| 11. |
- Mazaheri, Ava, et al.
(författare)
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Reaction force exposure for tightening tool users : A psychophysical based experimental study of electric right-angle nutrunners
- 2022
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Ingår i: Applied Ergonomics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0003-6870 .- 1872-9126. ; 103
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Reaction forces from nutrunner tools constitute a risk of developing MSDs. However, recommendations for sustainable reaction force levels are lacking. The aim of this study was to inform recommendations regarding reaction load exposures from right-angle nutrunners. Through a psychophysics approach, experienced assembly workers subjectively assessed reaction loads when using a nutrunner in six combinations of tool tightening strategy, work-pace and screw-joint stiffness. Electromyography, tool and joint parameters were measured. Regardless of tightening strategy, joint stiffness and work-pace combinations, no large differences in acceptable tightening torque, peak reaction force, and handle displacement were observed. However, acceptable jerk and impulse differed substantially between the TurboTight (R) (high-acceleration) and QuickStep (R) (conventional) tightening strategies. Although the TurboTight (R) strategy overall showed reduced peak muscular activities compared to the QuickStep (R), the participant-rated acceptable torque levels were similar, plausibly due to TurboTights' high jerk levels. Jerk and impulse are hypothesized to influence the perception of reaction loads.
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| 12. |
- Mazaheri, Ava, et al.
(författare)
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Reaction load exposure from handheld powered tightening tools : A scoping review
- 2021
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Ingår i: International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-8141 .- 1872-8219. ; 81
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Assembly workers using handheld powered tightening tools are repetitively subjected to reaction loads resulting from the tool handle. Despite the vast amount of research, tool manufacturers and OSH practitioners still lack well-grounded recommendations and benchmarks for ergonomics evaluations of reaction loads. This review provides an overview of research investigating reaction loads and operator physical demand, and identifies gaps in current means of evaluating reaction load exposure from tightening tools. A scoping review was conducted, scanning for quantifications of reaction loads as well as reported indications of MSD risks following tightening tool use. Suggested maximum exposures for reaction loads were further identified. The most commonly investigated quantities among the 40 publications included, were peak reaction force/torque (70%) and handle displacement (70%), followed by impulse (23%). Pneumatic tools were studied at greater extent (65%) than electric tools (30%). Three studies presented a relationship between reaction load exposure and physiological changes, i.e. edema, tissue oxygenation and blood volume changes, indicating an elevated risk of developing MSDs. Four publications proposed values for maximum reaction load exposure, expressed as either reaction torque, handle displacement, or tightening torque. To conclude, strategies for developing recommendations for reaction load exposure are suggested. Less investigated reaction parameters, e.g. impulse, can carry additional relevant information regarding exposure. Exposure values should be expressed as physical quantities of the reaction load rather than tightening torque. Recommendations are further needed for various tool handle-configurations, emphasizing the increasingly used electric tools. Such recommendations can eventually contribute to reducing MSDs resulting from tightening tool use.
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| 13. |
- Neumann, W. Patrick, et al.
(författare)
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A comparison of work-rest models using a "breakpoint" analysis raises questions
- 2020
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Ingår i: IISE TRANSACTIONS ON OCCUPATIONAL ERGONOMICS & HUMAN FACTORS. - : Informa UK Limited. - 2472-5838 .- 2472-5846. ; 8:4, s. 187-194
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OCCUPATIONAL APPLICATIONS Designing sustainable cyclic work requires attention to both the workload amplitude as well as the duty cycle, the fraction of the work cycle with active workload, that therefore also defines the recovery phase of the cycle. A number of different approaches and models have been developed to calculate the required recovery time for a given load and duty cycle. We present a comparison of three types of models at the "breakpoint" that defines the boundary of load amplitude and duty cycle where fatigue begins to accumulate faster than recovery allows within the work cycle. This comparison shows considerable variation between models of the "allowable" load or duty cycle depending on the method used. Practitioners should thus be cautious applying these models indiscriminately in job design as their results can vary substantially. In particular, differences between the tasks used for model formulation and application may compromise validity, and model application in a given context should be verified before broad application. TECHNICAL ABSTRACT Rationale: There is a need for tools to help design sustainable work in which muscular capacity and other human resources can recover at least as quickly as they are used. Purpose: In this brief report, three different approaches presented in the literature to determining work-rest schedules in cyclic work are compared. Methods: First, a set of five different muscular endurance models coupled with a recovery time model were considered, both with and without a dynamic work correction factor. Second, we examined a model of "resumption time", and third a psychophysically-based model of maximum duty cycle was included. These models were compared using the concept of a "breakpoint" in fatigue accumulation-the point at which a given load amplitude and duty cycle combination begins to cause accumulation of fatigue in each cycle and from which there is inadequate time to recover. Results: While the five endurance time models all behaved similarly, both with and without the static-to-dynamic correction factor applied, the three different types of modeling approaches provided substantially different response patterns. The psychophysically based model provided the most protective guideline among the models compared. Conclusion: These models should be applied with caution to particular work scenarios. Further research is needed to test accuracy and effectiveness when applying such models to a range of task scenarios to establish safe workloads and loading times in the design of repetitive work.
