This report is the result of a master thesis performed at MacGREGOR (SWE) AB (Crane Division), Örnsköldsvik. MacGREGOR (SWE) AB (Crane Division) is the world’s leading marine cargo crane supplier with cranes designed for operation in harbor and sheltered water environments. The project aimed to identify and investigate needs and problem areas in the crane cabin with the purpose to design an ergonomic and user-friendly driver environment. Besides ergonomics and user interaction, sturdiness, comfort and safety have been keywords throughout the project. It has not been possible to observe drivers at work because of the world wide location of the cranes. Therefore needs and problem areas were identified through interviews with personnel at MacGREGOR (SWE) AB (Crane Division) and analysis through different methods and softwares such as I- deas, Jack and RULA. The project group has also been given the opportunity to drive a crane and observe the relations between regulators, indicators and driver. To investigate new solutions and designs, competitors and related technologies were thoroughly analyzed. Four concepts were created after the design specification was established. To see how well the concepts fulfilled the identified needs they were evaluated in a merit calculation table. Concept 1 “Rotate all” and concept 4 “Office chair” were then compared in a weak-point analysis. After consultation with the instructors at MacGREGOR (SWE) AB (Crane Division) it was decided that “Rotate all” was to be further developed. The final solution is a combination of new ideas and ideas from the four concepts in the concept design phase. Aspects considering function and form have been carefully thought out using theoretical guidelines in ergonomics, semiotics and gestalts. The new crane cabin emphasizes quality and a feeling for the company through colors, shape and placement. The new crane cabin is based on an adjustable interior suited for drivers between the 5th and 95th percentile. A major improvement is the rotating chair with integrated control levers on the armrests. The indicators and regulators are separated and now placed on the walls. The visual field is improved with a larger front window and a tilted floor window. / <p>Validerat; 20101217 (root)</p>

This thesis reports findings and results from studies of development work and change processes in the secondary woodworking industry. The purpose with the research is to increase the knowledge on how companies can initiate change and to increase their ability to change. The dual aim of improving both business and working conditions served as a guiding condition for the research. Case studies and action research were performed in small companies, mainly with less than 100 employees and in some cases less than 20 employees. The thesis encompasses six papers addressing different topics within the framework of development work and change processes. Topics elaborated are how performance concerning the ergonomic situation in a company can be measured and how the content and process of ISO 9000 implementation as well as standardisation influence system performance and working conditions. Furthermore, a framework for how change is enacted in SMEs and its effects on ergonomic considerations is suggested. A methodology for initiating change efforts in complex and ambiguous problem situations is presented. Finally the different expert and participant roles in an organisational change effort are elaborated and analysed with reference to experiences from previous case studies and theory. Together, the papers and the thesis emphasize the importance of action and work activities as a base for change. It is in the conflicting work activities or work conduct of differing perspectives where many of the drivers of change can be found. I also argue that this is a main reason to give good working conditions utmost importance for organisation performance. Further, I conclude that the six papers together contribute to a theoretical basis for developing small firms and attractive workplaces. It is indicated that the results are relevant to small manufacturing firms, while neither organisational structure nor resources available are the same as in larger companies. Moreover, the organisational size has a number of implications on aspects like visibility, available theoretical knowledge, vulnerability, formalisation, institutionalised organisational inertia etc. that will alter the demands on the change process. Many of the results are not limited to woodworking industry; the technical content of the ergonomics problems will however be different in other firms.

No description available.

