This study examined an existing industrial workstation at an automobile assembly plant using computer aided ergonomics and digital human models. The purpose of this evaluation was the development of a methodology useful for evaluating workstations to identify potential design issues that could result in musculoskeletal injury in a real work environment. An ergonomic risk assessment was conducted on a lifting task while being performed both manually and using an assist device. JACK digital human modeling and ergonomics software were used to conduct a computer-based ergonomic analysis. Four analysis tools in JACK (static strength analysis, rapid upper limb assessment, metabolic energy expenditure analysis and NIOSH lift analysis) were used to evaluate the potential injury risk of the current method of task performance and there is any difference between using and not using the assist device. Muscle activity was measured by electromyography (EMG) to identify physiological indicators of fatigue. Also, Borg¡¯s Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale was administered to obtain psychophysical data. Results of this study revealed that there were relative stresses on the trunk and arm areas when the task was performed manually. The results also suggest although using the assist device decreased injury risk potentially, use of the assist device had an adverse impact on the productivity of the assembly line. Based on the findings of this study, the methodology used appears to be an appropriate ergonomic analysis tool for assessing and predicting potential risks associated with the design of industrial workstations. Furthermore this methodology can be extended to designing and redesigning industrial workstations.

In this study, perceived comfort and discomfort regarding school busses is assessed with the main focus on students. A total of 149 students and 38 drivers from a private school in Ankara was chosen participated in the study. Two different surveys were conducted on students and drivers separately, in order to assess perceived comfort and discomfort and suitability of the seat design features. Using SPSS Software to analyze the data, factors contributing to safety, driver distraction, perceived discomfort and perceived comfort were investigated. Bus seat comfort is found to be the most influential factor on the general assessment of bus comfort. Although no evidence of significant discomfort related to specific body parts such as neck, shoulders, back, thigh or legs is found, in-depth analysis revealed that seat features such as seat pan cushion firmness or armrest height are in correlation with seat comfort.

Aktionskräfte stellen wesentliche Risikofaktoren für die Entstehung von Erkrankungen im Finger-, Hand- und Armbereich dar. Daher ist die Erfassung und Analyse von Aktionskräften ein wichtiger Bestandteil der ergonomischen Bewertung von Arbeitsplätzen. Zur Erfassung von Aktionskräften, insbesondere in der Automobilproduktion, existiert bisher jedoch weder eine einheitliche noch eine systematische Vorgehensweise. Es mangelt an konkreten Forschungserkenntnissen über den Messaufbau, die Messdurchführung und die Messauswertung von Kraftfällen. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird deshalb ein erster Schritt unternommen, um die Erfassung von Aktionskräften auf Basis wissenschaftlich gestützter Erkenntnisse zu standardisieren. Hierzu werden insgesamt vier empirische Untersuchungen (zwei Vorstudien und zwei empirische Laborstudien) durchgeführt. In der ersten Studie (Kapitel 4) erfolgt eine Identifizierung der vorhandenen Arten von Kraftaufwendungen in verschiedenen Fertigungsbereichen der Automobilproduktion im Rahmen einer Dokumentenanalyse. In der zweiten Studie (Kapitel 5) wird der bedeutendste Fertigungsbereich ausgewählt, um darin eine Auszählung der Kraftaufwendungen anhand einer standardisierten Beobachtung definierter Arbeitsprozesse durchzuführen. Die dritte Untersuchung (Kapitel 6) ist als empirische Laborstudie konzipiert. Darin wird die technische Erfassung von Aktionskräften unter idealisierten Bedingungen ohne menschlichen Einfluss erprobt. In der vierten Untersuchung (Kapitel 7), ebenfalls als empirische Laborstudie konzipiert, werden spezifische Kraftaufwendungen im Labor systematisch durch Probanden nachgestellt und gemessen. Dabei wird das Vorgehen zur Durchführung und Auswertung von praxisnahen Kraftmessungen unter menschlichem Einfluss evaluiert. Die Erkenntnisse der Arbeit helfen dabei, bestehende Forschungsdefizite aufzuarbeiten und zu beheben. Sie stellen ferner eine Handlungshilfe für betriebliche Kraftanalysen sowie eine Orientierung für zukünftige Forschungsarbeiten dar. / Action forces have been identified as risk factors. Therefore, the collection and analysis of action forces is an essential part of the ergonomic evaluation. Up to now, there was a lack of a standardized and systematic approach to evaluate action forces, especially in the automotive production. Thus, in the present thesis a methodical approach is described to evaluate action forces systematically. The thesis is divided into four studies. The first study contains the identification of the variety of action forces in the different manufacturing areas of automotive production. The second study describes the detailed analysis of action forces in the assembly shop, which is the manufacturing area with the highest count of action forces in the automotive production. The third study describes the direct measurement of action forces in laboratory conditions. The action forces are applied by a testing machine. The fourth study consists of the direct measurement of action forces, which are applied by subjects. Thereby, the methodical approach to perform direct measurements has been evaluated. The findings of the thesis can be used as a guideline, to evaluate action forces in the automotive production. Also the findings highlight the potential for further research projects.

