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ISSN 1051-9815 (P)
ISSN 1875-9270 (E)
Impact Factor 2024: 1.7
WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment & Rehabilitation is an interdisciplinary, international journal which publishes high quality peer-reviewed manuscripts covering the entire scope of the occupation of work. The journal's subtitle has been deliberately laid out: The first goal is the prevention of illness, injury, and disability. When this goal is not achievable, the attention focuses on assessment to design client-centered intervention, rehabilitation, treatment, or controls that use scientific evidence to support best practice.
WORK occasionally publishes thematic issues, but in general, issues cover a wide range of topics such as ergonomic considerations with children, youth and students, the challenges facing an aging workforce, workplace violence, injury management, performing artists, ergonomic product evaluations, and the awareness of the political, cultural, and environmental determinants of health related to work.
Dr. Karen Jacobs, the founding editor, and her editorial board especially encourage the publication of research studies, clinical practice, case study reports, as well as personal narratives and critical reflections of lived work experiences (autoethnographic/autobiographic scholarship),
Sounding Board commentaries and
Speaking of Research articles which provide the foundation for better understanding research to facilitate knowledge dissemination.
Narrative Reflections on Occupational Transitions, a new column, is for persons who have successfully transitioned into, between, or out of occupations to tell their stories in a narrative form. With an internationally renowned editorial board,
WORK maintains high standards in the evaluation and publication of manuscripts. All manuscripts are reviewed expeditiously and published in a timely manner.
WORK prides itself on being an author-friendly journal.
WORK celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2015.
*WORK is affiliated with the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT)* *WORK is endorsed by the International Ergonomics Association (IEA)* *WORK gives out the yearly Cheryl Bennett Best Paper Award*
Abstract: WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Asssessment & Rehabilitation is honored to publish as a supplement, the Proceedings for the 18th Triennial International Ergonomics Association's (IEA) Congress. The theme of the Congress was Designing a Sustainable Future. We must all make a commitment to help design a sustainable future. As described on the Congress website; “As a discipline which is involved in the designing of the interactions among humans and other elements of a system, ergonomics must consider “sustainability” as a key aspect in optimizing resources to improve human well-being and overall system performance. So, one of the major challenges…in the field of ergonomics for the 21st Century will be the design and management of systems that satisfy custom demands in terms of the requirements for human compatibility and at the same time consider sustainability” (www.iea2012.org). The Congress papers contained in this supplement are a global snap shot of the science-driven and evidence based research and scholarly work being conducted by practitioners, scientists, researchers, academicians, and students. All papers are indexed with DOI numbers so they can be easily accessed and will add to the growing body of evidence in ergonomics. It has been my pleasure to be part of the IEA's Executive Committee and the Organizing Committee of this Congress during Dr. Andy Imada's term as President. Andy, thank you for your leadership. Congratulations to Professor Marcelo M. Soares, the Congress Chair, the Congress Organizing Committee, the IEA, the Brazilian Ergonomics Association and the Union of Latin-American Ergonomics Societies on a successful Congress. With much admiration, Karen Jacobs
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Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. i-i, 2012
Abstract: Home healthcare is steadily growing in Europe. There are a number of reasons for this development: aging population, rising hospital costs, preference to stay in one’s own home. Nevertheless, it has been known that home healthcare workers are frequently exposed to a variety of potentially serious occupational hazards. Furthermore, emotional labor is frequently high in this profession. This paper describes an ergonomic study conducted at a home healthcare service. The research focuses on analyzing working conditions of home healthcare aides and nurses, as well as the impacts of their work in terms of job satisfaction, well-being, emotions at work, relationships…with the others and occupational stress. The study show that employee strategies are specifically centered around preserving the relationship between patients and workers and coping with the job demands. This paper also shows that home healthcare workers express emotions and conceal them from others. Finally, recommendations discussed with the manager and workers to improve working conditions in this sector led to practical proposals: for example, implementing certain equipment items better suited to difficult care, encouraging assistance between healthcare workers when operations require this through adequate organizational measures, extending work emotion-focused discussion groups with management involvement.
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Keywords: emotion, home healthcare, job satisfaction, occupational stress, workplace
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0127-1
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 1-4, 2012
Abstract: Given the ageing population of occupational health physicians and the deteriorating situation of employee health, reforms targeting the multi-disciplinary nature of occupational health are currently being drawn up. These are of great concern to doctors in terms of the future of occupational health, notably with regard to changing medical practices. The objective of this study is to explore the actual practices of occupational health physicians within the framework of MSD prevention in France. By analysing the activity of occupational health physicians, we could gain a better understanding of the coordination between those involved in OHS with the ultimate goal being…to improve prevention. Based on an analysis of peer activity, this method made it possible to push beyond pre-constructed discourse. According to activity theories, it is through others that the history and controversies of a profession can be grasped and skills developed. The results produced by these collective discussions on activity analysis contributed to establish a collective point of view about the important aspects of their profession that need defending and the variations in professional genre in relation to the current reforms, notably.
