Safety Management and Human Factors

AHFE International

Accelerating Open Access Science in Human Factors Engineering and Human-Centered Computing

Safety Management and Human Factors

book-cover

Editors: Pedro Arezes, Anne Garcia

Topics: Safety Management and Human Factors

Publication Date: 2022

ISBN: 978-1-958651-40-7

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1002620

Articles

Validation of a Video-based System to Determine Heart Rate for Stress Monitoring

Studies estimate that about 50% of all lost workdays are related to occupational stress. Academic researchers have been using heart rate variability (HRV) as an indicator of stress. As a way of providing the needed heart rate data, an unobtrusive approach points to video plethysmography, being a recent method that needs further investigation and validation. Specific barriers such as room lighting conditions and face movement have been identified as the main risks for software progression. The present chapter presents a validation protocol of a video-based system to determine heart rate for stress monitoring, under different illuminance levels and position conditions. We present an in-depth protocol on how to assess the reliability of a video facial recognition software on collecting physiological data (heart rate), and our software results when compared to the gold standard, Electrocardiogram (ECG).

Simão Ferreira, Matilde Rodrigues, Nuno Rocha

Conference Proceedings

Work-related diseases as a challenge for institutionalized prevention in a changing world of work

The world of work is changing. This change becomes obvious by various developments, such as individualization, flexibilization or dissolution of boundaries, which also shape the discourse about subjectification of work (Beck, 1986, Kleemann et al., 2019, Sennett, 2008). Changing work requirements and demands made by employees are closely entwined with changes in health burdens of working people (Eurofound and EU-OSHA, 2014, Eurofound and ILO, 2017, Kratzer et al., 2011, Mauno et al., 2019, Siegrist, 2019). While the numbers of workplace accidents decline, an increasing emergence of work-related diseases can be observed. Contemporaneously, long-term health maintenance and employability is gaining importance in Europe as access conditions to welfare state benefits is becoming increasingly restricted (Böhle and Lessenich, 2018, Vogel, 2018).The prevention of accidents and diseases at workplace is historically rooted in the welfare state and associated with certain traditions of thought (Dixon, 1999, Esping-Andersen, 1990, Moses, 2019). In Austria, workplace disease prevention is based on regulations of occupational health and safety (OHS) as well as statutory accident insurance (Püringer, 2014). Interpretation and communication of these regulations through legally mandated institutions strongly influence companies‘ OHS prevention measures. However, in the face of tertiarization processes and the subjectification of work and in view of the “4 Fs” of change at work – feminization, flexibilization, fragmentation and financialization – traditional prevention discourses and practices run the risk of excluding growing parts of the working population (Kangas, 2010, Rubery, 2015). This paper takes up the developments described above and carries them forward using the results of Marie Jelenko's dissertation (2021) on current prevention discourses. The focus is on Austria's central state mediating bodies, the Labor Inspectorate and the Workers' Compensation Board. Within the methodological framework of Grounded Theory, Jelenko conducted qualitative interviews, additionally including a large number of relevant documents in her analysis (Bogner et al., 2014, Strauss, 1994, Wolff, 2010). The findings reveal conservative as well as dynamic approaches to work-related disease prevention at the level of intermediary social policy agencies.

Marie Jelenko, Georg Effenberger

Conference Proceedings

Activity simulation in Radiology: Chest X-Ray in bed-ridden patients

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) symptoms are frequent in healthcare workers. In Radiology Departments, demanding postures assumed by radiographers frequently occurred. Chest plain radiography to bed-ridden patients is one of the most demanding ones. To evaluate postural strain in radiographers’, professional activity was simulated during bedside chest plain radiography performance.Bed-ridden chest X-ray examinations are generally performed by two radiographers. The simulations scenarios were recorded using photogrammetry methods, assessing postural variations of the main body segments (head/neck, upper arm, and trunk) (Kapitaniak et al. method, 2001). The main body angles of observed body segments were measured with dedicated software (Kinovea, version 0.8.15). The postures were classified into three categories according to European Standards (EN 1005-4:2005 + A1:2008): “acceptable”, “conditionally acceptable”, and “not acceptable” (British Standard, 2018).Results show demanding postures assumed by radiographers occurred during the X-ray tube manipulation requiring arm flexion, being more evident for radiographers that were shorter. Regarding patient handling, upper arm flexion was “not acceptable” when holding and pushing the patient by the shoulders. This arm posture may increase the risk of injuries especially since it is associated with high exertion of force and is repeated during the examination. In contrast, by supporting patients by scapula passing under the axilla, the constraint in the upper arm was reduced and the trunk flexion, even a bit more important, remain “acceptable”. This observation indicates that the need to train radiographers in manual patient handling. Unacceptable neck extensions can also be observed in the medium and smallest radiographers while handling the patient to probably have an overview (Cernean et al., 2017; Giger et al., 2008) and/or maintain a certain physical distance from the patient.Since bedside chest radiography is one of the most performed examinations requiring repeated movements and awkward posture, particular attention should be paid to biomechanical load. One strategy to reduce this physical constraint is the collaboration of both radiographers to lift the patient. Another one is changing the bedside radiography procedure, for instance raising the upper side of the bed to 45º, which will reduce the main risk factors doing the X-ray.Most of the radiographers self-associated conventional radiography practice with low back complaints, which is in line with previous studies in X-ray radiographers (Lorusso et al., 2007). This result was not surprising, even though the trunk posture was never classified as “not acceptable”, because the repetitive truck flexion with exertion of force to lift the patient may increase the risk of WRMSDs symptoms. Further research is needed to identify the demanding tasks responsible for symptoms.There is a lack of literature on the impact of anthropometric characteristics of radiographers performing X-rays, but mammography related studies showed that not adjustable radiological equipment to anthropometrics characteristics, is a physical risk factor, requiring radiographers to assume awkward postures possibly leading to WRMSDs symptoms (Cernean et al., 2017; Costa et al., 2014a). We dare to say there is a need to improve communication between users, equipment manufacturers, and designers to fit the needs of a wider range of radiographers' anthropometrics characteristics.