Virtual ergonomics (VE) tools have had an impressive impact on the automotive, aviation, and defence industries. Despite the progress made in the last four decades, the tool complexity and application potential in other industries continues to invite improvement opportunities. Firefighting is an occupation with a high musculoskeletal injury burden that can benefit from innovative VE tools. This dissertation aims to: 1) improve VE tools for traditional and novel applications, and 2) identify injury risk to firefighters during fire suppression tasks. This dissertation begins by proposing a set of joint-specific and whole-body posturing guidelines for the manual manipulation of digital human models (DHMs) in the context of automotive manufacturing. Simulation accuracy improved with the implementation of posturing guidelines. These findings are useful instructions for virtual simulation ergonomists, software developers of posture prediction algorithms, and those charged with determining manufacturing ergonomics protocols. Descriptive ergonomic analyses of 48 firefighters in full bunker gear performing three common fire suppression tasks were then performed to identify the required ergonomic action needed for these tasks. Next, two VE tools (Jack and 3DSSPP) and Microsoft Kinect® 3D motion capture data were used to conduct an in-depth analysis of the most difficult task, the high-rise pack lift. The analysis included developing a methodology for modeling the external loads due to personal protective equipment. In addition to describing the firefighter injury risk exposure during common fire suppression tasks, the results highlight the strengths, limitations, and areas for further improvement of VE technology. Overall, VE tool improvements include suggesting guidelines for manual DHM posturing, understanding the strengths and limitations of using 3D motion capture gaming technology for posturing DHMs, and developing strategies to account for external loads due to personal protective equipment. Following these improvements, VE technology shows promise as an ergonomic assessment tool for firefighters. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Virtual ergonomics (VE), which uses digital human models in virtual workstations, allows for efficient and detailed ergonomic assessments of tasks that are otherwise difficult or impossible to perform. However, more research is needed to identify tool improvements for both traditional and new applications. This work proposes, evaluates, and ultimately recommends a set of postural guidelines for the posturing of digital human models to ensure accurate simulation and subsequent assessment of real assembly-line worker movement patterns. Next, firefighter ergonomics, a relatively new application for VE tools, is introduced by first describing the injury risks associated with common fire suppression tasks. The strengths, limitations, and potential of applying VE tools to firefighting ergonomics are then highlighted through an example of simulating the high-rise pack lift task using two VE tools. Overall, the results contribute to the evolving field of VE by challenging current methodologies and highlighting new opportunities for VE tools.

Orientador: João Eduardo Guarnetti dos Santos / Banca: João Candido Fernandes / Banca: Jair Rosas da Silva / Resumo: As atividades laborais deixaram, com o passr do tempo, de ser apenas repetitivas e se tornaram multifuncionais. Além disso, com a prática do trabalho, a estrutura do ambiente e as exigências feitas no ambiente de trabalho têm provocado cada vez mais afastamentos e até mesmo aposentadorias por invalidez. Foi em meio a essa situação que entra a ergonomia, que utiliza em sua análise ergonômica vários meios de suporte, sendo destacado, os softwares. Porém estes foram feitos na década de 80 a 90 e as atividades laborais vêm sofrendo mudanças constantes. Mediante a essas situações, esta pesquisa tem o objetivo de propor um esquema de um novo software de análise ergonômica, que possa ser utilizado por diversos profissionais. Para tal, foram expostas as seguintes situações: breve histórico da ergonomia; alguns softwares de análise e suas divergências quanto às opiniões de sua eficiência; os profissionais de diversas áreas do conhecimento que podem atuar na ergonomia; as patologias associadas ao trabalho. Após esses levantamentos bibliográficos, fica proposto então esquema de um novo software de análise ergonômica. O objetivo deste estudo foi o de mostrar fato que se faz necessário avançar para a produção de um novo software que possa ser utilizado por diversos profissionais e para diferentes tarefas no ambiente de trabalho / Abstract: Let work activities over time to just be repetitive and become multifunctional, more over, with thw work practice, the structure of the environment and the demands made in the workplace have led to more absences and even by pension disability. Amid this situation, which comes to ergonomics, ergonomics in the software is used for ergonomic analysis. But these were made int he 80 to 90 and work activities has been undergoing constant change. Through these situations, this research arises in order to propose a scheme for a new ergonomics analysis software that can be used by various professionals in the field of knowledge. This will set out the following: A brief history of ergonomics, some analysis software and their differences in the opinions of its effectiveness; professionals in several areas of knowledge that can act on ergonomics, the pathologies that are associated with the work. After these literature survey will then proposed a new scheme if software ergonomics analysis. The aim of this study is to show that it is necessary to proceed to the production of new software that can be used by various professionals and for different tasks in the workplace / Mestre