O setor de separação (triagem) de materiais recicláveis de uma cooperativa localizada no estado do Rio de Janeiro foi o objeto deste estudo que teve como objetivo realizar uma avaliação ergonômica do processo de separação de resíduos recicláveis, executado por catadoras, utilizando um sistema modular. Os procedimentos metodológicos consistiram em pesquisa bibliográfica com levantamento do estado da arte, observações de campo utilizando a Análise Ergonômica do Trabalho (AET) e modelos esquemáticos da engenharia de métodos, e a realização de dois experimentos (posto-rampa e posto-bancada), utilizando a estratégia para montagem de ciclogramas proposta na Análise por Decomposição em Etapas (ADE). As análises obtidas através dos resultados de duas situações permitiram constatar que o processo atual de separação na rampa é deficitário, demorado e cansativo, deixa os catadores com dores nas costas e na coluna, além de existirem muitas perdas de tempo por transporte de materiais não agregando valor aos produtos, por conta da distância em que ficam os recipientes para o acondicionamento do material separado. O módulo bancada indicou ser a melhor alternativa para o arranjo físico da separação, encurtando as distâncias percorridas, suprimindo algumas movimentações do corpo (rotações e flexões de tronco), reduzindo os riscos de lesão na coluna vertebral. Diferente do arranjo físico atualmente adotado, o posto-bancada possibilita reduzir a duração média do ciclo e a frequência das Atividades Extra Ciclo (AECs). As recomendações para a melhoria da atividade na organização estudada visam preservar a saúde e elevar a produtividade. Elas foram elaboradas, considerando o arranjo físico, método de trabalho e qualificação dos trabalhadores. / The separation sector (sorting) of recyclable materials of a cooperative located in the state of Rio de Janeiro was the object of this study aimed to conduct an ergonomic evaluation of the process of recyclable waste separation carried out by waste pickers, using a "modular system". The methodological procedures consisted of bibliographic research with survey state of the art, field observations using the Ergonomic Work Analysis (EWA) and schematic models of engineering of methods, and performing two experiments (station-rampa and station-bancada) using the strategy for mounting cyclegrams proposed in Analysis Decomposition in Steps (ADS). The analysis obtained from the results of two situations showed evidence that the current separation process at the rampa is deficient, time consuming and tiring, let the waste pickers with back and spine pain, and in addition there are many time losses in the transport of materials not adding value to products, due to the distance where are the containers for the packaging of the separated material The bancada module indicated to be the best alternative to the physical arrangement of separation, shortening the distances, suppressing some movements of the body (rotation and bending of the trunk), reducing the risk of spine injury. Different from the physical arrangement currently adopted, the station-bancada possible to reduce the average duration of the cycle and the frequency of extra activity cycle (EACs). The recommendations for improving the activity in the studied organization aimed at preserving the health and increase productivity. They were prepared, considering the physical arrangement, method of work and worker skills.