Florentino Serranheira, Kelly Fernandes, Cláudia Sá Dos Reis

Conference Proceedings

Adverse Events in Dental Care: A Review Towards Notification

The occurrence of adverse events (AE) in healthcare represents a severe problem for the quality of care, due to unsafe or poor quality of healthcare service. Similar to many other healthcare environments, Dentistry entails inherent patient safety risks. Research on patient safety has been developed over the last decades, however, it is important to consider AE to improve patient safety in this care environment, as adequate reporting systems for this area of intervention are not known. Thus, the main aim of this study was to carry out a literature review to investigate AE exclusively related to dental care, and associated with the types of procedures that dentists perform and the tools used. Results will guide future studies, particularly related to their notification, as a way of promoting patient safety. The PubMed, Scopus and SciELO databases were used and the following keywords searched: “patient safety”, “adverse events”, “dental care”, “dental services” and “dentistry”, in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Observational studies, published in the last 10 years, were considered. Review studies, case reports and clinical trials were excluded. 56 articles were identified. The most common AE in dental care settings were: infections, delayed or failed diagnosis, allergies, errors in diagnosis and examination, errors in treatment planning or procedure, and accidental ingestion or inhalation of foreign objects, among others. Improving the knowledge on AE is important to encourage reporting, control and seek for tools that help manage care, and to promote improvements in care and patient safety. To conclude, the identification and recognition of AE, specific to this field of medical practice, is only the first step towards improving patient safety in dental care, through the development of specific notification systems. In future works, we intend to develop and validate an AE notification system adapted to the specificities of the dental field, using the clinical school of Dentistry at the University of Rio Verde as a study site.

Vanessa Torres, Filipa Carvalho

Conference Proceedings

Technology and Young Adult Visual Acuity Degradation Symptoms

Technology in the modern age is used in various sectors, particularly screen technology, usually in many everyday devices such as smartphones, personal computers, tablets, and smartwatches. Most of the consumer products used in this current age have a screen interface and are abundantly distributed to the public. This study investigated the connection between the rapid availability of digital screen devices and vision problems in young adults. One hundred and two students and twelve vision care experts participated in the study. Results revealed that about 59% of the students experienced a worse vision from 2015 to late 2021. About 73% of these student respondents affirmed using a smartphone as the primary digital screen device for 5-6 hours daily, and 37% confirmed to have experienced eye dryness and irritation during COVID-19. Vision care experts confirmed treating many young adult patients with vision-related issues in the past five years compared with a decade ago. About 58% of the vision experts believe blue light filters will reduce visual degradation when over exposed to digital screens. This area of study needs empirical research to ascertain other health hazards associated with the new technology evolving in our daily activities.

Bankole Fasanya, Olukunle Akanbi, Nihaar Usu, Temilade Adeyeye

Conference Proceedings

Training in Traffic Safety Culture Based on Risk Factor Analysis for Urban Road Accident Prevention: Case Study Rio Verde – Goiás - Brazil

This study will address a sample that will cover the entire population of the Rio Verde, Goiás State - Brazil. Such action is important so that in an objective way it is possible to assess advances and weaknesses of the municipality, allowing an important public management tool to be developed, and providing the population with a simple way to follow the development of the place where they chose to live. Under this perspective and aiming at contributing to a technologically and culturally more developed society, a new project has been setup. The project aims at reducing the differences among generations in terms of knowledge, skills, and behaviors, towards a safety culture. Thus, educational sessions covering three main axes (Health, Environment and Safety) will be setup addressing the targeted groups that are segmented by age and educational level. The project starts with the behavior analysis of the selected groups throughout the city, aiming at developing the necessary material to achieve the long-awaited resilience in the future.Keywords: traffic safety, risk factors, safety culture, education, behaviour adaptation.

Magaly Romão, Paulo Do Vale, Guilherme Rodrigues De Sousa, Anabela Simoes

Conference Proceedings

Perspectives on Human Performance and Safety Management in NTSB Rail and Highway Accident Investigations

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigates accidents across transportation modes and maintains a Most Wanted List of transportation safety issues based on these investigations. This paper examines three investigations of rail and highway accidents conducted by the NTSB, highlighting the human performance safety issues of employee fatigue and distracted driving. The probable causes and safety recommendations resulting from these investigations are reviewed.