Limited information is available describing ergonomics issues and physical risk factors for work-related musculoskeletal pain in the eye care clinical environment. The purpose of this thesis was to estimate the distribution of exposure to forceful muscular exertion of neck and shoulder muscles, and to estimate the relative contribution of important components of exposure variance to overall exposure variance. Surface electromyography (EMG) was used to continuously collect muscle activity measurements of the right and left upper trapezius muscles as well as the right and left anterior deltoid muscles throughout two full working days in clinical ophthalmology. The study observed between-exam-within-day-within-subject to be the variance component with the greatest contribution to total exposure variance in most EMG summary measures. For example, 52.1% of the exposure variability could be attributed to the exam and only 18.7% attributable to the day for the mean RMS value of the right upper trapezius. Similar results were found in the left anterior deltoid muscle with 52.7% exposure variability attributable to the exam and 15.7% attributable to the day. For futures investigations, the large between-exam variance implies the need for longer measurement durations in order to obtain more exams and to explore deeper into the physical risk factors the exams.

<p>To get the maximal output of your exercise in gym machines, there are different factors</p><p>to be considered. For example the strength of the muscle varies dependent on the position</p><p>of the muscles. To get the best results of the exercise the load has to reduce and increase</p><p>at specific positions.</p><p>This study was made in cooperation with Caretaker Scandinavia AB, a company for</p><p>sales, marketing and development in health care. They are general agent for Nordic Gym</p><p>who works with manufacturing of equipment and machines for gym and fitness.</p><p>The aim of this study was to generate a method of measurement to evaluate and control</p><p>the biomechanics of Nordic Gym´s workout equipment. A protocol for an ergonomic</p><p>analysis on the equipment has also been elaborated.</p><p>One of the methods to measure the biomechanics was to measure the torque through the</p><p>whole movement. The other method was electromyography (EMG). The EMGequipment</p><p>registers electric signals that are generated in a working muscle, and makes it</p><p>possible to see when the maximum muscle activity achieves. The results of those</p><p>measurements will be compared to the muscles strengthprofile which describes how the</p><p>muscle generates power in different positions throughout the movement.</p><p>To measure the ergonomics an ergonomic protocol where produced, which was based on</p><p>ergonomics aspect, adapted to gym machines.</p><p>The method of measurement where tested on Nordic Gym´s training machine 101SE leg</p><p>extension and Free Motion´s machine Leg Extension GZF18013 and this machines where</p><p>controlled and evaluated. Two test persons tried out the machines and the machines</p><p>where analysed in an ergonomic and a biomechanical perspective. The result shows that</p><p>the biomechanics of Nordic Gym´s machine where a bit better than the biomechanics of</p><p>FreeMotion´s machine. But in the both case the difference between the values of torque is</p><p>marginal, to improve the biomechanics insistence a bigger different should be necessary</p><p>to use. The ergonomic analyse of the machines showed that the ergonomics where good</p><p>and well planed. Both machines had some small ergonomic lacks, which can be</p><p>improved.</p>

