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- 2019
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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| 2. |
- Kumar, Rupesh, et al.
(författare)
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A comparison of muscular activities involved in the use of two different types of computer mouse
- 2008
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Ingår i: International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1080-3548 .- 2376-9130. ; 14:3, s. 305-311
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Two types of computer input devices, a conventional mouse and a roller bar one, were studied in terms of muscular activitiy in m. trapezius dexter, m. deltoideus anterior dexter and m. extensor digitorum dexter, and comfort rating. Fifteen university students and employees participated in this study. The order of the devices was random. While a task was performed, electromyography (EMG) data were recorded for each test. Muscular activity was found to be significantly lower for the roller bar mouse than for the conventional one. Comfort rating indicated there was a significant difference in moving a cursor with the conventional mouse compared to the roller bar one. It is concluded that a roller bar mouse allowed the subjects to work closer to the body compared to the conventional one, thus the former can be recommended as a general means of reducing upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders.
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| 3. |
- Kumar, Rupesh, et al.
(författare)
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Ergonomic and maintainability design issues in mining
- 2009
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Due to confined space and poor illumination in the mine the maintenance activities are difficult to perform which in turn leads to increased down time, cost and injuries. This also influences the productivity of maintenance personnel owing to stresses generated due to increased psychological and physiological demand on them. However, the industry has paid much less attention to the design of the mining machine in initial phase itself with respect to maintainability parameters leading to low productivity, increased maintenance time and increased likelihood of accidents during maintenance and operation of such equipment. The objective of the paper is to present ergonomics factors such as; anthropometery, human sensory, physiological and psychological application in relation to maintainability design issues in mining in order to reduce occupational risk factors and improved maintainability of the mining equipments leading to increased productivity.
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| 4. |
- Kumar, Rupesh, et al.
(författare)
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Ergonomic issues at a railway maintenance workshop
- 2011
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 24th International Congress on Condition Monitoring and Diagnosis Engineering Management. - : COMADEM International. - 0954130723 ; , s. 1583-1587
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Research on human factors related to railway operation and maintenance has, to an extent, been the neglected branch of transport ergonomics. Despite the numerous reports of ergonomics programs in a variety of industries, no examples of implementing ergonomics interventions in the railway vehicle maintenance workshop have been reported.In this study, a maintenance process at a railway workshop was studied and analyzed with special reference to working posture and maintenance repair time. The working postures of two maintenance personnel were obtained and analyzed using OWAS (Ovako Working Posture Analysis System). From the results, it was clearly indicated that poor working posture was a frequent occurrence during the maintenance activities. It can be concluded that the introduction and implementation of ergonomics principles at the railway maintenance workshop must be considered in order to reduce the poor working postures, maintenance repair time and to improve maintainability and productivity.
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| 5. |
- Kumar, Rupesh, et al.
(författare)
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Improvement of performance of oil and gas production facilities in arctic regions by applying human factors/ergonomic principles at the design phase
- 2009
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Port and Ocean Engineering under Arctic Conditions.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The system with a low level of reliability of being deployed in a cold climate often needs special and additional focus on maintainability characteristics in order to achieve the higher level of productivity, system availability and safety. Therefore, the maintainability issue is critical for the successful and effective operation of oil and gas installations in the Arctic environment as the working conditions are made very difficult by low temperature, ice, short period of daylight and lack of support facilities. Furthermore, the maintenance tasks or maintainability in the Arctic region is heavily influenced by the design of the task and the design of the equipment being maintained. The risk of human error in the Arctic environment is very high and about 80% of offshore accidents are caused by humans, with 64% occurring during operations. Morover, human factors/ergonomics is now recognized as a major contributor to operational safety, loss prevention and optimizing system performance in the oil and gas industries. Therefore, the study of human factor and reliability is essential to ensure the safe and reliable operation of industrial plant and systems which involve human operators. Human factors' integration aims to 'design-in' the humans into plant and system design, taking account of their capabilities and limitations. This can lead to significant savings through appropriate manning levels, maintainable plant, reduced rework and user-friendly facilities and systems.The objective of this paper is to explore potential risk factors especially in Arctic conditions with a view to how human factors/ergonomic principles can help to reduce risk factors and increase maintainability of the oil and gas industry. In this paper, the starting point is the offshore oil and gas industry, but the methodology and discussion are to a large extent general and could also be applied in the other industries.
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| 6. |
- Kumar, Rupesh, et al.
(författare)
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Improving maintainability in extreme cold climatic conditions
- 2012
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Ingår i: International Journal of Performability Engineering. - 0973-1318. ; 8:5, s. 563-572
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The maintainability issue is critical for the successful and effective operation of any industry in the extreme cold climatic conditions as the working conditions are made very difficult by low temperature, ice, short period of daylight and lack of support facilities. The objective of this paper is to identify potential risk factors in cold conditions and to provide ergonomic guidelines to reduce risk factors and increase maintainability of industries deployed in cold climate
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| 7. |
- Kumar, Rupesh, et al.