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| 14. |
- Rodrigues Coutinho, Brenda, et al.
(författare)
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Meeting the Challenges of Home Care in Small Residential Bathrooms : Creation of the Bathroom Aid Inventory
- 2022
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Ingår i: Conference Proceedings of the 51<sup>st</sup> NES Conference. ; , s. 176-177
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and purposeOur society is facing major demographic challenges in healthcare. The growing population of older people is outpacing the creation of residential care facilities like nursing homes, meaning that more and more people are ‘aging in place’. ‘Aging in place’ means continuing to reside in a private residence in the community even as care needs intensify. It is an economically efficient option and often preferred by aging people, but it also brings substantial challenges. Eventually people require support from home careworkers with the vital and personal tasks that take place in the bathroom: toileting and bathing. However, residential bathrooms are often small and not designed to accommodate a care recipient, care worker, and mobility aids such as a walker or wheelchair. There is a growing need to update residential bathrooms to meet the evolving needs of older residents. Although there exist several aids and assistive devices intended to facilitate bathroom tasks, this can be hard for users and caregivers to navigate. This project was undertaken as part of a larger study funded by AFA Försäkring. The goal of this portion was to develop an inventory of currently-available bathroom assistance devices for use by residents and their family members, health care organizations, insurance agencies, and other stakeholders. The primary research question was: What type of bathroom assistive devices are currently available, either commercially or in prototype form, intended to assist users with the tasks of toileting, bathing, and handwashing?MethodologyThe primary method was web search and document review across several domains: regulations, assistive devices, and residential bathroom renovation examples. The first set of searches investigated the legislation and guidelines on bathroom design both for residential and healthcare settings; consistent and conflicting specifications were noted. The second set of searches was for assistive devices that could be used to facilitate bathing and toileting tasks in residential bathrooms. Examples of renovated residential bathrooms were solicited through authors’ networks.ResultsWhen it came to guidelines and specifications for bathroom design, there was substantial tension between the regulations set out by the Swedish Work Environment Authority and the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning. The inventory includes images of assistive devices as well as their main features: target task (bathing, toileting, personal care, handwashing), dimensions, weight ratings, colors, materials, store, website address, accessibility, and price. Documented assistive device categories include shower benches, toilet aids, support handles, showers, washbasins, taps, alarm buttons, contrast marks, and others, with approximately 20 examples for each.ConclusionsThis project developed an inventory of currently-available bathroom assistance devices, intended to inform users’ selection of devices for growing care needs in realistic (i.e. nonideal) settings. However, it is not the intention for the inventory represent an assessmentof the quality, safety, effectiveness, or usability of the devices. While it is hoped this list will represent the variety of available devices, it is also not intended to be exhaustive. Together with an introduction that includes the examples of renovated bathrooms, the inventory will be disseminated as a searchable web-based resource.
