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.. | Volume 15 Number 4, 2009 (free)

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND ERGONOMICS
Volume 15 Number 4, 2009

CONTENTS:

Articles:

PROTECTION OF HUMAN IN THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT

PROTECTION OF HUMAN AT THE WORKSTATION

Notes:

Recent Developments and Needs in Materials Used for Personal Protective Equipment and Their Testing
Patricia I. Dolez, Toan Vu-Khanh


The field of personal protective equipment (PPE) has led to several high technology innovations. Indeed, improved protection against the various possible encountered risks is looked for, in particular at the workplace. This has generated the development of new materials and new manufacturing technologies, as well as the introduction of new applications for existing ones. However, the remaining challenges are numerous. This paper presents some of the new technologies introduced in the field of protective clothing against heat and flames, mechanical risks and chemical aggressors. It also describes new challenges that are currently worked on, in particular the effect of service aging and the need for testing methods that reproduce realuse conditions. Finally, it discusses various existing and potential applications of nanomaterials and smart textiles for PPE.

Active Thermography in Qualitative Evaluation of Protective Materials
Grzegorz Gralewicz, Bogusław Więcek


This is a study of the possibilities of a qualitative evaluation of protective materials with active thermography. It presents a simulation of a periodic excitation of a multilayer composite material. Tests were conducted with lock-in thermography on Kevlar® composite consisting of 16 layers of Kevlar® fabric reinforced with formaldehyde resin with implanted delamination defects. Lock-in thermography is a versatile tool for nondestructive evaluation. It is a fast, remote and nondestructive procedure. Hence, it was used to detect delaminations in the composite structure of materials used in the production of components designed for personal protection. This method directly contributes to an improvement in safety.

A Multidimensional Approach to Modelling for Workplace Risk Assessment
Antonis Targoutzidis, Lila Antonopoulou


This paper aims to help enhance the process of risk identification and assessment in small enterprises by facilitating the incorporation of insights from accident, human error and risk perception models. This effort takes place through grouping and classification models of all these aspects according to certain criteria, to fit the proper set of models to each situation. To further facilitate the process, the main guidelines of each model are presented. The whole approach is not a new theoretical model but a simplified presentation to help safety engineers in selecting the proper model for the workplace to better assess its risks. An example of the application of this approach is also presented.

Mental Symptoms and the Use of New Technical Equipment
Leena Korpinen, Rauno Pääkkönen


The aim of this paper was to present how mental symptoms are connected to the use of desktop, portable or minicomputers (communicators and hand-held computers), mobile phones, and background information such as age and gender in the Finnish working-age population. The study was carried out as a cross-sectional study by posting a questionnaire to 15 000 working-age (18–65) Finns. The mental symptoms of 6 121 respondents were analysed using the model factors age, gender, the use of computers and the use of mobile phones. In all data, the use of desktop computers was related to mental symptoms. However, the results of our data are not highly reliable, because the nonresponse rate was over 50%. Nevertheless, it may be essential to take into account in the future that working with computers can increase workers’ mental symptoms, and it is important to observe their mental health.

On the Sound Radiation From a Circular Hatchway
Jorge P. Arenas


Low-frequency sound radiation from vibrating plates is a practical problem often found in engineering applications. In this article, the sound radiation from a circular hatchway is examined using a discrete approach based in the acoustic resistance matrix. Since this matrix can be combined with the volume velocity vector on the discretized vibrating circular surface, the sound radiation efficiency can be estimated through matrix approaches. The limitation of the approach is discussed by using benchmark results presented in previous works. The method produces acceptable results in low frequencies when the response of the plate is dominated by one low structural mode. When the response of more than one mode is significant, the method gives good estimation of the total sound power just for frequencies up to the first resonance. However, the method can be applied to complex and irregular vibrating plane surfaces.