Anne Garcia, Meg Sweeney

Conference Proceedings

Reanalyzing the FPSO CSM accident (2015) with a Human Factors approach to understand the contribution of organizational elements and complexities

This study presents a reanalysis of FPSO (Floating Production Storage & Offloading) CSM (Cidade de São Mateus) accident, occurred in February 2015, in the post-salt of the Camarupim fields, in the Espírito Santo offshore area, using the FRAM (Functional Resonance Analysis Method) methodology, and based on technical-scientific materials such as books, articles and reports prepared by the companies involved in the accident and the Brazilian regulatory agency ANP (Agência Nacional do Petróleo, Gás Natural e Biocombustíveis). The purpose of this reanalysis is to seek elements, factors, characteristics and interactions that could not be well analysed or evidenced using traditional risk assessment and accident investigation techniques, primarily designed to analyse simple and linear systems. In order to have a coherent analysis between the accident and the complex sociotechnical systems involved, the FRAM methodology was chosen, as it comprehensively manages to analyse from simple to more complex systems. And in fact, with this reanalysis using the FRAM, it was possible to perceive the influence of organizational elements, such as culture, in the entire accidental chain of the event. In addition, contractual pressures related to business, fear of hierarchical consequences and failures in decision making, at all levels, were also evidenced. The findings of this study highlighted the need of a broader approach for accidents involving high-tech industries, such as O&G and aerospace. In this sense, the FRAM enabled a more comprehensive and coherent analysis of the complexities of offshore oil production systems, notably in emergency situations, as was this accident. Comparisons between the traditional analysis methodologies, with the results obtained with the application of the FRAM, showed that there are elements contributing to the accidents that need to be considered, but that techniques limited to linear and simple systems still cannot cover this recognition. It was noticed that the greater the complexity of work systems, the greater the interaction and variability between personnel, equipment and systems, requiring, both for normal operation and for emergencies, analysis techniques and methodologies capable of recognizing the real complexities that take place in these sociotechnical systems, especially aboard offshore oil platforms at sea.

Josue Franca, Erik Hollnagel

Conference Proceedings

Selection and implementation of Evidence based Safety Performance Indicators in Aviation Training

Safety management in Aviation training is shaped by identification, evaluation, and measurement of the safety risks. The International Air Transportation Authority (IATA) Technology Roadmap (IATA 2022) offers a synopsis and evaluation of ongoing technology opportunities, which change the aviation environment with the implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and introduction of enhanced Minimum Crew Operations (eMCO) and Single Pilot Operations (SiPO). Change management (airplane design philosophy /ergonomics) affects aviation training design philosophy. A hybrid competency-based education approach in aviation needs interaction with the aviation industry and changes in flight operations (ICAO, 2022). The performance gap of these changes concerning the aviation industry, flight operations, and training is assessed and measured through Evidence-Based Training (EBT) pilot competencies (ICAO, 2016). Safety management systems (SMSs) in aviation training present a lag in identifying and implementing Safety Performance Indicators (SPIs). Implementation of Evidence-based Safety performance indicators as conceptualized in the aviation training through SPI’s (data-based parameters from students' flights) at a theoretical and practical level, act as safety (SMS), personal development (identify pilot weakness – Human Factors), and assessment (Competency-based education) tool (ICAO, 2018).Keywords: Evidence-Based Training (EBT), Safety Management Systems (SMSs), Safety Performance Indicators (SPIs), Human Factors (HF), ergonomics, aviation training.

Brian Dillman, Dimitrios Ziakkas, Jason Cutter

Conference Proceedings

Expanded Method of Accident Analysis and Prevention – MAPAEX: an incident analysis in a railway company

Introduction. Organizational and systemic analyses of workplace accidents do not include systematic methods of stimulating workers' learning and empowerment. Objective. The purpose of this study is to present an incident analysis in a railway passengers transport system using the Expanded Method of Workplace Accident Analysis and Prevention (MAPAEX). Methodology. MAPAEX is a collaborative tool that looks at the accident as an unexpected result of contradictions among the different elements of an activity system. A contradiction is a historically accumulated structural tension within and between activity systems. Identifying contradictions in the activity development subsidizes the elaboration of hypotheses about their origins. The proposition of solutions implies in modeling the activity system to overcome the identified contradictions and stimulate a movement towards a safer and more efficient production. Results. In this paper, a case study on the application of MAPAEX is presented with emphasis on the phases of analysis and solution modeling, which are centered on historicity, contradictions, and mediations in activity systems. The workers who participated analyzed an incident and understood the causes of the event in a systemic way, with emergence of their protagonism. With MAPAEX as a formative intervention, the researchers stimulated local actors to analyze problems consecutively, looking for innovative solutions through reconceptualization of the object/motive of the work activity. Discussion. This new accident analysis method combines activity ergonomics and activity theory. The multi-voice collaboration and a systemic approach develop expansive learning. Differences between this method and other systemic approaches are highlighted. Conclusions. MAPAEX showed to be a powerful tool for the development of analysis of workplace accidents, contributing with the innovation of concepts and methodological and practical procedures.

Sandra Beltran, Manoela Lopes, Rodolfo Vilela, Marco Querol, Gabriel Eroico, Ildeberto Almeida

Conference Proceedings

Towards an action-oriented safety culture maturity scale

Whilst safety culture is seen by many as an essential ingredient for safety, it is often vaguely described. This can make it harder to lead safety culture in an organization, particularly for those at senior management level, as it is not always clear what to do in concrete terms. Since senior managers are accustomed to benchmarking systems, the approach undertaken in this study was to adapt an existing benchmarking system to safety culture, and to populate it with safety culture activities and actions. This development built on work in the Maritime sector, which focused on safety learning, and resulted in the elaboration of a dozen safety learning approaches. These approaches, together with safety culture elements taken from existing maturity scales in the air traffic management domain, have resulted in a safety culture maturity scale that is more ‘action-oriented’. This paper gives an overview of the journey towards the development of this scale, outlines the twelve safety learning approaches, and then presents the proposed safety culture maturity scale itself.

