Work Postures

• Conventional engineering solution is to use an

industrial height workstation with a 92 cm (36 in) high
work table.

• This can accommodate both sitting and standing

operators.

• The working height for the standing operator is about

92 cm (36 in), and a sitting operator can use a high
industrial chair with a ring support or a footrest.

• Such flexibility in a workplace is indeed desirable and

flexibility for sitting or standing can be advantageous
for many tasks.
A worktable for alternately sitting and standing. In this
case the table at 110–120 cm is higher than the
conventional 92 cm (36 in) table.
Variations of sit- stand arrangements. The
operator is free to alternate between standing
and sit-standing.
However, the use of a conventional industrial height
workstation can also create problems. It is not an appropriate
design solution for dedicated seated tasks.

•Misapplication of a 92 cm (32 in)

industrial height table.

•Working with a microscope is a

dedicated seated task, and a regular
height table should be used.
 POOR BODY POSTURES
• The types of posture that people assume at work can often
lead to pain in various parts of the body.
• Table summarizes common complaints for different work
• A joint that is in an extreme position, either
fully flexed or fully extended, may develop
biomechanical problems.

• Rather, joints should be at a mid-range

position. For example, arms should not be
fully extended or flexed.

• Few examples….next slide

Examples of work postures
where there are problems
with extreme joint angle,
large muscular force, high
degree of repetition, or high
contact pressure
Preferred Work Posture for Different Tasks
The standing posture is used in the workplace
when sitting is not suitable, either because
the operator has to cover a large work area
or because large forces must be exerted with the hands.

Precision work Light assembly work
requires that the requires that the work
elbows be supported objects be just below
for maximum control. elbow level for ease of
movement.
The Standing Posture
Heavy work requires that objects be
placed well below the elbow so as
to permit efficient muscle
positioning during lifting.
Work surface heights for the standing posture
are determined from the elbow height of the
target population and the type of work activity performed.

The table provides general guidelines….

Bending while working in the standing position can be uncomfortable
and can in some cases lead to low back pain.
 The Sitting Posture
The sitting posture is more comfortable and produces lower strains on the body
than standing posture.
It allows better controlled hand movements.
In the sitting posture the feet can, however, be used to exert high forces.
 Calculation of Work Height
In a manufacturing plant, sitting workstations will be used for light
assembly. Assume that there is a female population of workers, that the
hand is held at elbow height minus 5 cm, and that the hand height above
the floor is 55–73 cm. Assume further that the product has a handling
height of H/2 cm, where H is the product height. What is the maximum
product height if the worktable is 3 cm thick?

Calculation of product height.

In the calculations assume that D=0.

(The numbers given in parentheses are

the 5th and 95th female percentiles.)
Sitting elbow height=5+H/2+3+Thigh clearance (cm)

For 5th percentile female:

18.1 cm = 5 + H/2 + 3 + 10.6

….not enough to accommodate the thigh clearance of 10.6 cm, table thickness
of 3 cm, and hand height of 5 cm below elbow height.

…… In this case H = - 1.0 cm.

For the 95th percentile female:

28.1 cm = 5 + H/2 + 3 + 17.5

….the sitting elbow height is much greater.

…. In this case H = 5.2 cm.

 ORGANIZATION OF ITEMS AT A WORKSTATION
Principles….
• KEEP THE NUMBER OF ITEMS TOUCHED BY THE HAND
TO A MINIMUM:
Minimize the number of hand tools, the number of different parts, and
the number of controls. Eg. use less varieties of screw, combine parts
(washers with the screws).

• ARRANGE THE ITEMS (CONTROLS, HAND TOOLS AND

PARTS) So THAT THE OPERATOR CAN ADJUST His OR
HER POSTURE FREQUENTLY:
Eg. In industrial punch press the operator must hold the work item with
both hands and press the foot control to initiate the pressing action. Using
just one foot causes one-sided strain that is likely to lead to back
problems. It must be possible to move the foot control so that it can be
operated with either foot at the worker’s convenience.
• CONSIDER PREFERENCES IN HAND MOVEMENTS
AND HANDEDNESS:
People can move their hands both faster and with
much better precision in an arc than horizontally
or vertically. Eg. drawing a straight line on a piece
of paper. It is easier to draw if the paper is turned
at an angle so that the hand can move outwards
from the body.