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Keywords: occupational health physician, activity, professional genre, innovation
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0128-5
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 5-13, 2012
Abstract: Despite the practical importance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), both in production and in consumption, it is observed a main problem regarding the quality of many PPE´s used in Brazil. This study found a gap between the state of the art and the state of prevailing practices in the design of PPE´s, which main consequences affect the health of workers who use PPE in agriculture activities. The results of this study identified legal constraints of this occurrence, involving the validation of PPE designed for isolate agents, without the analysis of relevant activities and without prototypes experiments in more frequent use…situation
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Keywords: personal protective equipment, agriculture, design
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0129-14
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 14-18, 2012
Abstract: The use of pesticides is one of the techniques employed in modern agriculture and in particular in intensive agriculture. The risks for the environment and for worker health have been debated in western countries for about ten years. Recent developments in epidemiology, toxicology and ergotoxicology have clearly revealed that pesticides could harm the health of farmers (cancers, neurological diseases and reproductive disorders). Failures and shortcomings in the risk prevention systems have also come to light. This paper aims to address the risks associated to the use of pesticides in French vineyards. The chosen approach draws from an anthropological approach as…well as from developments in ergotoxicology applied to the French vineyard work. We shall discuss the use of pesticides from the point of view of the transfer of technology. Our recent research has shown that this technology transfer was not completely controlled by the different stakeholders.
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Keywords: pesticides, agriculture, anthropotechnology, ergotoxicology, technology transfer
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0130-19
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 19-25, 2012
Abstract: The PSR echo a crisis of the relation of the organization with the subjectivity, which is at the same time a crisis of the relation of the organization with the reality that subjectivity is confronting through activity. Thus, they also raise, with ergonomics, the question to know which place it grants itself to subjectivity in the relation health-effectiveness.
Abstract: This article is the product of research that analyzed the work of bus drivers of a public transportation company that is considered a benchmark reference in its field of operations, in which it strives to achieve operating excellence. Within this context, the authors sought to understand how such a company has managed to maintain a policy that is capable of reconciling quality public transport while also providing working conditions compatible with the professional development, comfort and health of its workers. Ergonomic work analysis and activity analysis were the guiding elements used in this study. Initial analyses indicate that the activity…of drivers includes serving a population and providing mobility for it, which depends on driving the vehicle itself and on relationships with colleagues, users, pedestrians, drivers and others.
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Abstract: This article is the first part of an on-going ergonomic work analysis with the emergency services call center set up by the Fire Department of the Military Police of São Paulo. The final objective of the research is to identify the prescribed task, the real work executed and strategies used by workers to meet the demands of the job. Starting by identifying the tasks and activities developed, this article analyzes the work of the emergency services call center which is of vital importance to the organizational structure, since it is the start point for the process that results in fulfilling…the corporation’s mission.
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Keywords: fire department service, rescue service management, the emergency services call center
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0132-36
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 36-41, 2012
Abstract: The paper analyzes the ways in which the two paramedics organize their work activities in the courses of interaction with the patient. The paramedic-patient –interaction is generally based on question-answer –sequences where one paramedic asks a question to which the patient answers. The paper examines the organization of paramedics’ institutional roles and responsibilities within these particular sequences of talk by conversation analytic means. Instead of leaning on any personal or psychological explanations, the paper aims to demonstrate how particular breaches or problems in the organization of division of labour become explainable and understandable through the detailed analysis of preceding interaction.…The main research data consist of the videorecordings of naturally occurring interactions between paramedics and patient.
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Abstract: In this paper we point some aspects of workers activities in offshore units in the oil industry. These units became more verticalized and have a greater number of operating systems. Our goal is to present the main difficulties that workers face in these units.
Keywords: oil industry, platform vessel, work analysis
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0134-49
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 49-54, 2012
Abstract: Comfort is an issue that has gained relevance within the aeronautical industry due to the necessity of manufacturers and airline companies of differentiating themselves in a market that has become more and more competitive each day. This study’s aim is to analyze the comfort/discomfort of passengers, based on the analysis of the activities performed in the aircrafts’ cabin during real flights, in order to create ergonomics requirements and a methodology of comfort analysis. The study has been performed during domestic commercial flights, and the adopted data collection techniques have been: the application of 219 questionnaires to passengers, 44 registrations of…postures and actions through filmings and 12 semistructured interviews. The method has made possible the reconstruction of the user’s action course in performing activities in real flight situations, and the calculation of the area occupied by the passenger during his or her actions. The integrated analysis of the results corroborates data from previous studies in which both the space made available to each passenger and the activity performed interfere in their perception of comfort. From this study it has been concluded that the method constitutes itself as an innovative tool within the process of aircrafts’ cabins project enabling the calculation of the action space based on the reconstructed course.