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| 15. |
- Rose, Linda, 1963-
(författare)
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Financial effects of suggested work environment improvements : Examples from applied Masters students’ projects
- 2022
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Ingår i: 51st Nordic Ergonomics and Human Factors Society Conference 2022. ; , s. 235-242
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- It can be challenging to motivate decision-makers to invest in work environmentimprovements (WEIs). One success factor is to use the same vocabulary as companymanagement and express suggested WEIs in a way that management can understand and usein their decision-making. This paper has two objectives, to present: 1) examples of realorganisations’ ergonomics problems, suggestions for improvements and financial estimationsof effects of the suggested interventions, carried out by students in a Master’s course; 2)course-design features evaluated as important for this type of course. Results from six studentprojects, using several financial methods, are presented. The discussion focuses on the valueof increasing the availability of such a course, as well as competencies needed to be successfulinWEIs. In conclusion: by applied training as in this course, non-economists can rather rapidlylearn to assess ergonomics problems, and to develop, present and argue for suggestedsolutions, also with financial effect estimations.
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| 16. |
- Rose, Linda, 1963-, et al.
(författare)
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RAMP 2.0 – Further Development of the RAMP Tool
- 2021
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Ingår i: Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems.. - Cham : Springer Nature. ; , s. 182-189
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- RAMP (Risk Assessment and Management tool for manual handling – Proactively), a freely accessible MSD risk management tool for manual handling work, was launched 2017 to contribute to the reduction of musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) risks for manual handling work-tasks. The tool is currently developed further, using an iterative participative methodology, to: i) enhance the RAMP tool’s application range, mainly to include hand-intensive work, ii) develop a system version of the tool, and iii) include key performance indicators (KPIs). A needs analysis resulted in 99 identified needs. Regarding i), six needs were assessed as “very important to include” to enhance the application range. A literature study focusing on relevant risk factors and how exposure to them is associated with MSD risks was carried out and first drafts of a model for assessing risks in hand-intensive work are iteratively developed, using feedback from intended users. Regarding ii), 50 needs and suggestions on what to consider when developing a databased system version of the RAMP tool were identified. Prototypes of parts of the system-version are iteratively developed, using intended users’ feedback. Regarding iii), the needs analysis resulted in 16 suggested KPIs, including KPIs based solely on RAMP results and KPIs which can be established combining RAMP results and company data. The project is ongoing. An enhanced RAMP tool, RAMP 2.0, with the abovementioned expansions could support MSD risk assessment and risk management in systematic MSD risks reduction work for a wide range of work tasks.
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| 17. |
- Rose, Linda, 1963-, et al.
(författare)
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The RAMP 2.0 project : Towards an enhanced MSD risk management tool
- 2022
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 51st NES Conference. ; , s. 155-
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In 2017 RAMP (Risk Assessment and Management tool for manual handling – Proactively), a risk management tool focusing on manual handling work, was launched with the objective to contribute to reducing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). RAMP has since then been spread to over 105 countries and is used as the standard method for MSD risk management in several organisations. Different usability, reliability and validity aspects of RAMP have been evaluated as being good. To enhance RAMP’s application range and to further increase its usability, the RAMP 2.0 project started in 2018. Results from this ongoing project have been reported at several conferences, e.g. IEA 2021.The objective of this conference-contribution is to provide an overview of the results of the project this far, whereas the objectives of the project are to: i) expand RAMP’s application range to include hand-intensive work, ii) in addition to the existing Excel-based version, provide RAMP in a system version, and iii) enable practitioners to use RAMP results in forming key performance indicators, KPIs, as a means to follow the results of systematic work environment progress at an organisation, and to provide managers with relevant data for informed decision making.The project is carried out with a participatory, iterative methodology. It is led by re-searchers at KTH, and carried out in a collaboration between researchers and practitioners from over a dozen organisations. Methods used include needs analyses, literature studies and iterative development of the three parts, where workshops with different types of experts are regarded as crucial.The results this far for each one of the three parts are: i) Enhanced application range. Based on a needs analysis among the participating organisations, the first version of RAMP’s “Hand model” has been developed. An evaluation study of this model in planned for the spring 2022 where usability and reliability are in focus; ii) Also a version of the RAMP system version has been developed, as well as iii) methods for forming KPIs, i.e. both KPIs formed by using only RAMP results data and KPIs formed by combining RAMP results and company data, as for example quality and sick-leave data.By the inclusion of hand intensive work in RAMP’s application range, a large part of commonly performed work tasks can be assessed and managed. However, limitations of the tool’s application range is discussed, as well as how adequate input data can and determined.