O setor de separação (triagem) de materiais recicláveis de uma cooperativa localizada no estado do Rio de Janeiro foi o objeto deste estudo que teve como objetivo realizar uma avaliação ergonômica do processo de separação de resíduos recicláveis, executado por catadoras, utilizando um sistema modular. Os procedimentos metodológicos consistiram em pesquisa bibliográfica com levantamento do estado da arte, observações de campo utilizando a Análise Ergonômica do Trabalho (AET) e modelos esquemáticos da engenharia de métodos, e a realização de dois experimentos (posto-rampa e posto-bancada), utilizando a estratégia para montagem de ciclogramas proposta na Análise por Decomposição em Etapas (ADE). As análises obtidas através dos resultados de duas situações permitiram constatar que o processo atual de separação na rampa é deficitário, demorado e cansativo, deixa os catadores com dores nas costas e na coluna, além de existirem muitas perdas de tempo por transporte de materiais não agregando valor aos produtos, por conta da distância em que ficam os recipientes para o acondicionamento do material separado. O módulo bancada indicou ser a melhor alternativa para o arranjo físico da separação, encurtando as distâncias percorridas, suprimindo algumas movimentações do corpo (rotações e flexões de tronco), reduzindo os riscos de lesão na coluna vertebral. Diferente do arranjo físico atualmente adotado, o posto-bancada possibilita reduzir a duração média do ciclo e a frequência das Atividades Extra Ciclo (AECs). As recomendações para a melhoria da atividade na organização estudada visam preservar a saúde e elevar a produtividade. Elas foram elaboradas, considerando o arranjo físico, método de trabalho e qualificação dos trabalhadores. / The separation sector (sorting) of recyclable materials of a cooperative located in the state of Rio de Janeiro was the object of this study aimed to conduct an ergonomic evaluation of the process of recyclable waste separation carried out by waste pickers, using a "modular system". The methodological procedures consisted of bibliographic research with survey state of the art, field observations using the Ergonomic Work Analysis (EWA) and schematic models of engineering of methods, and performing two experiments (station-rampa and station-bancada) using the strategy for mounting cyclegrams proposed in Analysis Decomposition in Steps (ADS). The analysis obtained from the results of two situations showed evidence that the current separation process at the rampa is deficient, time consuming and tiring, let the waste pickers with back and spine pain, and in addition there are many time losses in the transport of materials not adding value to products, due to the distance where are the containers for the packaging of the separated material The bancada module indicated to be the best alternative to the physical arrangement of separation, shortening the distances, suppressing some movements of the body (rotation and bending of the trunk), reducing the risk of spine injury. Different from the physical arrangement currently adopted, the station-bancada possible to reduce the average duration of the cycle and the frequency of extra activity cycle (EACs). The recommendations for improving the activity in the studied organization aimed at preserving the health and increase productivity. They were prepared, considering the physical arrangement, method of work and worker skills.