Barry Kirwan

Conference Proceedings

Construction and Evaluation of Influencing Factor Evaluation System Model for Campus Safety Awareness

The university campus is a very densely populated group organization and a place prone to safety accidents.The quality of campus safety prevention work is not only related to the personal safety of campus teachers and students, but also related to the stable development of the society.Therefore, improving the safety awareness of college students and promoting students' safety behavior is the key to improve the campus safety.First of all, according to the three elements of human, material and environment, this paper preliminarily constructed the campus safety awareness evaluation index, including 3 first-level indicators, 9 second-level indicators, to explore the main factors affecting students' safety awareness.Secondly, the preliminarily constructed evaluation indicators are revised by the Delphi method, and the revised indicators are 3 first-level indicators and 12 second-level indicators.Then, the corrected index weights were calculated by hierarchical analysis.Finally, according to the calculated index weight, the Grey evaluation value is calculated, and the main factors affecting students' awareness of campus safety behavior according to the results of the evaluation value are determined.In order to improve the campus security, give a directional reference.

Hang Shang, Weifu Wang, Min Zhao

Conference Proceedings

Learning from speaking up by learning to speak up

Of all the events that contribute to deaths due to preventable medical errors in healthcare, ineffective communication is one of the most frequently identifiedprimary causes. Failure to speak up or to get others to listen is part of this ineffective communication. Therefore, speaking up behavior of healthcare workers is seen as an important factor to improve patient safety. However, more research is needed to understand 1) the most important influencing factors of speaking up behavior, 2) what kind of speaking up behavior is used and is most effective in preventing adverse events and 3) what is the role of the receiver and the work environment.

Dimmy Van Dongen, Frank Guldenmund, Jop Groeneweg, Irene Grossmann, Peter Roelofsma, Nienke Luijcks

Conference Proceedings

Adaptive shared mental models for medical teams

This paper describes how second-order adaptive network models for mental processes can be used to model and support (shared) mental models for team performance and organizational learning. The paper illustrates on the one hand the value of adequate shared mental models for safe and efficient team and organizational performance. On the other hand it illustrates cases of imperfections of such shared team models in practice and how this complicates the team and organisational performance. To this end, the controlled adaptive network models can cover use, adaptation and control of a shared mental model and its learning. It is illustrated for an application context of a medical team and organization performance. Simulations illustrate how such adaptive network models are able to address the type of complications that can occur in realistic scenarios and also how better shared mental models can be learnt by organisational learning through aggregation of the best individual mental models. The paper discusses implications for healthcare safety and future research.

Gülay Canbaloğlu, Laila Van Ments, Jan Treur, Jan Klein, Peter Roelofsma

Conference Proceedings

Exploring the meaning of safety in the context of health care

In this paper we explore the meaning of safety in health care using the concepts of safety, barrier and risk and the Hazard-Barrier-Target model. Safety at the sharp end of health care very much relies on the decisions and actions of professionals providing care. To create safety at the sharp end we therefore need to focus on safety management processes that deliver measures (barriers) and support conditions in which health care professionals can create and sustain safety while tending to patients.

Frank Guldenmund, Jop Groeneweg, Irene Grossmann, Peter Roelofsma, Dimmy Van Dongen, Nienke Luijcks

Conference Proceedings

Assessment of the Effectiveness and Safety of Exoskeletons in Industrial Workplaces

Machinery safety requirements are based on legislation and recommendations of harmonized standards (e.g. Directive 2006/42/EC, ISO 12100). A key aspect is the risk assessment, which considers the impact of hazardous situations and hazardous events on human lives and health. Risk analysis and assessment has traditionally been methodically supported by various tools, as Risk Matrix, Risk Graph, Failure Cause and Effect Analysis (FMEA), etc. A major problem in terms of meeting legal requirements is the assessment of exposure by factors such as noise, vibration and, in particular, the physical strain resulting from handling loads. Modern robotic workplaces are created by connecting several machines. On the positive side, high-risk hazardous situations (zones) are eliminated or minimized for the person working in such workplace. However, human activities are thus limited in particular to handling tasks, product quality control and withdrawal of finished products. Here, such influences arise that can affect human health in the long term, resulting from muscular load, which depends mainly on the design of the workplace, that means taking into account ergonomic principles already within workplace design. Measuring the physical load allows to "set up" the workplace so that the load is both immediate and long-term reduced by a suitable design solution, or by technical devices that reduce this load. Recently, research has focused on personalizing the reduction of musculoskeletal load not only by changing the workplace, but also by developing and testing special devices called exoskeletons. Exoskeleton’s interface is important to improve comfort, performance and of course personal health.

Hana Pacaiova, Daniela Onofrejova

Conference Proceedings

Conducive Design for Safety in Modular Plants

The changeability of modular process plants implies the need for fundamentally new safety strategies: Since Operators must implement safety measures, assistance systems are needed to enable the operator to execute safety engineering tasks. We analyze the operator tasks during build up and re-configuration of flexible production systems in the process industry. Based on a state-of-the-art analysis of conventional safety engineering tasks, requirements to assist operators by a technical system are derived. We designed an assistance system and a module self-description to enable operators to implement the safety related interconnection of modules. To prove our concept, we successfully implemented the technical concepts in a demonstration plant. By implementing measures that are conducive to operators, we have been able to maintain their role as the most flexible resource in modular plants.