<p>Uppsatsen behandlar ämnet alkohol i arbetslivet och syftet är att undersöka inställningen till alkohol i arbetsorganisationer. I studien redovisas faktorer som påverkar detta.</p><p>Frågeställningarna är;</p><p>• Har arbetsorganisationerna en alkoholpolicy och i så fall förmedlar arbetsgivaren vad som faktiskt är nedskrivet i detta dokument?</p><p>• Har företagskulturen, den kultur som finns på orten, så kallad bruksanda samt den psykosociala arbetsmiljön inverkan på inställningen till alkohol?</p><p>– Finns det andra faktorer som kan tänkas påverka de anställdas inställning till alkohol?</p><p>Uppsatsen börjar med ett bakgrundsavsnitt som behandlar viktiga begrepp, alkoholpolitik och dryckeskultur i Sverige samt vad lagen säger om utformningen av en alkoholpolicy. Teoridelen som följer efter utgörs av tre delar som är till grund för vår analys. Dessa tre delar är; ledarskap, företagskultur och arbetsmiljö. Vi har valt att utgå från dessa områden för att kunna se vilken påverkan de kan ha på inställningen till alkohol i arbetsorganisationer. Först tar vi upp ledarskapet som en viktig del i vår undersökning och redogör för olika ledarskapsmodeller samt chefens ansvar och chefen som förebild. Vad gäller företagskultur har vi bland annat valt att redogöra för olika kulturella perspektiv samt vad som är god företagskultur, för att kunna få en djupare förståelse om begreppet. Vi har även diskuterat begreppet bruksanda för att se hur det eventuellt kan påverka arbetsorganisationerna då de företag som vi har undersökt är belagda på så kallade bruksorter. Begreppet arbetsmiljö har avgränsats till den psykosociala arbetsmiljön samt att undersöka det vedertagna begreppet after work, även i detta fall för att öka vår förståelse för begreppen.</p><p>Studiens resultat visar att formella riktlinjer i form av till exempel policydokument inte har så stor påverkanskraft angående alkoholkonsumtion om företaget har en väl förankrad företagskultur. Andra faktorer som är avgörande för individens dryckesmönster är sådant som ålder, livssituation och subkulturer. Resultaten visar även på att det på orterna finns tendenser till vad som brukar kallas bruksanda, både en positiv och negativ sådan. Denna bruksanda präglar även de företag som vi har undersökt.</p>

<p>The research described in this report aimed to describe “best practice” for partnership based work in the labor market in the steel and metal industry as a response to the process of restructuring in the European steel and metal sector. It is based on case studies at two companies manufacturing goods to a global market and presents how the blue-collar workers union has dealt with the management of organizational change in the steel and metal industry in Sweden. The results in this report show that both companies have been successful when it comes to responding to the restructuring in the steel and metal sector; however there are some differences. The author discusses the differences in the report and search for answers in the trade unions involvement in the change process. Trade unions that have a higher level of participation and a stronger influence on the management of organisational change are more successful in creating sustainable conditions for change - that means creating conditions that are good for their members.</p><p>Hanne Randle is working as a researches assistant at the R&D centre APeL in Lindesberg in Sweden and she is currently involved in two different research projects. The first project is to evaluate investments in the public sector to lower employee sick rates and the second is to take part in a transnational project with the ambition to develop a European standard for employee vocational training and education for the explosives sector.</p>

<p>Sammanfattning</p><p>Denna C-uppsats i arbetsvetenskap är en kvalitativ studie och baserad på teorier om ledarskap. Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka likheter och olikheter mellan personalchefer och andra typer av chefers ledarskap.</p><p>Inledningsvis presenteras en historisk bakgrund av ledarskapets förändring. Sedan följer grundläggande ledarskapsteorier samt teorier om kommunikation, makt, motivation och genusperspektiv. Dessa teorier är en viktig grund för analys- och resultatavsnittet i uppsatsen. Utifrån dessa teorier utformas en intervjuguide. Datainsamlingen sker genom intervjuer. Totalt genomförs sammanlagt sex intervjuer. Respondenterna är en områdeschef, en affärsområdeschef, en kontorschef samt tre personalchefer. Intervjuerna transkriberas och vi undersöker likheter och olikheter gällande ledarskap mellan personalchefer och övriga chefer. Vi får fram följande teman: synen på ledarskap, att vara ledare, utveckling av ledarskapet, ledarstilar, kommunikation, motivation, makt och ledarskap ur ett genusperspektiv. En sammanfattande diskussion av analys och resultat görs. Uppsatsens slutsats är att personalcheferna, i större utsträckning än de övriga cheferna, inte bara automatiskt bedriver ett chefskap utan också ett ledarskap.</p><p>Nyckelord: ledarskap, likheter, olikheter, kommunikation, motivation,</p>