Three studies were conducted to better understand the current status of the industry and create a design process and taxonomy. Study 1 assessed current industry usage of dust control technologies and stakeholder perceptions in the concrete and masonry trades. Study 2 was similar but assessed emission control technologies in the asphalt roofing trade. Study 3 used the information from studies 1 and 2 to select a tool for further evaluation. The handheld cutoff concrete saw was chosen. An iterative design process was utilized to evaluate the saw. The design process and subsequent usability inspection engendered a taxonomy, or set of design recommendations can be applied to large handheld powered tools. / Ph. D. / Three studies were conducted to better understand the current perceptions of risks associated with the construction industry and create a process for designing tools that mange the associated risks. Study 1 and Study 2 assessed current industry use of technologies for managing health hazards present when working in the concrete, masonry, and asphalt roofing industries; and the interested party’s perceptions of the industries. Study 3 used the information from Studies 1 and 2 to select a tool for further evaluation. The handheld cut-off concrete saw was chosen. An iterative design process was utilized to evaluate the saw. The design process and subsequent usability test created a set of design recommendations which can be applied to large handheld powered tools.
A telephone survey was conducted to assess the concrete, masonry, and asphalt roofing industries. The survey measured decision makers’ perceptions of health hazard control technologies. Finally, it assessed business factors affecting adoption of the control technologies and projects specifying the use of health hazard control technologies. The results show the concrete and masonry industries understand the risks associated with working in the industry and are more likely to adopt health hazard management technologies. The asphalt roofing industry is unsure if they view heated asphalt to be a health hazard and are more resistant to adopting current technologies. There are more projects specifying the use of control technologies in concrete and masonry and a decreasing number of projects are specifying the use of control technologies in asphalt roofing. The business factors for adopting technologies are the same across industries, specifically worker safety and government regulation. Those looking to have an impact on the construction industry should focus on the concrete and masonry industries over asphalt roofing.
In the final study, a design process and guidelines were created for large handheld powered equipment. The researcher used an iterative design process whose goal was to better equip industry with a dust control device, specifically a vacuum based system for the gasoline powered handheld cut-off concrete saw. Results from Studies 1 and 2 influenced the direction of the design process. The design did not yield a prototype fit for testing, so the researcher assessed the usability of a commercially available system. The results were transformed into design guidelines for anyone interested in creating better hazard controls for similar power tools. The guidelines created are: have clear symbols, efficiently provide feedback, provide feedback when attaching parts, make attaching parts easy, have efficient design to reduce dangers inherent with the tool, increase visibility, reduce overexposure to dangers, ensure it is easy to move, and enable a wide variety of users to be able to use the saw. The process used to design the prototype can be used to design similar large handheld powered tools. The design process starts with looking at how the tool is currently used, then brings stakeholders together to discuss the problem, then create prototypes, and finally test the prototypes for performance and/or usability which will create the design guidelines.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/73512 |
| Date | 28 November 2016 |
| Creators | Goldberg, Ari Joseph |
| Contributors | Industrial and Systems Engineering, Dickerson, Deborah Elspeth, Kleiner, Brian M., Gabbard, Joseph L., Fiori, Christine M. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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