An Examination of Shoulder Postures and Moments of Force Among Different Skill Levels in the Wool Harvesting Industry
Diane E. Gregory, Poonam Pal, Allan Carman, Stephan Milosavljevic, Jack P. Callaghan


The wool harvesting industry employs workers of varying skill levels that differ in both quality and number of harvested fleeces. As it was unknown how skill affected parameters such as joint posture and loading, the current study comparatively examined 140 wool harvesting workers representing 4 skill levels during wool harvesting competitions. Three-dimensional upper limb postures and peak and cumulative shoulder moments were calculated for each worker. Results indicated that elite wool harvesters, in general, used different shoulder postures to perform the harvesting tasks and were thus exposed to different shoulder moments as
compared to the lower skill levels. It is plausible that these adopted postures allow the higher class workers to perform their job with higher quality and greater speed as compared to the lower ranked workers. Posturalbased training may help improve technique in lower ranked workers and enable these workers to achieve higher ranked status.

Musculoskeletal Problems Among Workers of an Iranian Sugar-Producing Factory
Alireza Choobineh, Sayed Hamidreza Tabatabaee, Mahmoud Behzadi


Background. Assessment of the level of exposure to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) risk factors can be an appropriate basis for planning and implementing an interventional ergonomics program in the workplace. This study was conducted among workers of an Iranian sugar-producing factory to determine WMSD prevalence rate among production workers and to assess the level of exposure to WMSD risks. Materials and methods. In total, 116 workers were randomly selected from production workshops and included in the study. The Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire was used to study prevalence of WMSDs and a quick exposure check (QEC) was used to assess physical exposure to risks. Required data were videotaped. Results. Most workers (87.1%) suffered from some kind of MSD symptoms during the 12 months prior to the study. The highest prevalence was reported in knees (58.6%) and the lower back (54.3%). In 99.1% of the workers, the level exposure to MSD risks established with QEC was high and very high. Awkward postures, manual material handling, and long hours of standing were the major ergonomics problems. Conclusion. There was a high rate of WMSDs in this factory. The level of exposure to WMSD risk factors was high and corrective measures for reducing risk level were essential.

The Relationship Between Psychosocial Work Factors, Work Stress and Computer- Related Musculoskeletal Discomforts Among Computer Users in Malaysia
Seyed Abolfazl Zakerian, Indra Devi Subramaniam


Increasing numbers of workers use computer for work. So, especially among office workers, there is a high risk of musculoskeletal discomforts. This study examined the associations among 3 factors, psychosocial work factors, work stress and musculoskeletal discomforts. These associations were examined via a questionnaire
survey on 30 office workers (at a university in Malaysia), whose jobs required an extensive use of computers. The questionnaire was distributed and collected daily for 20 days. While the results indicated a significant relationship among psychosocial work factors, work stress and musculoskeletal discomfort, 3 psychosocial work factors were found to be more important than others in both work stress and musculoskeletal discomfort: job demands, negative social interaction and computer-related problems. To further develop study design, it is necessary to investigate industrial and other workers who have experienced musculoskeletal discomforts and work stress.

The Effect of the Use of Full Body Harnesses on Their Protective Properties
Krzysztof Baszczyński, Marcin Jachowicz


A full body harness is a component of personal systems protecting against falls from a height. To ensure users’ safety, the harness must retain its protective properties during its whole service period. All the elements of a harness (webbings, threads, metal buckles, etc.) are exposed to destructive factors. Harnesses stored and used for a few years were tested. The paper discusses the most frequent types of damage and their effect on the essential resistance parameters. The effect of atmospheric conditions, sunlight, mechanical damage and dust on the parameters of webbings was tested. Conclusions on the main causes of the loss of the protective properties of harnesses are drawn; periodic checks of the physical conditions and guidelines for estimating acceptable service time are recommended.

Convenient Evaluation of Mental Stress With Pupil Diameter
Kimihiro Yamanaka, Mitsuyuki Kawakami


This study proposes a convenient method of evaluating mental stress. The potential of monitoring changes in pupil diameter as a measure of human reliability while operating human–machine systems was examined experimentally. An experiment was carried out to clarify the relation between changes in pupil diameter and autonomic nervous activity by measuring an electrocardiogram and pupil diameter when 10 subjects completed a time-sensitive task. The electrocardiogram was measured using a multitelemeter system and pupil diameter was measured using an eye-mark recorder. Several relationships between changes in pupil diameter and autonomic nervous activity were revealed and indicated that measurement of pupil diameter was an effective indicator of autonomic nervous activity. Therefore, it may be possible to develop a monitoring system that measures changes in pupil diameter as an indicator of the mental state of workers operating human–machine systems.

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