Florian Pelzer, Anselm Klose, Jens Helmert, Leon Urbas, Sebastian Pannasch

Conference Proceedings

Analysis of Pre-evacuation Time and EEG for Fire Alarm when Wearing ANC Earphones

With the development of mobile technology and the progress of an Untact society, the number of people who listen to lectures or music in various urban environments is increasing. In response to such an increase in demand, Active Noise Canceling(ANC) earphones that remove ambient background noise or static and also enable stable listening have been developed, and the earphones are enjoying great popularity. However, these ANC earphones can put the user in a dangerous situation at any time because they block even major alarm sounds such as a car horn or fire alarm. In this study, 10 men and women in their 20s, who frequently use ANC earphones, were asked to listen to music by wearing ANC earphones without prior notification of the fact that a fire alarm sound was transmitted. After that, the fire alarm bell or emergency broadcast sound was randomly generated for them to recognise the fire situation, and the time it took to start evacuation was measured. And in all these processes, EEG was simultaneously measured to analyse changes in emotions such as arousal responses felt by the experimental participants As a result of the experiment, it was found that the case of transmitting an emergency broadcast made the participants start evacuation approximately 23 seconds faster than the case of sounding the fire alarm bell. However, as a result of correlation analysis with EEG values indicating arousal responses such as tension, irritability, and nervousness, the significance probability(p-value) was 0.825, indicating that there is no statistically significant correlation. Therefore, it was found that the participants’ awareness of the fire alarm sound decreased when wearing ANC earphones regardless of the types of the fire alarm whether it was an alarm bell or an emergency broadcast.

Ji Won Gu, Ji-Hoon Hwang, Ryun-Seok Oh, Jun-Ho Choi

Conference Proceedings

Multimodal haptics perception of underwater flow for scuba diving safety training

Water accidents require intuitive decisions and training for such decisions because of the short time between involvement and death. The goal is to use engineering techniques to train and prevent accidents that require split-second decisions or are caused by human actions or scenarios that are difficult to anticipate.In recent years, the number of fatalities in traffic accidents and disasters has decreased significantly due to the development of technology and new technologies. However, water-related accidents, especially those caused by currents, involve human factors, and the ratio of fatalities to the number of accidents is still high. It is difficult to cover and solve such human-caused accidents with engineering technology alone. Therefore, it is necessary to solve the fundamental problem. The most important solution is to train people. By training people, the fundamental awareness of human factors can be trained, which will reduce accidents. The most effective way to learn these factors is through hands-on education and training. Among these, VR can be performed regardless of the location. It is expected to be much more effective than those obtained from videos or books.Many studies on VR training and Evangelos Markopoulo et al. have conducted a study on maintenance and safety education of ship engine systems using VR. In another study, Victor Saint-Martin et al. studied fire VR training for hospital personnel who have difficulty participating in regular on-the-job training. While there are studies on VR training that focus mainly on visual training, few studies on VR training focus on water accidents and aim to reduce accidents by tactilely displaying the strength of underwater currents. In addition, many underwater VR studies have been conducted for entertainment purposes, and few studies evaluate the perception of danger. In this study, we propose a VR system and a multimodal interface to post the flow of water hazards caused by the flow. Here, we validated the experience of flow using multiple senses, including VR and tactile sensation, to confirm the validity of the risk assessment. We found that the degree of risk perceived by a person can be combined in an additive manner with the risk postings given to each sensory organ, resulting in a higher risk rating. We also found that force postings produced higher danger ratings than tactile postings. These results indicate that using multiple senses to assess the danger of water currents increases the danger rating, and combining it with force instead of tactile sensation further increases the danger rating. In the future, we plan to discuss the effectiveness of this training in developing intuitive judgment. Furthermore, we would like to utilize this training for water accidents and other intuitive accidents to develop the ability to grasp the situation and make a judgment instantly.

Kazuma Shirakawa, Daigo Misaki

Conference Proceedings

Ergonomics workplace assessment: differences between on-site and remote ergonomic evaluations under COVID-19 conditions

The aim of Ergonomic workplace assessment (EWA) is to promote worker’s health due to identification, measurement and risk control related to the working conditions. Covid-19 pandemics forced workers to relocate their workplace from their offices to their homes. This fact headed the introduction of information technologies for the implementation of the EWA. This paper is focused in identifying the differences within both modalities. Seventeen health professionals answered three questionnaires regarding demographic information, EWA methodology they had applied, preference, advantages, disadvantages and opportunities of each methodology, discomfort and workload. Moreover, standard time was calculated for both modalities (Freivalds & Niebel, 2014).It was found that standard time for the execution only differed in one minute. Although, on- site modality is longer due to the transportation requirement. The difficulties in remote modality are related with the worker being alone and the verification of the proposed modifications for the workplace. Even so, remote modality optimizes time and coverage. To ensure the quality of the remote modality it is necessary to guarantee the internet connection of health professional and worker and also that the worker isn´t alone while the EWA.