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Abstract: The aim of this paper is to identify utilization schemes developed by students and teachers in their interaction with educational workstations in the electronic measurement and instrumentation laboratory at the Department of Electrical Engineering in the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Brazil. After that, these schemes were used to design a new workstation. For this, it was important to bear in mind that the mentioned artifacts contain two key characteristics: (1) one from the designers themselves, resulting from their experience and their technical knowledge of what they are designing and (2) the experience from users and the means through…which they take advantage of and develop these artifacts, in turn rendering them appropriate to perform the proposed task – the utilization schemes developed in the process of mediation between the user and the artifact. The satisfactory fusion of these two points makes these artifacts a functional unit – the instruments. This research aims to demonstrate that identifying the utilization schemes by taking advantage of user experience and incorporating this within the design, facilitates its appropriation and, consequently, its efficiency as an instrument of learning.
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Keywords: ergonomic design, artifact, instrument, learning process
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0136-61
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 61-68, 2012
Abstract: The social, organizational, and technological complexity of high-risk organizations creates a strong need for coordination. Joint activity in such systems thus relies both on formal coordination and on a set of informal coordinative practices. Coordinated joint activity is documented in this paper from two perspectives: the development of coordinative practices to overcome the limitations of formal coordination, and the use of artifacts for coordinative purposes. The empirical material is provided by a workplace study undertaken according to theoretical conceptions of situated action and cognition. It was undertaken in the context of a design project that aims at improving the tagout…process in a high-risk industry. Findings first describe and analyze situations in which formal coordination turned out to be more of a constraint than a resource for effective action. They then illustrate the role played by artifacts in coordinated activity, focusing on the use of a particular artifact, the tagout tag, in different situations.
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Keywords: coordination, team work, artifact, design, nuclear
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0137-69
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 69-75, 2012
Abstract: This article discusses the difficulties dairy farmers face when they decide to install a new type of production on their units. We intend to discuss the nature of the new competencies the farmers will construct in order to install new production ateliers, and to show the complexity of the means they used, the difficulties they face in this process, and the strategies farmers develop in consonance with the practical knowledge of their profession. The method used was Ergonomic Work Analysis, together with semi-structured interviews, done after sessions of observation and work analysis. The results show that it is possible to…apprehend a part of the complexity of the process of constructing competencies among dairy farmers, the diversity of kinds of resources they mobilize, integrate and transfer in this construction process that materializes through their activities in the work context.
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Keywords: ATWAD, agricultural ergonomics, family farming, family agriculture, cognition, competencies
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0138-76
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 76-80, 2012
Abstract: When implementing innovations, disturbances are very likely to take place. Disturbances are undesirable because they can lead to unwanted outcomes, such as economic losses and work overload to workers. However, they can be powerful opportunities for learning and re-designing innovations. Here, we will present activity theoretical tools for analyzing disturbances in a way that they could be used as learning opportunities. We illustrate the proposed tools by analyzing a disturbance that took place during the implementation of a project of biogas production. By interpreting the disturbance process with a network of activity systems, we found that on-farm disturbances were formed…as ruptures, innovations and asynchronies originated in other activity systems. This finding suggests that disturbances are outcomes of the functioning of networks, rather than simple results of failure of individuals or technical devices. The proposed tools could be used in interventions to help practitioners and ergonomists to recognize the systemic and networked nature of problems, and therefore, realize that they may require the collaboration of actors from different activities. In this sense, disturbances may be turned into opportunities for learning and developing innovations. We conclude by discussing how the method could be used in ergonomic design and intervention.
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Keywords: disturbances, learning, biogas production, activity theory
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0139-81
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 81-88, 2012
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to present and discuss a French-Brazilian project (CAPES-COFECUB) centered on the relations between sustainable development, innovation and changes in work activities that accompany these innovations for sustainable development. Sustainable development calls for an integrated approach of three dimensions: social equity, economic viability and environmental sustainability. In order to achieve this integration, considerable innovations efforts are required. However, the work, understood as a productive act, is deeply lacking in the current researches. Starting from the idea that work is a “fundamental need” the goal of this project is to propose innovative methods that can be…used for designing production systems from the perspective of sustainable development.
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Keywords: work, innovation, sustainable development
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0140-89
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 89-94, 2012
Abstract: The present communication deals with the methodology of the ergonomics field intervention process. It proposes an operationalized version of work analysis in terms of contradictions. The aim is to demonstrate that such a dialectic tool and method of representation may assist the ergonomist to frame the essence of a work activity in practical terms, swiftly and in a manner that preserves its multifaceted unity. The proposed method is inspired by two theoretical constructs (i) contradiction as used in Cultural Historical Activity Theory and (ii) regulation, as developed and used by the francophone tradition of ergonomics of activity. Two brief examples…of its use are presented and a discussion is made on further developments and possible pitfalls.
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Abstract: This paper presents experiences from a user-driven innovation process of an outpatient department in a hospital. The mixing of methods from user-driven innovation and participatory design contributed to develop an innovative concept of the spatial and organizational design of an outpatient department in a hospital. Design games and tabletop simulation seem to be powerful tools in facilitating such a participatory process.