Submitted by Joana Azevedo (joanad@id.uff.br) on 2017-10-10T14:13:59Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissert Gisela Bochner.pdf: 1756857 bytes, checksum: 5f9d861f79405f3ac3843f416e32e7ab (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Biblioteca da Escola de Engenharia (bee@ndc.uff.br) on 2017-10-16T11:28:19Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissert Gisela Bochner.pdf: 1756857 bytes, checksum: 5f9d861f79405f3ac3843f416e32e7ab (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-10-16T11:28:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissert Gisela Bochner.pdf: 1756857 bytes, checksum: 5f9d861f79405f3ac3843f416e32e7ab (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-09-12 / Esta pesquisa foi efetuada com uma amostra de 448 alunos respondentes da modalidade à distância da Rede e-Tec do CEFET-RJ com o objetivo principal de conhecer dados dos postos de estudo/trabalho destes discentes, desvendando como e onde estes alunos desenvolvem seus estudos. A metodologia de investigação teve por base um questionário misto com 28 questões quantitativas e qualitativas, fundamentado em critérios ergonômicos. A pesquisa apontou que os postos de estudos são localizados, pela maioria dos entrevistados, em suas próprias residências, tarefas são executadas no período noturno, com jornada de estudos semanais com 4 a 8 horas de duração e são realizados com postura sentados em cadeiras com mesas e executam, também, pausas durante esta jornada. Neste contexto, os fatores ambientais apontam para postos de estudo confortáveis, com tolerância aos ruídos, iluminação adequada e temperatura e ventilação agradáveis, conforme as diversas recomendações ergonômicas e sugestões da Norma reguladora 17, abordados na vasta revisão bibliográfica desta pesquisa. Foi apontado, também, fatores negativos como a má qualidade da cadeira utilizada e a monotonia e estresse advindos das rotinas das tarefas executadas nas jornadas de estudos. Os dados pesquisados de forma quantitativa no Diagrama de dor/desconforto de Corlett e Manenica demonstram que as regiões corporais onde os discentes do EaD apresentam maior frequência de desconforto físico são: pescoço, ombros e região lombar. A análise estatística aplicada na pesquisa foi feita através de um teste de independência para verificar a relação entre o gênero dos entrevistados e a frequência de dores musculoesqueléticas. Para tanto, foi empregado o teste de independência qui-quadrado onde verificou se que a frequência de dor no pescoço, nos ombros e na região lombar não são independentes do gênero dos respondentes. Os resultados obtidos seguem um mesmo padrão apontado nas pesquisas referenciadas neste trabalho: a frequência de dor musculoesquelética é mais elevada entre as mulheres e podem ser consideradas pelo teste como dependentes do gênero, o que corrobora esta pesquisa de forma científica. / This research was carried out with a sample of 448 students from the distance modality of the CEFET-RJ e-Tec Network, with the main objective of knowing data from the study / work places of these students, revealing how and where these students develop their studies . The research methodology was based on a mixed questionnaire with 28 quantitative and qualitative questions, based on ergonomic criteria. The research pointed out that the study places are located by the majority of the interviewed in their own residences, tasks are carried out in the nocturnal period, with weekly study hours of 4 to 8 hours and are performed with posture seated in chairs with tables And also perform pauses during this journey. In this context, the environmental factors point to comfortable study places, with noise tolerance, adequate lighting and pleasant temperature and ventilation, according to the various ergonomic recommendations and suggestions of the regulatory norm 17, addressed in the vast bibliographical review of this research. Negative factors were also pointed out, such as the poor quality of the chair used and the monotony and stress arising from the routines of the tasks performed during the study days. Data quantitatively investigated in the Pain / Discomfort Diagram of Corlett and Manenica demonstrate that the body regions where ESA students present a higher frequency of physical discomfort are: neck, shoulders and lower back. The statistical analysis applied in the research was done through an independence test to verify the relationship between the gender of the interviewees and the frequency of musculoskeletal pain. For this purpose, the chi-square independence test was used to verify that the frequency of pain in the neck, shoulders and lower back are not independent of the gender of the respondents. The results obtained follow the same pattern indicated in the researches referenced in this research: the frequency of musculoskeletal pain is higher among women and can be considered by the test as gender dependent. This corroborates this research in a scientific way.