Laura Maria Zambrano Rojas, Juan Diego Marquez Posso, Iván Andres Rivera Sánchez, Luis Andrés Saavedra, Oscar Bernal

Conference Proceedings

How Commercial Airlines can Mitigate Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic Induced Job Insecurity on Their Pilots' Flying Performance

Job insecurity (JI) can negatively impact work performance. This effect poses particular challenges for safety-critical systems such as commercial airlines, as they rely on a high level of pilots’ flying performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate how COVID-19 pandemic induced JI affects pilots’ flying performance. 2084 pilots participated in an online survey. The results showed that JI can negatively impact pilots’ flying performance. However, the magnitude of this relation depended on the conscientiousness and rank of the pilots. The findings therefore underline the importance of conscientious work behavior - also and particularly in periods of increased job insecurity - and provide airlines with a field of action to mitigate risks resulting from decreased pilots’ flying performance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sebastian Sieberichs

Conference Proceedings

Human Performance Improvement Activities for Risk Reduction

Inflexible or unchangeable organization is clearly supposed to include fatal risk in the system under current highly and fast developing situation, no matter how its size is. It means that any system doesn't reach the best results even if anyhow behavior's done, being not adjustable for risk reduction, due to variety and change in the system design or the organization decision-making. Namely, the Key for “the most rational optimization along with keeping the development” is actualized by using risk management adjustable to all organization or system, to solve the complicated issues struggling in current fast-changing international situation.System safety in a huge complex system is an activity that aims to improve safety by the balanced system without excess or deficiency by designing (hardware / software) and operating (human) [1]. In other words, it is the risk reduction activities to treat from the top priority of the risk. At present, the existing huge complex systems have been reduced in hardware / software risk through its countermeasures and quality assurance activities based on safety logic, so the remaining risk can be said to be an event involving humans. For this reason, risk reduction activities can be described as human performance improvement activities. Furthermore, continuing this activity will eventually lead to the improvement of the safety culture. In other words, what we want to emphasize here is that "system safety", "risk reduction activities", "human performance improvement activities", and "improvement of safety culture" have similar purposes and contents.In order to reduce the risk, it must be firmly suppressed in the original design process, so the safety concept is thoroughly incorporated into the system based on risk management at the design stage before operation. Next step, implement risk reduction measures are considered based on risk management at the construction or operation stages. As a response to the problem that remains even after taking measures in advance, that is, a risk that occurs at the stage of using equipment or processes, an error is detected and the countermeasure is taken. Therefore, we will first understand the vulnerabilities at the time of implementation and the weaknesses in human relationships between organizations and teams. As countermeasures, it is most important to give feedback to the hardware, next to software, and when it is not possible, it is important to take countermeasures by the organization or team, not to blame the individual. Measures against human errors are implemented by the devices and the mechanisms rather than the discipline. In summary, it is necessary to enhance performance for dealing with problems that are anticipated in advance, and then to enhance error detection that remains even after setup.Humans always make an error with a certain probability, but they are also flexible entities that can respond to ingenuity in any event. HPI, Human Performance Improvement is a system safety activity to reduce risk due to the human behavior in the system by understanding and optimizing human characteristics by using the Cause Analysis and the Risk Analysis. While humans can demonstrate high abilities, they have the characteristic that misrecognition and judgment errors are easy to occur in some circumstances. In such situation, HPI tools such as Tool Box Meeting, Peer Review, etc. are useful for preparing high reliable activities at the site. HPI means creating the environment where human abilities can be maximized. References[1] Ujita, H., Matsuo, N.: ‘System Safety, Risk Management, and Human Performance Improvement’, HCI2020, 2020.7, Virtual.

Hiroshi Ujita, Naoko Matsuo

Conference Proceedings

Development needs for risk assessment – A case study of five Finnish companies

To reach the zero accident goal and prevent accidents and injuries, and to fulfill regulatory requirements, risk assessment at work needs to be improved. If risk assessment is conducted with an unfit method or otherwise inadequately, it may lead to ineffective safety prevention programs, the inefficient use of resources and criticism towards risk assessment. In addition to the chosen method, initial assumptions, risk assessment team, resources, and consultation and collaboration of relevant stakeholders, among others, affect the quality of a risk assessment. If decisions are based on incomplete or false results, significant sources of risks are failed to eliminate or reduce which in turn leads to unsatisfactory safety levels. Previous studies have shown that certain hazards have been identified and managed less well than others.This study aims to add knowledge of factors affecting risk assessment and which aspects of the risk assessment need to be focused on in five Finnish companies. The companies represent industries from manufacturing, transportation and storage, electrical power generation, transmission and distribution, and other technical testing and analysis. Four of the companies are large and one is medium-sized, employing about 200 people. The data was gathered with semi-structured interviews (n = 41). The interviewees (n = 53) were a part of a risk assessment team or managers. In this study, the focus is on interview questions “What factors contribute to and weaken the implementation of the risk assessment?”, “What works or does not work in hazard and risk assessment?”, “How should risk assessment be developed?”, and “What is the next step in risk assessment development?”. The answers revealed that composition and activities of the team, resources and preparation to risk assessment, individual's attitude, and experience and knowledge were four most often mentioned themes both contributing and weakening the implementation of the risk assessment. The interviewees thought that plans and models for risk assessment, composition and activities of the team, daily activities, and preventing unsafe activity were currently working well in hazard and risk assessment while individual’s attitude, communication, risk assessment guidance, documentation and reporting, and resourcing were seen as not working properly. Developing the concerted way to act, developing the OHS software, training and guidance, communication, and comparing own’s risk assessment with others’ risk assessments were named as development targets. When asked about the next step in risk assessment development, the interviewees chose developing and improving competence and knowledge, resources, and communication as the first targets. The results indicate that certain themes such as the risk assessment team, individual’s attitude, experience and knowledge, resources, and communication emerged as themes affecting the risk assessment and needed development, regardless of the topic discussed. Further research is needed to specifically focus on these themes, to study their relations with risk assessment more deeply and to develop effective intervention programs.