Keywords: innovation, user participation, codesign, health care sector, outpatient department
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0142-101
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 101-106, 2012
Abstract: The context of oil platform design is changing in order to increase competitiveness and be prepared for difficult operations, mainly in fields more distant from the coast, like pre-salt. The currently preceding context is marked by projects guidelines designed to reduce projects and operation costs, including an important reducing in the number of people on board. The main objective of this research is to verify and discuss if the experience of use in platforms designed in a previous context, in which the people on board is practically twice, can contribute and/or can be transferred to new projects. From the ergonomic…intervention in the design of two oil platform, with the work of team on board investigated on previous projects as reference, it was possible analyze if the previous use is still applicable to new projects. As a result, about 90% of the recommendations based on use are applicable to the current context. The restrictions on the transfer or operational experience are mainly related to the time of entry of ergonomics in the design process, the subsequent transformations costs and the advance of the execution phase started with the detailed design.
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Abstract: BIM is targeted at providing information about the entire building and a complete set of design documents and data stored in an integrated database. In this paper, we study the use of BIM in two life-cycle construction projects in Kuopio, Finland during 2011. The analysis of uses of BIM and their main problems will constitute a foundation for an intervention. We will focus on the following questions: (1) How different partners use the composite BIM model? (2) What are the major contradictions or problems in the BIM use? The preliminary findings reported in this study show that BIM has been…adopted quite generally to design use but the old ways of collaboration seem to prevail, especially between designers and between designers and building sites. BIM has provided new means and demands for collaboration but expansive uses of BIM for providing new interactive processes across professional fields have not much come true.
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Keywords: building information modeling, activity theory, multi-partner project collaboration, design, construction
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0144-114
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 114-119, 2012
Abstract: Based on literature, this article aims to present the “participant-observation’ research protocol, and its practical application in the industrial engineering field, more specifically within the area of design development, and in the case shown by this article, of interiors’ design. The main target is to identify the concept of the method, i.e., from its characteristics to structure a general sense about the subject, so that the protocol can be used in different areas of knowledge, especially those ones which are committed with the scientific research involving the expertise from researchers, and subjective feelings and opinions of the users of an…engineering product, and how this knowledge can be benefic for product design, contributing since the earliest stage of design.
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Keywords: participant observation, research scientific, product design, product engineering
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0145-120
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 120-126, 2012
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to discuss the use of intermediary objects in the workspace design process of offshore accommodations module. The integration of ergonomics in the design process can lead to better work conditions, more effectiveness in the work process and less health and safety issues. Moreover, it is more efficient in terms of cost if ergonomics is considered from the initial phases of the project, as the potential costs of the redesign, the possible losses and the down-time in the operation of the platform would be more increased. The goal, then, is to discuss the integration of…ergonomics and users involvement in the design process of accommodations modules, focusing on the transfer of information from reference situations by the use of intermediary objects during the process. In this paper we will present two tools developed to be used as intermediary object(s) aiming at transferring the experience from the use to the design in the specific field of offshore accommodations module.
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Keywords: ergonomic work analysis, ergonomic recommendations, accommodations module
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0146-127
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 127-135, 2012
Abstract: This paper presents the model “Work Situation Operative Model” - MOST (after its Spanish acronym). It offers a comprehensive, systemic approach to analysing work stations and/or work processes, serving also as a framework for pursuing various ergonomic and occupational health and safety goals. Originally produced for a food sector company, the model has been extended and successfully applied in several industries in Colombia and Ecuador, including cement, oil, and paper industries. Based on a systemic understanding of work systems and tasks, the model not only allows different, commonly-used methods and tools for evaluating or assessing the risk of muscular-sketetal disorders…to be included, but also supports occupational risk management strategies. Hence, one of its more important contributions relies on providing meaningful information that is useful for improving the work station and/or work process through design and re-design, by focusing on the interactions between all system elements.
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Keywords: ergonomic system, ergonomic method, comprehensive model, work place design, work station design
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0147-136
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 136-139, 2012
Abstract: Alterations made in the architectural design can be considered as a continuous process, from its conception to the moment a built environment is already in use. This article focuses on the “moving phase”, which is the initial moment of the environment occupation and the start-up of services. It aims to show that the continuity of ergonomics interventions during the “moving phase” or start up may reveal the built environment inadequacies; clearly showing needs not met by the design and allowing making instant decisions to solve non-foreseen problems. The results have revealed some lessons experienced by users during a critical stage…not usually included in the design process.
