrelationships of spatial and behavioural attributes in office design are elucidated. Building and office work-related illnesses, namely sick building syndrome and ailments arising from the indoor environment, and the menace of musculoskeletal disorders are the alarming manifestations that critically affect employee satisfaction, morale and work outcomes. With a focus on office ergonomics, the book brings the discussion on the fundamentals of work design, with emphasis on computer workstation users. Strategic guidance of lighting systems and visual performance in workplaces are directed for better application of ergonomics and improvement in office indoor environment. It discusses the profiles of bioclimatic, indoor air quality, ventilation intervention, lighting and acoustic characteristics in office buildings. Emphasis has been given to the energy performance of buildings, and contemporary perspectives of building sustainability, such as green office building assessment schemes, and national and international building-related standards and codes. Intended for students and professionals from ergonomics, architecture, interior design, as well as construction engineers, health care professionals, and office planners, the book brings a unified overview of the health, safety and environment issues associated with the design of office buildings.

Human error is now the main cause of aircraft accidents. However, in many cases the pilot simply falls into a trap that has been left for him/her by the poor design of the flight deck. This book addresses the human factors issues pertinent to the design of modern flight decks. Comprising of invited chapters from internationally recognised experts in human factors and flight deck design, contributions span the world of industry, government research establishments and academia. The book brings together the practical experience of professionals across the human factors and flight deck design disciplines to provide a single, all-encompassing volume. Divided into two main parts, part one of the book examines: the benefits of human engineering; flight deck design process; head down display design; head-up display design; auditory warning systems; flight control systems, control inceptors and aircraft handling qualities; flight deck automation; and human-computer interaction on the flight deck and anthropometrics for flight deck design. Part two is concerned with flight deck evaluation - the human factors evaluation of flight decks; human factors in flight test and the regulatory viewpoint Of interest to all human factors professionals operating in high technology, high-risk dynamic industries as well as those engaged directly in aerospace activities, the book will also be of key importance to engineers with an interest in human factors for flight deck design, academics and third year and post-graduate human factors/ergonomics and psychology students.

This book presents the latest developments of Systems Thinking in Practice to the analysis and design of complex sociotechnical systems. The Event Analysis of Systemic Teamwork (EAST) method is applied to micro, meso and macro systems. Written by experts in the field, this text covers a diverse range of domains, including: automation, aviation, energy grid distribution, military command and control, road and rail transportation, sports, and urban planning. Extensions to the EAST method are presented along with future directions for the approach. Illustrates a contemporary review of the status of Distributed Cognition (DCOG) Presents examples of the application of Event Analysis of Systemic Teamwork (EAST) method Presents examples of the application of Event Analysis of Systemic Teamwork (EAST) method Discusses the metrics for the examination of social, task, and information networks Provides comparison of alternative networks with implications for design of DCOG in systems

This book explores recent research in intuitive interaction worldwide by a range of leading academics and practitioners in the field. It builds on past work as it ventures into new areas, such as how users perceive intuitiveness of an interface, how people experience intuitive interaction subjectively, and how we can use such understanding to design more engaging experiences. The book addresses how intuitive interaction is understood in different academic disciplines and how it has been researched in various parts of the world over the last 18 years. It covers how intuitive interaction can be applied in different contexts, like large scale urban installations, the developing world, in older populations, and in various industry applications. Features: Presents varied approaches to intuitive interaction research and application Illustrates how to understand and apply intuitive interaction to interfaces Provides a mix of academic and industry perspectives Explores a variety of contexts for application of intuitive interaction Encompasses design, IT, business, and psychological approaches

After a quick survey of the famous pioneers of human movement analysis and the actual needs in different domains, this book presents the main types of systems available on the market (with the pros and cons), and then details the most widely used: the optoelectronic systems using passive markers. The theoretical background for joint kinematics calculation is explained, specifying the international standardization for parameters reports. One chapter is dedicated to measurement errors and their management, followed by several applications, mostly in the clinical field.

This book provides a socio-cultural analysis of the ways in which air traffic controllers formally and informally learn about their work and the active role that organisational cultures play in shaping interpretation and meaning. In particular, it describes the significant role that organizational cultures have played in shaping what is valued by controllers about their work and its role as a filter in enabling or constraining conscious inquiry. The premise of the book is that informal learning is just as important in shaping what people know and value about their work and that this area is frequently overlooked. By using an interpretative research approach, the book highlights the ways in which the social structure of work organisation, culture and history interweaves with learning work to guide and shape what is regarded by controllers as important and what is not. It demonstrates how this social construction is quite different from a top-down corporate culture approach. Technological and organizational reform is leading to changes in work practice and to changes in relationships between workers within the organization. These have implications for anyone wishing to understand the dynamics of organizational life. As such, this study provides insights into many of the changes that are occurring in the nature of work in many different industries. Previous research into learning in air traffic control has centred largely on cognitive individual performance, performance within teams or more recently on performance at a systems level. By tracing the role of context in shaping formal and informal learning, this book shows why interventions at these levels sometimes fail.