Handedness is important in the design of hand

tools, particularly those intended for tasks which
require skill and dexterity. Assembly tasks do
require skill and dexterity, and thus hand tools for
left-handed individuals are needed.
 ORGANIZING ITEMS IN THE WORKPLACE
Principles….
• Distinguish between Primary and Secondary Items

• Identify Primary and Secondary Movement Envelopes on the

Worktable (Max. & Normal Working Areas)

• Divide the Tasks into Subtasks, Each Forming a Logical Unit

• Divide the Worktable into Several Areas, One for Each Subtask

• Place Items such as Bins and Tools in a Convenient Location So

That They Can Be Used Sequentially for Each Subtask
 Design of Displays and Controls

Displays….
Dials
Counters
Lights Flow of Man-Machine
Charts Information
System
Buzzers
CRT
Screens
etc.
Types of Displays
Quantitative
State of process under dynamic(change in temp., presure WRT
time etc) and static condition in numeric values – digital or analog

Qualitative
Limited number of discrete states of some variables, eg. Warning,
operating range, on/off, open/close etc. – visual or auditory

Representative
Provide pictorial information, eg. Flow diagrams, charts, maps,
etc.

Alphanumeric
Information by means of alphanumeric characters
 Displays must satisfy THREE criteria

Detection Recognition Understanding

clear
after detection it
visibility/audibility the meaning must be
should be easily
of visual/auditory clearly understood
read or listened to
displays
Design Principles for Visual Displays-1
• Digital vs. Analog?
– Precision vs. approximation
– Exact value vs. trend
– Watches???
 Design Principles for Visual Displays-2

Fixed scale, moving

pointer: best

Moving scale, fixed

pointer: not good
 Design Principles for Visual Displays-3
Basic features of dial:
• Scale:
– Major/minor tics
• Progression
– 10’s, 5’s best
– 2’s OK
– 3’s never
• Pointer
– Pointed
– Meets smallest tic
– Avoid parallax
Design Principles for Visual Displays-4
• Minimize informational load
• Indicator lights
– Flashing creates arousal/attention
– But flicker fusion rate (Movies 24/sec)
• Labels
– Proper size: at 20 in. → 10 pt = 22 arc min, but 1:6
stroke width/height ratio
– B on W for day, W on B for night
– Mix upper and lower case
– Warnings: bold and upper case
Display Dials….
 Display Guidelines
Use Vision if… Use Audition if…
Message long/complex Message short/simple
Spatial reference Events in time
Referred back to Transient
No immediate action Immediate action
Noisy, hearing difficult Dark, vision difficult
Operator stationary Operator moving about
 Design of Displays and Controls

Controls….
Push buttons
Switches
Knobs Flow of Man-Machine
Cranks Responses
System
Hand wheels
Pedals
Joysticks
etc.
 Controls must satisfy THREE criteria

Accessibility Identifiability Usability

must be within each control must must be able to be
comfortable and be capable to be used as intended –
efficient reach of identified force, speed, range,
the user separately scale, accuracy
 Design Principles for Controls - 1
Control-response ratio=
amount of control move
amount of response move
• Low C/R = high gain
– coarse control
• High C/R = low gain
– fine control
• Optimum C/R = best
response time
– ↓ travel time
– ↓ adjust time
32
 Design Principles for Controls - 2
• Horizontal displays: Warrick’s principle = closest points on
display & control move in same direction
• Stick controls: up = increase, forward = increase??
• Different planes: CW = ↑, right-hand rule

IE 327 33
Control Movement Stereotypes:
Common Expectations for Control Activation
 CODING OF CONTROLS
Controls can be coded by adding features to
them. This makes them easier to distinguish.

There are six common types of control coding…

• 1. Location
• 2. Color
• 3. Size
• 4. Shape
• 5. Labeling
• 6. Mode of operation
Shape-coded controls for airplanes
Design for Maintainability

EASE OF FAULT IDENTIFICATION

TESTABILITY & TROUBLE SHOOTING

MANUAL AND VISUAL ACCESSIBILITY

EASE OF MANIPULATION
Clearance
requirement
for different
hand tools