Ergonomics
Ergonomics, as defined by the Board of Certification for Professional Ergonomists (BCPE), "is a body of knowledge about human abilities, human limitations and human characteristics that are relevant to design. Ergonomic design is the application of this body of knowledge to the design of tools, machines, systems, tasks, jobs, and environments for safe, comfortable and effective human use".
The term ergonomics is derived from the Greek word ergos meaning "work" and nomos meaning "natural laws of" or "study of." The profession has two major branches with considerable overlap. One discipline, sometimes referred to as "industrial ergonomics," or "occupational biomechanics," concentrates on the physical aspects of work and human capabilities such as force, posture, and repetition. A second branch, sometimes referred to as "human factors," is oriented to the psychological aspects of work such as mental loading and decision-making. The profession is comprised of practicing and academic engineers, safety professionals, industrial hygienists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, nurse practitioners, chiropractors, and occupational medicine physicians.
History of Ergonomics.
Christensen, an expert in the said field, points out that the importance of a "good fit" between humans and tools was probably realized early in the development of the species. Indeed cavemen are known to have selected stone tools and made scoops from antelope bones in a clear display of selecting/creating objects to make tasks easier to accomplish.
In the work environment, the selection and creation of tools, machines, and work processes continued. Over centuries, the effectiveness of hammers, axes and plows improved. With the Industrial Revolution, machines such as the spinning jenny (a machine that produced yarn to make cloth) and rolling mills (a method of flattening iron ore into flat sheets) were developed to improve work processes. This is the same motivation behind much of ergonomics today. The association between occupations and injuries of body muscles and bones were documented centuries ago. Bernardino Ramazinni (1633-1714) wrote about work-related complaints (that he saw in his medical practice) in the 1713 supplement to his 1700 publication, "De Morbis Artificum (Diseases of Workers)."
Wojciech Jastrzebowski created the word ergonomics in 1857 ...
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Pullout steps, external handles and multilevel shelving have been installed in delivery trucks to make access to beverage cases easier.
Counterbalancing devices have been added to improve hand truck stability.
Beverage cartons have been redesigned for easier handling. The total weight was decreased by substituting plastic for some glass containers.
Ergonomic Solution (Benefits)
Reduced risk factor exposure.
Employee satisfaction.
Improved physical and psychological comfort.
Ergonomic Solution (Method Which Verified Effectiveness)
Quantitative tests of heart rate, stress/fatigue levels and discomfort reports showed statistically significant improvements in physical and psychological comfort, providing scientific justification for the changes.
References
R.S. Bridger. (1995) Introduction to Ergonomics. McGraw-Hill International Editions
K.H.E. Kroemer & E. Grandjean. (1999) Fitting the task to the human Taylor & Francis Publishings
The Human factors section, Health, Safety & Human factors laboratory, Eastman Kodak Company. (1983)
Ergonomic design for people at work Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York
www.ergoweb.com
Noe, R. A., Hollenback, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2011). Fundamentals of human
Sacket et al, cited in, Duncan, E,A,S, (2006) Foundtions for practice in Occupational Therapy, 4th edition, Elsevier Ltd.
Humans are not the only species with the ability of making tools. Early on in her research, Jane Goodall observed an older male chimp, she called him David Greybeard. Through her observation of David, she witnessed two forms of the use of tools. The first was the use of grass as a tool to extract termites from their mounds. The second was the making of a tool by stripping the leaves off a twig, modifying it for the same purpose. When Louis Leakey heard this, he wrote her “Now we must redefine tool, redefine man, or except chimpanzees as humans” (Goodall, 2002). There is a definite correlation between man and chimps in this respect. Human culture involves learned behaviors through observation, imitation and practice, the use of tools with chimpanzees show the same ability for learned beh...
STEIN, F., SODERBACK, I., CUTLER, S., LARSON, B., 2006. Occupational therapy and ergonomics. Applying ergonomic principals to everyday occupation in the home and at work. London: Whurr Publishers.
Professional Safety, 46(10), 20-25. Retrieved April 22, 2014, from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=5367632&site=ehost-live&scope=site McGuire, C. (2011, April). Workplace Safety 100 Years Ago! Safety Compliance Letter(2524), 1-6.
During a literature search to find an operational definition for the concept “frames of reference (FOR)” within occupational therapy (OT), the AOTA’s 2nd edition of the book “Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process” delivered no specific definition despite it’s stated purpose to “present a summary of interrelated constructs that define and guide occupational therapy practice” (AOTA, 2008).
All of us have tools to make life easier. For example your cell phone is a tool that you use to communicate with. Paleolithic tools differed from Neolithic tools. The Paleolithic tool kit shown in document one was made for hunting.