Aktionskräfte stellen wesentliche Risikofaktoren für die Entstehung von Erkrankungen im Finger-, Hand- und Armbereich dar. Daher ist die Erfassung und Analyse von Aktionskräften ein wichtiger Bestandteil der ergonomischen Bewertung von Arbeitsplätzen. Zur Erfassung von Aktionskräften, insbesondere in der Automobilproduktion, existiert bisher jedoch weder eine einheitliche noch eine systematische Vorgehensweise. Es mangelt an konkreten Forschungserkenntnissen über den Messaufbau, die Messdurchführung und die Messauswertung von Kraftfällen. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird deshalb ein erster Schritt unternommen, um die Erfassung von Aktionskräften auf Basis wissenschaftlich gestützter Erkenntnisse zu standardisieren. Hierzu werden insgesamt vier empirische Untersuchungen (zwei Vorstudien und zwei empirische Laborstudien) durchgeführt. In der ersten Studie (Kapitel 4) erfolgt eine Identifizierung der vorhandenen Arten von Kraftaufwendungen in verschiedenen Fertigungsbereichen der Automobilproduktion im Rahmen einer Dokumentenanalyse. In der zweiten Studie (Kapitel 5) wird der bedeutendste Fertigungsbereich ausgewählt, um darin eine Auszählung der Kraftaufwendungen anhand einer standardisierten Beobachtung definierter Arbeitsprozesse durchzuführen. Die dritte Untersuchung (Kapitel 6) ist als empirische Laborstudie konzipiert. Darin wird die technische Erfassung von Aktionskräften unter idealisierten Bedingungen ohne menschlichen Einfluss erprobt. In der vierten Untersuchung (Kapitel 7), ebenfalls als empirische Laborstudie konzipiert, werden spezifische Kraftaufwendungen im Labor systematisch durch Probanden nachgestellt und gemessen. Dabei wird das Vorgehen zur Durchführung und Auswertung von praxisnahen Kraftmessungen unter menschlichem Einfluss evaluiert. Die Erkenntnisse der Arbeit helfen dabei, bestehende Forschungsdefizite aufzuarbeiten und zu beheben. Sie stellen ferner eine Handlungshilfe für betriebliche Kraftanalysen sowie eine Orientierung für zukünftige Forschungsarbeiten dar. / Action forces have been identified as risk factors. Therefore, the collection and analysis of action forces is an essential part of the ergonomic evaluation. Up to now, there was a lack of a standardized and systematic approach to evaluate action forces, especially in the automotive production. Thus, in the present thesis a methodical approach is described to evaluate action forces systematically. The thesis is divided into four studies. The first study contains the identification of the variety of action forces in the different manufacturing areas of automotive production. The second study describes the detailed analysis of action forces in the assembly shop, which is the manufacturing area with the highest count of action forces in the automotive production. The third study describes the direct measurement of action forces in laboratory conditions. The action forces are applied by a testing machine. The fourth study consists of the direct measurement of action forces, which are applied by subjects. Thereby, the methodical approach to perform direct measurements has been evaluated. The findings of the thesis can be used as a guideline, to evaluate action forces in the automotive production. Also the findings highlight the potential for further research projects.

The advance of automation in industry has meant that in recent years companies have begun to look for other ways to improve the efficiency of their productivity. Automation is present in all types of activities in industry, however, there are certain activities that cannot be fully automated due to the difficulty to develop them. Therefore, this activity must be handled by the worker and their safety must always be considered. In this aspect, ergonomics is in charge of studying the comfort and safety of the workers. Numerous methods of studying ergonomics can be found today, but the one that this project will focus in is the Hand and Arm method (HARM) which nowadays is performed manually by ergonomists. This method requires a great deal of effort on the part of ergonomics professionals in order to obtain reliable and accurate results. In addition to this disadvantage, the time required to perform each evaluation is also high. As the HARM method is an observational evaluation method, the study must sometimes be made by more than one ergonomist to reach a valid conclusion. This project presents the development of a system that automates one such ergonomic evaluation method called the Hand-Arm Risk Assessment Method (HARM). For this purpose, high-precision sensors are used to measure the different motions of a user's joints, as well as pressure sensors that measure the forces exerted by a worker while performing an industrial activity. This project is presented as a solution that improves both accuracy and reliability and reduces the time needed to perform the HARM method evaluation. The created tool serves as a link between the ergonomist and the various hardware systems in use, and it features an intuitive user interface that enables both data collection and visual depiction of the evaluation's findings. The topic of sustainable development, which is being addressed as a result of the development of the tool, is another crucial aspect of this project. Some of the objectives outlined in the UN's sustainable development guidelines have been met as a result of the intimate relationship between ergonomics and sustainability. Among these goals are good health and well-being (Goal 3), work and economic growth (Goal 8), industry, innovation, and infrastructure (Goal 9), gender equality (Goal 5) and reduced inequalities (Goal 10). / <p>Utbytesstudenter, Universidad de Málaga, Spanien</p>