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Keywords: architectural design process, moving phase, use of a built environment, ergonomics analysis of work
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0148-140
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 140-144, 2012
Abstract: Advanced Air Traffic Management (ATM) concepts related to automation, airspace organization and operational procedures are driven by the overall goal to increase ATM system performance. Independently on the nature and/or impact of envisaged changes (e.g. from a short term procedure adjustment to a very long term operational concept or aid tools completion), the preliminary assessment of possible gains in airspace/airport capacity, safety and cost-effectiveness is done by running Model Based Simulations (MBSs, also known as Fast Time Simulations - FTS). Being a not human-in-the-loop technique, the reliability of a MBS results depend on the accuracy and significance of modeled human…factors. Despite that, it can be observed in the practice that modeling tools commonly assume a generalized standardization of human behaviors and tasks and consider a very few range of work environment factors that, in the reality, affect the actual human-system performance. The present paper is aimed at opening a discussion about the possibility to keep task description and related weight at a high/general level, suitable for an efficient use of MBSs and, at the same time, increasing simulations reliability adopting some adjustment coming from the elaboration of further variables related to the human aspects of controllers workload.
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Keywords: task, workload, human performance, environmental conditions, context variables
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0149-145
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 145-150, 2012
Abstract: This article presents a study on the activities of the air traffic controllers of the Approach Control Area (APP) of Porto Alegre, Brazil, in different real scenarios. Based on interviews, questionnaires and the analysis of film of real scenes, the following were identified and analyzed: i) the perceptions of risk and complexity of the different air traffic scenes observed; ii) the cognitive factors (knowledge, strategy and attention dynamics) involved in the task and iii) the perception of the controller’s workload. The results showed that the task complexity depends on the weather conditions, the number and type of aircraft in observation…and that the controllers perceive the scenes in a similar way irrespective of their time in the profession and the type of control (radar or coordination). Attention is the cognitive factor with the greatest impact on the work and mental demand has the greatest impact on workload followed by time demand. The literature on the controllers work in Brazil is scarce and, therefore, this study aimed to contribute to the understanding of the work in one APP in order to promote future changes in the very problematic Brazilian air traffic system.
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Keywords: air traffic control, complexity, safety, workload
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0150-151
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 151-158, 2012
Abstract: In air traffic management (ATM) knowledge of the impact of human factors on performance is critical to address safety incidents. Previous research has largely focused on the effects of single factors on performance which has resulted in a comprehensive understanding of single factor effects. In current control environments however, the residual threats for incidents often result from the interaction of multiple human factors and the resulting cumulative impact on performance. This research uses a literature review, an analysis of over 400 European aviation incident reports and finally a survey of ATM professionals to assess the need for a multifactorial model…of performance. Literature findings suggest that Human Factors approaches are fundamentally single-factor in nature, which is out of step with real ATM working contexts. An incident report analysis, supported by a survey of air traffic experts, suggests that multiple factor incident causation exists. This discrepancy suggests the need for a new approach to looking at how incidents occur, and their factors managed, on a day-to-day basis. The proposed solution is a multifactorial model of human performance.
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Keywords: air traffic control, aviation incident reports, human factor interaction, human performance
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0151-159
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 159-166, 2012
Abstract: Designing a usable human machine interface for air traffic control is challenging and should follow approved methods. The ISO 9241-210 standard promises high usability of products by integrating future users and following an iterative process. This contribution describes the proceeding and first results of the analysis and application of ISO 9241-210 to develop a planning tool for air traffic controllers.
Keywords: Air Traffic Control, User Centred Design Process, Participation, Interface Design, Iteration
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-1005-167
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 167-174, 2012
Abstract: The aim of this manuscript is to describe and compare regulatory aviation agencies according to their subordination and attributions to investigate air accidents. Possible consequences in identifying the contributory factors are also presented. Distinct procedures investigating air accidents among agencies lead to a lack of standardization of the statistics, making it difficult to analyze the data globally. Separately the information does not configure the entire scenario of what occurred, affecting the analysis and subsequent interventions. We recommend a joint and collaborative work between the different committees that operate in the investigation of air accidents.
Keywords: air accidents, regulatory agencies, accidents investigation, organizational factors, standardization
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0152-175
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 175-177, 2012
Abstract: This paper describes an experimental study investigating pilots’ manual flying skills. In today’s line oriented flight training, basic flying skills are neglected frequently. So, the study examines the manual flying skills of commercial airline pilots under the influence of several performance shaping factors like training, practice or fatigue in a landing scenario. The landing phase shows a disproportionate high percentage of aircraft accidents and it is typically flown by hand. The study is to be undertaken with randomly selected pilots in a full motion flight simulator to ensure a high validity of the results.
Abstract: There are situations in the operation of complex machinery which is significant pressure. In need of capturing, interpreting and processing information from instruments, often in seconds. This occurs in the middle where it operates the pilot and the aircraft will be established a set of operations that will culminate with a maneuver, consisting of a substantial and binding set of procedures performed for this driver. This has little time to evaluate and act, supported by aircraft instruments and external environmental signals captured by the senses, which will stimulate conditioned actions that, if executed without due accuracy, is reflected in a…deadly mistake. These situations cause a state of tension and unpredictability, especially when there is bad weather and / or no visibility and bad wind conditions occur and are not supportive or even shrinkage, or even partial or total ability to operate the airplane happen..