In the 1960s through the 1970s, companies realized strong engineering, design, and manufacturing functions were strong market strategy keys to create and capture customer loyalty. As the demand for new products rose in the 1980s, these market requirements were to increase their flexibility and responsiveness to adapt existing products and processes or to develop new ones in order to meet customer needs. As manufacturing improved in the 1990s, managers began noticing material and service inputs involving suppliers and their major impact on an organization’s ability to meet customer needs. As a result of these changes, organizations now find that it difficult to manage their own organizations. First, they must be involved in the management of their network of all upstream firms that provide directly or indirectly, as well as the network of downstream firms, which are responsible for delivery and market service of the product to the end customer. In order to succeed, managers have to realize that they cannot do it alone and they must work together on a daily basis with the whole organizations in their supply chains. Because supply chain management involves all functions within an organization, managers need to know what a supply chain is, why it is important, and the impact of supply chain management on the success and profitability of their organization. Today, Wal-Mart topped the list of the America’s biggest companies on the Fortune 500 list, “with sales of almost $345 billion — more than a quarter of a trillion dollars” (Forbs). Wal-Mart’s supply chain management is becoming recognized as a core competitive strategy.
A., de Rijk, A., Van Hoof, E., & Donceel, P. 2011). The therapist has to assess the patient to see if they have a need for splints or supports which may benefit the patient and then step in to help design the specific assistive devices needed. It is the job of the occupational therapist to come up with plans to overcome the inconvenient limitations while still helping the patient to reduce strain and prevent further damage by teaching them techniques that will conserve their energy. There are a variety of different ways to make daily living much easier. The most crucial part of therapy is assessing the patient's environment. All the people, cultural conditions and physical objects that are around them, create their environment. The behavior and development of people is a direct result of the interaction between them and their surroundings. A patient's behavior is greatly affected when they are mismatched with their environment. A person's environment match is present when the person's level of competence matches the demands of the environment. Full participation by the patient is required to make it practicable. “The science and practice of occupational therapy are well suited to develop, refine, and test approaches to translate therapeutic gains into
...e-based knowledge to inform the therapy practice. It also assists with furthering the therapist’s knowledge of humans as occupational beings as well as the relationship between occupation and health.(Yexer ,1993) introduced occupational science as a fundamental science supporting occupational therapy, with an aim to refocus the provision of therapy back to occupation. Hence, occupational science provides the therapists with support, justifies the meaning and uniqueness of the profession and distinguishes occupational therapy from other professions. In addition (Wilcock, 2001), also emphasises that occupational science might be another way to avoid the possible failure of the occupational therapy as a practice. With a strong research background, occupational therapists could make a contribution to medical science, which may challenge it from a different standpoint.
Dell Computer have recently announced changes to their business strategy and supporting supply chain. They will no longer focus on a made to order direct sales model for their personal computers. Nor will they continue to refine their renowned supply chain model that supported their sales model. Instead, they will be looking to produce personal computers with fixed configurations at lower prices. This essay looks at why Dell have changed their strategy, and then considers the customer value proposition of the new strategy, as well as lessons that other organisations can learn from the Dell experience.
As director of Supply Chain Systems, I have decided to implement the new supply chain strategy of Virtual Integration, and model its supply chain after companies like Dell. Although there are several key differences between the companies, Dell’s direct business approach can be applied to every facet of Ford’s operation. Special care will need to be taken to address the unique dependency of our custom “tier- one” suppliers. A modification of the virtual integration system currently used by Dell could be applied to Ford’s dependent supplier base, while the management of lower tier suppliers of general or generic components would be more effectively suited by the standard procedures used by Dell.
A supply chain provides the means by which a company brings its products or services to the market. For a supply chain to be effective, all of the involved parties must be aligned to common goals and the company’s supply chain strategy. For the value of the supply chain to be maximized and cost savings realized, a company supply chain strategy must be executed efficiently. Many parts of the supply chain contribute to help the franchise system achieve quality goals. It can be achieved by offering uniform, high quality products and services to its customers.
The business environment is increasingly becoming competitive and challenging. In the recent past, manufacturers have found themselves facing the threat of dwindling profit margins due to unfortunate global events such as the 2007 global financial crisis and the on going Europe economic crisis. The need to improve operation efficiency so as to ensure current and future investment yield the highest rate of return has therefore become extremely important. Manufacturers are now actively engaged in, managing their costs, Research and Development, adopting best procurement strategies, among other Actions. While such actions might eventually lead to positive results, additional business value can be achieved through proper management of the supply chain (Waymer, Ivanaj & Mussa 2009; Krivda 2004).
... The use of work sampling can supplement the use of time studies and save time and resources. Human factors have had a tremendous influence on work design. Ergonomics plays a major role in the ways industrial engineers design the work to fit the human operators. In doing so, they can elevate the worker’s well-being and the entire system performance. A time study is still a useful tool with the goal of increasing efficiency that should include the additional objective of providing a safe and healthy work environment. (Muchinsky 2009)