Maria Lindholm, Minna Rantala, Sari Tappura

Conference Proceedings

Criteria for Successful Occupational Health and Safety Risk Assessment: A Systematic Review

The use of the different kind of occupational health and safety risk assessment (OHS risk assessments) methods has become a standard procedure in the workplaces. A vast number of methods exist and some of them are even standardized. As an example, the prevailing practice in Finland has been to utilize the Workplace Risk Assessment Workbook, consisting of the hazard identification checklists and the risk matrix-based decision-making protocol. Even though OHS risk assessments are widely used in the workplaces, not much is known about the factors contributing to the success of the assessments nor are there definite criteria for a successful OHS risk assessment. Furthermore, previous studies show that often companies do nothing to assess the success of the risk assessments. In this study, a systematic literature review was carried out to determine the factors contributing to the success of the OHS risk assessment process. The research covers existing full text and peer-reviewed literature in Scopus and Web of Science databases. Due to the several and devastating accidents in the 1970s, which led to the need for international occupational health and safety standards, the literature review was extended to cover the past 50 years. References were loaded and duplicates were removed. All articles addressing the quality or success of the OHS risk assessment were selected. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) -flowchart was applied to describe the search process and the number of search results. In addition, the 16-item PRISMA for Searching (PRISMA-S) -checklist was applied when documenting and reporting the search. A complete list of the articles and findings will be presented at the conference. Preliminary results suggest that factors affecting the quality (including process factors and methodological factors as well as team and individual factors) of OHS risk assessment appear to be, for example, the design phase, the quality of the background information, the selected method, the identification of hazards, the accuracy of the frequency and consequence analysis, resources, the completeness of documentation and consultation and cooperation with relevant stakeholders. Some publications also adduced the importance of the composition of the OHS risk assessment team. Attention should be paid to the number of participants and how their knowledge and skills affect the results. In the literature, there were also studies from the early 1990s on the quality of risk analysis. (QUASA-method). It was suggested that the requirements for a safety analysis vary case by case and therefore the multiple sets of criteria are needed to cover all situations. The QUASA-method aimed to provide guidance for assessing the quality of the risk assessment process in different situations.

Minna Rantala, Maria Lindholm, Sari Tappura, Jouni Kivistö Rahnasto

Conference Proceedings

Promoting Occupational Safety, Health, and Well-Being in SME Manufacturing Companies

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a significant role in the EU economy and account for a large number of employment opportunities. Improvements in the working conditions and well-being of employees in SMEs are crucial for the development of businesses, societies, and workers. This study investigated and developed the safety, health, and well-being (SHW) of employees in SME manufacturing companies. The proposed company-specific development process involved four companies and consisted of an e-survey, interviews, and a workshop. Both employers and employee representatives participated in the process. The process revealed a good working community and support received from others as resources in the studied companies. The factors needing development were found to be work posture and movement, workplace thermal environment, communication, haste, orderliness, and tidiness. This study provides knowledge about SHW risks, resources, and development measures in manufacturing SMEs.

Susanna Mattila, Sari Tappura, Elli Karttunen

Conference Proceedings

Future development areas for safety performance measurement

Several studies have shown that safety management and culture are linked to safety performance, but the role of safety performance measurement is unclear. At best, performance measurement is an important management tool. However, the use of performance information in safety management is often inefficient. There is a need for an overview of the development areas that are essential in achieving the safety benefits of performance measurement. This study aims to identify the status of safety performance measurement in industrial companies, proposing future research and development areas for safety performance measurement. The study was conducted as a multiple case study involving seven companies from different industries. The results show that the participating industrial companies’ safety performance measurement status was developed. Future development efforts should highlight the supportive practices and structures of performance measurement, essentially leadership and management. This study structures future development areas for safety performance measurement and supports organizations in better utilizing measurement information in their safety work.

Aki Jääskeläinen, Sari Tappura

Conference Proceedings

Evaluation of the exposure risk to ultrasound emitted by ultrasonic cleaner machines: a case study.

This paper presents a study on the ultrasonic emissions of some ultrasonic washing machines for both industrial and domestic use, which are now increasingly widespread, and their evaluation in compliance with current regulations. Since no threshold values or exposure limits for ultrasound are defined in the Italian and European legislation, criteria that are valid in other European and non-European countries among the most stringent have been adopted for the evaluation.For the evaluation, a methodology has been developed in the context of the collaboration between Eni - CNR. As a case study, an analysis of various ultrasonic washers machines of different sizes and power will be presented.MethodIn this study, 6 ultrasonic cleaner machines of different models and brands were examined. For each of them, it was measured the equivalent sound level not weighted in the ultrasonic bands and the peak level, Lpeak, at the receiver, close the operator at the ears height, generally in front of the device standing at 0.5 m from it. The instrumentation used for the measurements includes a 204 kHz acquisition card, and a class I microphone with a band up to 70 kHz, all certified as a class I sound level meter.Results and discussionFor each ultrasonic cleaner, the ultrasonic level was measured for each 1/3 octave band from 20 kHz to 80 kHz. The uncertainty level was 2.8 dB for the equivalent level and 2.4 dB for the peak level. The presence of the lid, depending on the model, performs several main functions: quickly raise the temperature inside the tank, prevent the lowering of the solution due to evaporation, and protect from any splashes during operation.Some models, even if was covered by the lids, exceeded the exposure limits established by us for the evaluation, and will be described in the paper. It should be noted that the peak level, Lpeak, was never exceeded. The evaluation criterion we have chosen is one of the most restrictive criteria, chosen to safeguard the worker as much as possible. Although the criterion is stringent, it is possible to find simple and economical solutions to be implemented in case of exceeding the limit.ConclusionThe study has shown that most of the devices if the tank is shielded, with a screen or simply the lid, they fall into the class of absence of risk. Otherwise, it is possible to reduce the exposure time or increase the distance spent near the washing machine to reduce the risk.