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Abstract: A study investigating what factors are present leading to pilots submitting voluntary anomaly reports regarding their flight performance was conducted. Diffusion Maps (DM) were selected as the method of choice for performing dimensionality reduction on text records for this study. Diffusion Maps have seen successful use in other domains such as image classification and pattern recognition. High-dimensionality data in the form of narrative text reports from the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) were clustered and categorized by way of dimensionality reduction. Supervised analyses were performed to create a baseline document clustering system. Dimensionality reduction techniques identified concepts or keywords…within records, and allowed the creation of a framework for an unsupervised document classification system. Results from the unsupervised clustering algorithm performed similarly to the supervised methods outlined in the study. The dimensionality reduction was performed on 100 of the most commonly occurring words within 126,000 text records describing commercial aviation incidents. This study demonstrates that unsupervised machine clustering and organization of incident reports is possible based on unbiased inputs. Findings from this study reinforced traditional views on what factors contribute to civil aviation anomalies, however, new associations between previously unrelated factors and conditions were also found.
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Keywords: Data Mining, Dimensionality Reduction, Text Records, Clustering, Incident Reports
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0155-188
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 188-197, 2012
Abstract: The decreased pressure in the cabin of a pressurised aircraft (typically equivalent to ~8000 ft) reduces the oxygen level so that the blood oxygen saturation of all occupants falls from >97% (normoxia) at sea-level to below 92% (mild hypoxia). Although exposure to mild hypoxia does not affect well-learned cognitive and motor performance of aircrew, it has been proposed that it can affect the performance of some complex cognitive performance tasks involving multiple demands typical of emergency tasks that may have to be performed by pilots. In order to simulate some of these complex cognitive demands, 25 student volunteers participated in…an experiment which assessed performance of complex logical reasoning and and multiple memory tasks before and after 2 hours of exposure to normoxia and mild hypoxia. Performance for the more difficult components of the complex reasoning task, especially involving conflict decisions, were marginally significantly degraded by mild hypoxia. Since the effects were only marginally significant future studies should investigate the effects of mild hypoxia on more subtle complex decision-making tasks.
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Abstract: In the future planned interplanetary expedition mission to Mars, spaceflight crewmembers will be exposed to an environment that is completely unique from anything they are accustomed to on Earth. Due to the characteristics of these missions, a challenge will be to design an environment that allows crewmembers to easily work and live in for extended durations. One of the challenges associated with these future missions is supplying the crew with essential resources for survivability such as food and water. In this case, the waste management system can play a role in a closed-loop life support system, as provisions sent with…the crew will be severely limited with no opportunity for resupply. The following looks at the rationale of designing a system for collecting, storing, and recycling human bodily waste that (1) is considered user-friendly by crewmembers in regard to habitability in spaceflight, and (2) provides applications for a self sustaining closed-loop life support system that will aid the crew during the mission. Future design processes should consider adhering to these guidelines to help in the spaceflight crew’s living environment and the conduction of the interplanetary expedition.
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Abstract: People are central to system functioning and this role has been dramatically extended by new information technology. This makes possible the fundamental transformation of processes across systems of systems. Can Ergonomics research play an effective role in systems integration innovation? To have real world impact on such problems the system of R and D needs to sustain strong designs that address the functionality of socio-technical systems and support the implementation of innovations, taking into account the complexity of change, the importance of values of dignity and trust, and creating a common understanding amongst all stakeholders to enable design for operations.…Strong research designs are more expensive, difficult, risky and prolonged than more commonly practiced weaker designs. They require active engagement with the industrial or service provider and involve overcoming cultural and other barriers to effective implementation and change. To create a virtuous cycle of research-generated impact it is necessary for strong designs to be well supported in the research community and for real world impact to be central to performance criteria of research excellence. Unfortunately neither of these criteria appear to be fulfilled. To ameliorate this, deficiencies in the full cycle of systems integration innovation need to be addressed.
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Keywords: research impact, systems integration, implementation, design for operations, trust
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0158-209
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 209-218, 2012
Abstract: Maintenance tasks, especially in heavy maintenance, may not be completed in a single shift. Aircraft maintenance technicians often take work in progress by colleagues, and spend the incomplete work for a change of team. The need for accuracy and efficiency of information transfer in many cases, without having time to have a meeting to pass the service is a crucial aspect of maintenance work. The ideal shift change can occur normally before delivery and continues to proceed normally after delivery. Although a shift change create challenges for communication, they also offer opportunities to detect and correct errors, where the task…of delivery is an opportunity to identify the problem and fix it. In this case, the task was done correctly the first round, however, a problem began when the second round took. One example is a case in which the first round have removed a defective part for replacement and let the component of aircraft at end of turn with problems. Instead of ordering and installation of an operational component, the second round was then reinstall the faulty component, not realizing he had information about the problem attached.