Human-Centered Design for Mining Equipment and New Technology first introduces Human-Centered Design (HCD) and outlines the benefits of this approach for mining equipment and new technology: HCD is a process that aims to make equipment and systems more usable and acceptable by explicitly focusing on the end-user, their tasks and their work environment/use context. The book outlines three linked areas of mining HCD: key principles, examples of design processes, and what kinds of tools for data collection and evaluation are available. The possible future uses of Human-Centered Design in more fully automated mining are presented, and the role of HCD within wider human system integration are outlined. The 'how to' nature of this book makes it attractive to mining equipment manufacturers, technology developers, mine site personnel, human factors researchers, safety scientists and regulators. Features: Includes an introduction useful to anyone wanting to learn about the field Provides extensive case studies of HCD which also show failures when HCD was not considered Covers cutting edge mining technology- such as proximity detection devices and new mining automation systems Directly outlines the benefits of HCD for the minerals industry Human-Centered Design for Mining Equipment and New Technology, through case studies, provides a much needed guide to undertaking HCD for mining equipment and new technology.

Coming Face to Face with your own practice is an emerging approach to management and professional research that has a significant impact on management practice. It closes the gap between theory and practice. An existential form of research means that the researcher carefully attends to their experience of researching and managing. This book demonstrates that by bringing an existential sensibility to research, unexpected possibilities for research and for professionality, are revealed. Each chapter shows authors grappling with the constraints of a system, navigating issues of humanness, questioning themselves, unfolding their understanding of appropriate ethics and finally, elucidating a depth of response that in itself reveals a way forward. In Face to Face with Practice, authors demonstrate how they drew on moments of estrangement from their practices. They found that when such moments are respected and carefully examined, a kind of clarification and at the same time often deep disillusionment with the taken-for-granted conventions of their practice, emerge. Through exploring these conventional ways of operating, authors develop new and original accounts of what it means to manage better in their particular field of practice. Such an approach is called hermeneutic existential phenomenology, affectionately known as HEP. Face to Face is about making a difference: a difference to the ways that management is practiced; a difference to the experience of the manager; and actually a difference towards a more humane and thoughtful approach to managing our society today.

One of the primary applications of human factors engineering is in the aviation domain, and the importance of human factors has never been greater as U.S. and European authorities seek to modernize the air transportation system through the introduction of advanced automation. This handbook provides regulators, practitioners, researchers, and educators a comprehensive resource for understanding and applying human factors to air transportation.

Powerful information technologies and the complex support systems they engender are evolving faster than people's ability to adjust to them. In the workplace, this leads to troublesome task performance, added stress on users, increased organizational inefficiency, and, in some cases, a heightened risk of wide-scale disaster. In the marketplace, it makes for consumer dissatisfaction. Clearly, traditional human-computer interaction (HCI) and system design (SD) solutions to this dilemma have proven woefully inadequate. What is needed is a fresh multidisciplinary approach offering a broader, more dynamic framework for assessing needs and designing usable, efficient systems. Taking modeling concepts from engineering, psychology, cognitive science, information science, and computer science, cognitive systems engineering (CSE) provides such a framework. This book is the first comprehensive guide to the emerging new field of CSE. Providing equal parts theory and practice, it is based on the authors' many years of experience with work systems in a wide range of work domains, including process control, manufacturing, hospitals, and libraries. Throughout, the emphasis is on powerful analytical techniques that enhance the systems designer's ability to see the "big picture", and to design for all crucial aspects of human-work interaction. Applicable to highly structured technical systems such as process plants, as well as less structured user-driven systems like libraries, these analytical techniques form the basis for the evaluation and design guidelines that make up the bulk of this book. And since the proof is in the pudding, the authors provide a chapter-length case history in which theydemonstrate the success of their approach when applied to a full-scale software design project. The project, a retrieval system for public libraries, is described in detail, from field studies to concept validation experiments, and, of course, the empirical evaluation of the system while in use by the library users and personnel. Computer-based information systems are rapidly becoming a fundamental part of the human landscape. How that landscape evolves over the next decade or so, whether it becomes a hostile one or one that generously supports the needs of future generations, is in the hands of all those involved with the study and design of information systems.

Every organization must comply with occupational health and safety regulations. Yet it is frequently unclear which actually apply in a given real-life situation, plus the field is loaded with technical terminology and complicated regulations. Many managers, trainers, even safety and health professionals therefore find it hard to know how to comply, with exactly what. Written to make this important discipline more understandable, Concise Guide to Workplace Safety and Health: What You Need to Know, When You Need It systematically addresses, for each of the 34 topics covered, core issues such as relevant regulations, required program elements, and definitions of key terms. Organized for quick access to information, this handy reference book demystifies required documentation, training elements, medical requirements, recordkeeping, and more. Conveniently, the author uses the same 20-part format for every topic. For example, if you want to know only about the documentation required, you can immediately turn to a topic's Section 9 (Written Documentation Required). If training requirements are the issue, simply go to a chapter's Section 12 (Training Requirements). Also provided for each topic are links to quality background and training information, with sample forms and programs where available. The guide covers safety and health topics of interest to a wide cross section of industries and businesses. The author's relaxed, yet focused approach and consistent format allow efficient access to a broad range of occupational health and safety information. The topics covered include not only those that are currently regulated, but also emerging issues such as injury and illness prevention programs, and the rapidly growing field of nanotechnology.