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| 18. |
- Stenberg Gleisner, Anna Klara, et al.
(författare)
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Towards Innovative Bathroom Solutions for All - A Needs Analysis
- 2021
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Ingår i: 21st Congress of the International Ergonomics Association, IEA 2021. - Cham : Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH. ; , s. 376-383
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- To be able to age in place, the home environment often needs to accommodate users’ needs throughout their life span. Bathrooms are an especially demanding space for the user, but also for those supporting the user, for example nursing assistants, in their daily life. This study investigated factors of importance for creating well-functioning bathrooms – for both nursing assistants and users, identifying needs concerning access to assistive devices for these groups. Semi-structured interviews were carried out. In total 13 nursing assistants, occupational therapists and users participated in the interviews. The overall results emphasize the importance of space, assistive devices and to be able to customize the bathroom to accommodate the user’s needs throughout their life span. These factors are of importance in order to enable independency and safety for the user in the bathroom, and at the same time, enable a safe work environment for those supporting the user. The results help us to understand the complexity of this problem and the results can be used in the work of reducing injury risks and create sustainable work environments.
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| 19. |
- Stenberg Gleisner, Anna Klara, et al.
(författare)
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Towards safety and autonomy in the home bathroom : Identifying challenges, needs and gaps
- 2022
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Ingår i: Applied Ergonomics. - : Elsevier. - 0003-6870 .- 1872-9126. ; 105
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- This qualitative study aims to identify challenges, needs and gaps for home care bathroom tasks and gather information that will allow for user-centered, sustainable solutions for home care in the bathroom. Twenty-one interviews were carried out with participants with the perspective of client, health care worker or care orga-nization. The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis and interpretive description. The findings identify important factors for enabling both independent living for clients and a sustainable work environment for the health care workers. They include adequate space, access to assistive devices and regular risk assessments to recognize changing needs. Enabling independent living is one strategy that can be used to manage the ongoing demographic change as well as the expected future labor shortage in the care sector. Changes can be made in the physical environment (the residential bathroom) in order to facilitate safer task performance for both the clients and the health care workers.
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| 20. |
- Whittaker, Jackie L., et al.
(författare)
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OPTIKNEE 2022 : Consensus recommendations to optimise knee health after traumatic knee injury to prevent osteoarthritis
- 2022
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Ingår i: British journal of sports medicine. - : BMJ. - 0306-3674 .- 1473-0480. ; 56:24, s. 1393-1405
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The goal of the OPTIKNEE consensus is to improve knee and overall health, to prevent osteoarthritis (OA) after a traumatic knee injury. The consensus followed a seven-step hybrid process. Expert groups conducted 7 systematic reviews to synthesise the current evidence and inform recommendations on the burden of knee injuries; risk factors for post-traumatic knee OA; rehabilitation to prevent post-traumatic knee OA; and patient-reported outcomes, muscle function and functional performance tests to monitor people at risk of post-traumatic knee OA. Draft consensus definitions, and clinical and research recommendations were generated, iteratively refined, and discussed at 6, tri-weekly, 2-hour videoconferencing meetings. After each meeting, items were finalised before the expert group (n=36) rated the level of appropriateness for each using a 9-point Likert scale, and recorded dissenting viewpoints through an anonymous online survey. Seven definitions, and 8 clinical recommendations (who to target, what to target and when, rehabilitation approach and interventions, what outcomes to monitor and how) and 6 research recommendations (research priorities, study design considerations, what outcomes to monitor and how) were voted on. All definitions and recommendations were rated appropriate (median appropriateness scores of 7-9) except for two subcomponents of one clinical recommendation, which were rated uncertain (median appropriateness score of 4.5-5.5). Varying levels of evidence supported each recommendation. Clinicians, patients, researchers and other stakeholders may use the definitions and recommendations to advocate for, guide, develop, test and implement person-centred evidence-based rehabilitation programmes following traumatic knee injury, and facilitate data synthesis to reduce the burden of knee post-traumatic knee OA.
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