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Abstract: The probes allow the pilot to control the aircraft speed was essential to the balance of the flight. Opinions of experts who claim that “the design of the plane would have exercised a not inconsiderable role in the occurrence of a disaster. ” These messages revealed a series of important operating errors in a zone of turbulence, “making the plane uncontrollable, leading to a rapid depressurization device, according to these reports. A lawsuit in Toulouse and in Brazil aims to recognition of the liability of Air France and Airbus not insignificant role in the design and operation of the aircraft…in the event of catastrophe. Opinions are taken from senior pilots that no commercial aviation training for certain situations abnormal flight that, if realized, could have influenced the pilots of the AF-447 to remove the plane’s fatal dive show what experiments performed in simulators for military pilots, who are permanently subject to critical flight situations.
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Keywords: processing information, human error, trainning
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0160-222
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 222-224, 2012
Abstract: Military air operations and law enforcement operations in helicopters are examples of activities that require high performance of the operator. This article aimed at presenting a preliminary analysis of data obtained in the initial study in order to validate the instruments and the research protocol that focuses on the analysis of the workload imposed on helicopter pilots in emergency situations. The research was conducted in an environment of real flight training and used the NASA-TLX Scale to assess the workload and an interview guide to obtain reports on the main tasks performed. Preliminary data obtained is related to the participation…of 10 (ten) volunteer pilots with experience in different types of helicopters. Four scenarios involving helicopter emergency procedures of HB-350 "Squirrel” were outlined. For this article, the analysis used only the data regarding the Physical and Mental Demands of the NASA-TLX Scale. Preliminarily, the results indicate that the "time pressure" as a factor contributing to increase mental requirement in emergency situations in flight, and that this increase was reflected in the request of mental processes such as: identification of the breakdown, attention and monitoring parameters. Future steps include extending the sample and adding physiological tools to better understand the effects of these types of emergencies on pilot performance and flight safety.
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Abstract: In this article we present a model of some functions and activities of the Brazilian Air traffic Control System (ATS) in the period in which occurred a mid-air collision between flight GLO1907, a commercial aircraft Boeing 737-800, and flight N600XL, an executive jet EMBRAER E-145, to investigate key resilience characteristics of the ATM. Modeling in some detail activities during the collision and related them to overall behavior and antecedents that stress the organization uncover some drift into failure mechanisms that erode safety defenses provided by the Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP), enabling a mid-air collision to be happen.
Keywords: air traffic, Brazilian Air traffic Control System (ATS), Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP)
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0162-232
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 232-239, 2012
Abstract: The objective of the present study is to propose a method to dynamically evaluate discomfort of a passenger seat by measuring the interface pressure between the occupant and the seat during the performance of the most common activities of a typical flight. This article reports the results of resting and reading studies performed in a simulator that represents the interior of a commercial aircraft.
Abstract: To predict the technology acceptance of a system before market release is one of the big challenges of today. Many models are concerned with the question if someone is going to accept the system or not. Within this work a first empirical investigation of a personal trait called Pleasure of Control (PoC) is presented. Pleasure of Control is a construct that divides people into those people enjoy having control over a technical system and those who do not. It is predicted that a high Pleasure of Control leads to a prolonged system usage and unwillingness to accept highly automated systems.…This paper presents a first empirical investigation of Pleasure of Control with 10 Persons with focus on usage durations. An experimental study revealed differences in the usage durations of a technical system (Apple iPad) between users with high and user with low Pleasure of Control measures.
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Keywords: technology acceptance, usage durations, pleasure of control, automated systems
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0164-246
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 246-251, 2012
Abstract: At present, the number of the vehicle requirements has been continuously increasing. These requirements can be related to the customer as well as the technical requirements. Among these, the “feeling of space” of the occupants inside the vehicles can be regarded as one of the most important factors. In this respect, the driver and passengers should be able to experience positive feeling of space inside the vehicle. There are numerous factors that can influence the sense of space inside the vehicle. These include geometry (vehicle dimensions), light exposure, ambient lights, colors, material selection and material surface. Depending on the selection,…the sense of space can be dramatically influenced by these factors. In general, human feeling is subjective and cannot be measured by any instrument. The measure can nevertheless be carried out by utilizing the method of subjective evaluation. Throughout the experiments, the method of evaluation is developed and the factors which can influence the interior feeling are analyzed. In this process, psychological perception, architectural aspects and anthropometry are considered and knowledge from the other domains is transferred in the form of a multidisciplinary approach. The experiments with an aim to evaluate the overall sense of space in the vehicle are carried out based on the physical mock up of BMW 1 series (E87). The space perception with different interior dimensions and anthropometric data of test persons are also analyzed. The use of Computer Aided Technology was shown by CATIA V5, PCMAN and RAMSIS. The results show a good correlation between the subjective evaluation and the geometric values.