Fabio Lo Castro, Sergio Iarossi, Massimiliano De Luca

Conference Proceedings

The Ups and Downs of Accidents’ Figures – the Portuguese Case Study Revisited

Safety at work can be considered a current concern, especially when lacking safety results in fatal accidents. In accordance with current Portuguese legislation, companies need to establish a safety management structure to comply with the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) program objective and to obtain certification. This study has proceeded with the study initiated in 2018 related to accidents’ occurrence reported analysis in Portugal in 2008-2015. In a way, the present analysis allowed not only to update the accident incidence rates (including recent years from 2016 to 2019) and to revise the figures of the Portuguese reality concerning the numbers associated to fatal accidents at work but also to identify what can be done, reflections and solutions that could be used to diminish the data regarding the number of accidents’ occurrence.

Celina P Leão, Susana Costa, Joana Barbosa, Nuno Coelho

Conference Proceedings

Human-Machine Interaction Safety in Manufacturing: a Scoping Review.

As a consequence of robotics integration in industrial production processes, physical and mental stress levels due to human-machine interaction increased, potentially increasing production errors and worker injuries. A systematic scoping review of the literature published in the last 20 years was carried out via PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase to answer this question: 'What is known from the current literature about the effects of human-machine interaction in the workplace?'. The analysis highlighted that the main problems were due to the lack of ergonomy in the work organisation, especially regarding cognitive aspects, and the reduced attention threshold associated with the monotony and repetitiveness of the work tasks. Training and information were the essential aspects in managing the reduction of accidents, also using new technologies such as cross-reality.

Ilaria Lombardi, Sonia Capece, M.G.L Monaco, Mario Buono

Conference Proceedings

Comparison of observational ergonomic methods: a case study in the automotive industry

The increased automation of the car manufacturing process, in which much of the assembly has been delegated from man to machine, has done much to relieve workers of the burden of heavy lifting. However, despite ergonomic improvements in the workplace, many jobs still require workers to perform repetitive tasks [1]. In the automotive industry, Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSD) are one of the most common occupational problems due to repetitive working tasks. Workers that perform manual work are often prone to awkward postures, repetitive movements, forceful exertions, and overextensions, which are some of the main factors for the arising of WMSD [2]. Besides, these work-related factors, also the personal factors contribute to the occurrence of this kind of injury, making WMSD a complex condition that involves contributions from many factors [3,4]. The current study aims to compare different observational methods commonly used to assess the WMSD risk in repetitive tasks. To accomplish this goal a case of study in assembly workstation of an automotive company in Portugal was applied. It was selected methods that are widely used by ergonomists and are validated for implementation in the industry [5,6]. Therefore, the following methods were applied to an assembly workstation: (i) Rapid Upper-Limb Assessment (RULA), (ii) Occupational Repetitive Actions (OCRA), (ii) Key Indicator Method – Manual Handling Operations (KIM-MHO), and (iv) Revised Strain Index (RSI) This multi-method approach was very important, as it allowed for a more comprehensive assessment, which will support the proposals for improvement The results show that workstation present a considerable WMSD risk in 3 of 4 methods applied. These results suggest that a change to the workstation is necessary. A possible solution would be to implement a Human-robot collaboration solution, in order to reduce the physical demands associated with repetitive movements [7] to which workers are subjected. [1]Spallek, M.; Kuhn, W.; Uibel, S.; Van Mark, A.; Quarcoo, D. Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in the Automotive Industry Due to Repetitive Work - Implications for Rehabilitation. J. Occup. Med. Toxicol. 2010, 5 (1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1186/1745-6673-5-6.[2]Naik, G.; Khan, M. R. Prevalence of MSDs and Postural Risk Assessment in Floor Mopping Activity Through Subjective and Objective Measures. Saf. Health Work 2020, 11 (1), 80–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2019.12.005.[3]Park, J.; Kim, Y.; Han, B. Work Sectors with High Risk for Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Korean Men and Women. Saf. Health Work 2018, 9 (1), 75–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2017.06.005.[4]Thetkathuek, A.; Meepradit, P.; Sa-ngiamsak, T. A Cross-Sectional Study of Musculoskeletal Symptoms and Risk Factors in Cambodian Fruit Farm Workers in Eastern Region, Thailand. Saf. Health Work 2018, 9 (2), 192–202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2017.06.009.[5]Dempsey, P. G.; Mcgorry, R. W.; Maynard, W. S. A Survey of Tools and Methods Used by Certified Professional Ergonomists. Appl. Ergon. 2005, 36, 489–503. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2005.01.007.[6]Pascual, S. A.; Naqvi, S. An Investigation of Ergonomics Analysis Tools Used in Industry in the Identification of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders An Investigation of Ergonomics Analysis Tools Used in Industry in the Identification of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders. Int. J. Occup. Saf. Ergon. 2015, 3548 (2), 237–245. https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2008.11076755.[7]Colim, A.; Faria, C.; Cunha, J.; Oliveira, J.; Sousa, N.; Rocha, L. Physical Ergonomics Improvement and Safe Design of an Assembly Workstation with Collaborative Robotics. Saf. (Unpublished under-review) 2021, 1–19.

André Cardoso, Hatice K Gonçalves, Guilherme Deola Borges, Ana Pombeiro, Ana Colim, Paula Carneiro, Pedro Arezes

Conference Proceedings