The authors believe that a systematic organizational approach to aviation safety must replace the piecemeal approaches largely favoured in the past, but this change needs to be preceded by information to explain why a new approach is necessary. Accident records show a flattening of the safety curve since the early Seventies: instead of new kinds of accident, similar safety deficiencies have become recurrent features in accident reports. This suggests the need to review traditional accident prevention strategies, focused almost exclusively on the action or inaction's of front-line operational personnel. The organizational model proposed by the authors is one alternative means to pursue safety and prevention strategies in contemporary aviation; it is also applicable to other production systems. The model argues for a broadened approach, which considers the influence of all organizations (the blunt end ) involved in aviation operations, in addition to individual human performance (the sharp end ). If the concepts of systems safety and organizational accidents are to be advanced, aviation management at all levels must be aware of them. This book is intended to provide a bridge from the academic knowledge gained from research, to the needs of practitioners in aviation. It comprises six chapters: the fundamentals, background and justification for an organizational accident causation model to the flight deck, maintenance and air traffic control environments. The last chapter suggest different ways to apply the model as a prevention tool which furthermore enhances organizational effectiveness. The value of the organizational framework pioneered by Professor Reason in analyzing safety in high-technology production systems is felt by his co-authors to have an enduring role to play, both now and in coming decades. Applied now in this book, it has been adopted by ICAO, IFATCA, IMO, the US National Transportation Safety Board, the Transportation Safety B

Still the only book published anywhere in the world which is devoted entirely to the principles of aeromedical transport, Aeromedical Transportation has rightly become known as the sole reference for the industry. This second edition has been radically revised and updated; featuring the latest research, updated references and new chapters on the transport of intensive care patients, and medical emergencies/death in flight. Since the first edition was published in 1996, the concept of 'evidence-based medicine' has been accepted as essential in any book which endeavours to be the accepted knowledge base in its subject area. A very practical text, international in its approach, much of its content is devoted to clinical matters. Administration and organisation are also discussed, but are addressed from the standpoint of the clinical aeromedical escort. The text is suitable for medical, paramedical and nursing personnel and for those working in organizations whose duties include the transportation of the sick and injured by air.

Safety-I is defined as the freedom from unacceptable harm. The purpose of traditional safety management is therefore to find ways to ensure this 'freedom'. But as socio-technical systems steadily have become larger and less tractable, this has become harder to do. Resilience engineering pointed out from the very beginning that resilient performance - an organisation's ability to function as required under expected and unexpected conditions alike - required more than the prevention of incidents and accidents. This developed into a new interpretation of safety (Safety-II) and consequently a new form of safety management. Safety-II changes safety management from protective safety and a focus on how things can go wrong, to productive safety and a focus on how things can and do go well. For Safety-II, the aim is not just the elimination of hazards and the prevention of failures and malfunctions but also how best to develop an organisation's potentials for resilient performance - the way it responds, monitors, learns, and anticipates. That requires models and methods that go beyond the Safety-I toolbox. This book introduces a comprehensive approach for the management of Safety-II, called the Resilience Assessment Grid (RAG). It explains the principles of the RAG and how it can be used to develop the resilience potentials. The RAG provides four sets of diagnostic and formative questions that can be tailored to any organisation. The questions are based on the principles of resilience engineering and backed by practical experience from several domains. Safety-II in Practice is for both the safety professional and academic reader. For the professional, it presents a workable method (RAG) for the management of Safety-II, with a proven track record. For academic and student readers, the book is a concise and practical presentation of resilience engineering.

This exceptional guidebook provides the strategies necessary to curtail ergonomic losses and costs associated with spiraling worker's compensation premiums and medical expenses, of major concern in all businesses. Ergonomic Process Management is meant to be an application and implementation "operator's manual." This one-of-a-kind resource provides professionals and students with step-by-step guidance on the management and behavior modification principles necessary to successfully implement ergonomic science and technology into the real world occupational environment.

There is a resurgence of interest in mental models due to advances in our understanding of how they can be used to help design and due to the development of practical methods to elicit them. This book brings both areas together with a focus on reducing domestic energy consumption. The book focuses on how mental models can be applied in design to bring out behaviour change resulting in increased achievement of home heating goals (reduced waste and improved comfort). This book also offers a method to extract and apply mental models to interface design. The approach enables mental models to be applied across domains when behaviour change was sought, and is validated as a useful design method.