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Keywords: sense of space, effect of space, space perception, PCMAN, objective evaluation of space effects
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0165-252
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 252-257, 2012
Abstract: Lack of system reliability has been repeatedly identified as a factor that decreases trust. However, aesthetics has an important role in the development of trust. Most of the research concerning the connection between aesthetics and trust focused on mobile commerce and websites while very little has been done in examining aesthetics in automated systems. This study integrated aesthetics manipulations into an imperfect in-vehicle automation system and focused on the power of aesthetics to decrease the negative effects of errors on trust, satisfaction, annoyance, and human-automation cooperation perceptions. Participants used the navigation system in either 100% or 85% accuracy levels with…an aesthetic or non aesthetic system (4 conditions). In both aesthetic and non aesthetic systems, perceptions of trust, satisfaction and human automation cooperation were decreased in the imperfect system compared to the perfect one. However, in the annoyance rating, this trend was found only in the aesthetic system while in the non-aesthetic system no difference was found between the two levels of accuracy. This single effect may indicate upon the possibility that in automated systems aesthetics affects trust and satisfaction more moderately compared to mobile commerce applications and websites. However, more research is needed to assess this assumption.
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Abstract: This article presents a study on the perception of fear related to the use of three different types of urban furniture, qualitatively evaluated based on interviews while people were using them in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil: the bus shelter, the playground, and the gymnastic equipment. The fear related to the lack of safety of the urban space was associated with the use of the three types of products. The fear experienced by the use of the playground and the bus shelter was related to the occurrence of accidents, since both products are often unsafe and do not fulfill…ergonomic parameters. The fear experienced from the use of the gymnastic equipment is related to the possibility of incorrect use of the product and the occurrence of harassment. Both ergonomics and emotion are important aspects to be considered in design, in order to make the use of social/ collective products a pleasant experience.
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Keywords: emotion and design, ergonomics, collective product
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0167-266
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 266-271, 2012
Abstract: Past research showed that people are able to perceive the personality of others at zero acquaintances. There are two main ways, verbal and non-verbal methods, which play an important role for one in perceiving personality of others. Extensive research was conducted in relating personality with verbal, paralinguistic and gestures cues. However, there are not much research, to our knowledge, that relates the appearance and perceived personality of robots. The main objective of this research is to relate individual design features with big five perceived personality of the robots. We used the results of rated perceptions across 100 pictorial images of…robots and relate the results with the 40 individual design features using General Linear Model (GLM). The initial results of the GLM analysis showed that participants’ rating of personality of robot fell along the dimension of perceived friendliness which is a common rotation of extroversion and agreeableness. Some relationships were found between humanlike design features and perceived friendliness of robots. Since participants are more familiar with humans, participants perceived robots with humanlike features friendlier than the others. Some other findings such as color and surface material were found related with participants’ perceived friendliness as well. In the future, we will work on the analysis of the main and interaction effects of individual features on user’s perceived friendliness.
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Keywords: social robots, perceived personality, visual appearance, generalized linear model
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0168-272
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 272-276, 2012
Abstract: Several people buy products that they will never use or even know what for. Feelings associated with pleasure, spontaneity and possession of something are reasons why people buy products without considering if they really need it or not if it will be useful or not, etc.. The collective buying sites are going up and offer products and services with great discounts. This study aims to relate the emotional design and usability concerning to collective buying sites and identify the reasons that influence people when it comes to buy something online.
Keywords: user experience, interface analysis, simplification of purchasing processes
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0169-277
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 277-281, 2012
Abstract: This article presents a study on the identification of a setting whose arrangement of attributes could lead to the perception of pleasantness of a bus shelter: a product that should welcome people while waiting for the bus. Two different bus shelters typologies in the city of Porto Alegre, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, were evaluated, where four attributes were under consideration. The relation between the shelters subject of the study and the surroundings was significant for defining the attributes. The setting with curve shaped cover, bench, rear wall, and surrounding vegetation was considered the most pleasant one. The…seats and the rear wall were associated with the practical function of the product while the curve shaped cover and the surrounding vegetation were associated with the aesthetical function according to the participant users.
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Keywords: emotional design, pleasantness, bus shelter, product attributes, product functions
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0170-282
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 282-289, 2012
Abstract: This article addresses the love for shoes by the perspective of design and emotion. Reviewing the footwear history, we realize that it did not take too long for the shoes start to have new functions, aesthetic and symbolic, which eventually came to have greater relevance in the acquisition of women’s shoes. Today, these outweigh the importance of physical comfort for many women, that once feeling pretty, do not realize the discomfort of the shoe. Studies indicate that the objects we love have a strong influence on our sense of identity, especially when dealing with clothing articles that have the power…to show on our appearance our identity, tastes and preferences. Crossing the semiotics field, the footwear is analyzed as an object of feminine desire, imbued with symbolic relations. As a result, we propose a framework to describe the emotional relationship between women and shoes.
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Keywords: female footwear, design and emotion, love for products, protection, pleasure
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0171-290
Citation: Work,
vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 290-294, 2012