(författare)
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Musculoskeletal risk factors in cleaning occupation : a literature review
- 2008
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Ingår i: International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-8141 .- 1872-8219. ; 38:2, s. 158-170
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The objective of this paper is to present a systematic review of the literature in the field to identify problems, recommended practices, unresolved issues and explore occupational needs related to cleaning problems. Selected for review were published and unpublished reports dealing with musculoskeletal disorders among cleaners. English language summaries of other language articles were also included. The factor mentioned most often is that cleaning is associated with high physical and psychosocial workloads. Recommended ergonomic interventions were summarized in a model to present a systematic overview, useful for research and practical applications. A few studies concern equipment design, working environments and factors affecting individual workers. A need to conduct research on cleaning tools/equipment, working environments and individual risk factors is apparent. Relevance to industry:Ergonomic strategies and methods are not widely practiced in the cleaning profession. If ergonomic principles can be integrated into existing cleaning industry tools, methods and work environments then efficiencies can be realized and the risk of occupational injuries will be reduced. The work efficiency and injury reduction will reduce employer-operating costs.
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| 8. |
- Kumar, Rupesh, et al.
(författare)
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Physiological, subjective and postural loads in passenger train wagon cleaning using a conventional and redesigned cleaning tool
- 2005
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Ingår i: International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-8141 .- 1872-8219. ; 35:10, s. 931-938
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Methods: In this study, cleaning process was studied and analyzed with special reference to cleaning tools. A group of 13 professional cleaners participated in this study. While they performed their normal tasks, their oxygen consumption, heart rate, rating of perceived exertion and postural data were obtained. The perceived exertion during cleaning task using the "redesigned cleaning tool" was less than that of the "conventional cleaning tool". The oxygen consumption when cleaning with the redesigned tool (mean 0.841/m, SD +/- 0.17) was significantly less (p < 0.05) compared to the conventional cleaning tool (mean 0.941/m, SD +/- 0. 18). Heart rate was also found significantly lower using redesigned cleaning tool (mean 101 bpm, SD +/- 11. 10) compared to that of conventional cleaning tool (mean 105 bpm, SD +/- 12.59) (p < 0.05). Using redesigned cleaning tool the trunk postural load was also found significantly less than that of conventional cleaning tool (p < 0.05). It is concluded that redesigned cleaning tool allowed cleaners to maintain more upright posture when cleaning, which reduced biomechanical load. Relevance for Industry: There is need to develop ergonomic criteria or recommendation to enable manufacturers of cleaning equipment to specify and evaluate usability qualities when formulating user requirements for new cleaning tools.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Singh, Sarbjeet, et al.
(författare)
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Applying human factor analysis tools to a railway brake and wheel maintenance facility
- 2015
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Ingår i: Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering. - 1355-2511 .- 1758-7832. ; 21:1, s. 89-99
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PurposeThis paper demonstrates three techniques to extract human factor information from specific railway maintenance tasks. It describes the techniques and shows how these tools can be applied to identify improvements in maintenance practices and workflow. Design/methodology/approachThree case studies were conducted on single group of technicians (N=19) at a railway maintenance workshop in Luleå, Sweden. Case study I examined the posture of the technicians while they were changing the brake shoes of freight wagons; the study employed the Standard Nordic Questionnaire and a videotape using the Ovako Working Posture Analysis System (OWAS). Case study II looked at maintenance repair times required to change the wheel axle on freight wagons at the workshop. A video filming method suggested by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work was used to measure actual maintenance time. Finally, case study III considered the technicians’ (N=19) perception of work demands, their control over the work and their social support while performing maintenance tasks (brake shoe and wheel axle maintenance); to this end, the case study used a demand control support questionnaire. FindingsIn the first case study, the Standard Nordic Questionnaire confirmed that technicians at this particular railway vehicle maintenance workshop suffer from back and shoulder pain. The Ovako Working Posture Analysis showed that 21% of the working time required to fit the brake wedge and cotter pin fits into two OWAS categories: category 3, where “change is required as soon as possible,” and category 4, where “change is required immediately”. Problems stem from poor workplace layout, incorrect posture and inaccessibility of tools and components. In the second study, the video analysis indicated that the working time to change the wheel axle of a freight wagon is greatly affected by poor workplace layout. The third case study showed that the technicians have lower “psychological demands” (mean=13), “higher control over work” (mean= 16) and “high social support” (mean= 22).Practical implicationsThe objective of this study was to apply knowledge about human factors to the functional relationships between maintenance personnel, tasks and the working environment to improve safety. If the workplace layout, working posture, maintenance manuals and accessibility of tools are poorly planned, maintenance performance can be adversely affected. The results of this study should assist maintenance management to design new policies and guidelines for improving the work environment.Originality/valueThree case studies were conducted at a railway maintenance workshop in Luleå, Sweden, to collect data on how human factors affect various railway maintenance tasks.
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