Study on Ergonomic Application for IT Industry

8/2/2019 Study on Ergonomic Application for IT Industry

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BUSINESS RESEARCH METHOD

ASSIGNMENT

STUDY ON APPLICATION OF ERGONOMICS IN IT INDUSTRY

SUBRATA KUMAR SINGH

1BG10MBA53


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Introduction

Ergonomics is the study of designing equipment and devices that fit the

human body, its movements, and its cognitive abilities.

The International Ergonomics Association defines ergonomics as follows:

Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with

the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a

system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and

methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall

system performance.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_sciencehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_science


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Ergonomics is employed to fulfill the two goals of health and productivity

It is relevant in the design of such things as safe furniture and easy-to-use

interfaces to machines. Proper ergonomic design is necessary to

prevent repetitive strain injuries, which can develop over time and can

lead to long-term disability.

Ergonomics is concerned with the fit between people and theirtechnological tools and environments. It takes account of the user's

capabilities and limitations in seeking to ensure that tasks, equipment,

information and the environment suit each user.

To assess the fit between a person and the used technology, ergonomists

consider the job (activity) being done and the demands on the user; the

equipment used (its size, shape, and how appropriate it is for the task), and

the information used (how it is presented, accessed, and changed).Ergonomics draws on many disciplines in its study of humans and their

environments, including anthropometry, biomechanics, mechanical

engineering, industrial engineering, industrial

design, kinesiology, physiology and psychology.

Typically, an ergonomist will have a BA or BS in Psychology,

Industrial/Mechanical Engineering or Industrial Design or Health

Sciences, and usually an MA, MS or PhD in a related discipline. Manyuniversities offer Master of Science degrees in Ergonomics, while some

offer Master of Ergonomics or Master of Human Factors degrees. In the

2000s, occupational therapists have been moving into the field of

ergonomics and the field has been heralded as one of the top ten emerging

practice areas.

According to the International Ergonomics Association:

Physical ergonomics: is concerned with human anatomical, andsome of the anthropometric, physiological and bio mechanical

characteristics as they relate to physical activity.

Cognitive ergonomics: is concerned with mental processes, suchas perception, memory, reasoning, and motor response, as they

affect interactions among humans and other elements of a system.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repetitive_strain_injuryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropometryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomechanicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_engineeringhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_engineeringhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_engineeringhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_designhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_designhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinesiologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physiologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupational_therapistshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Ergonomics_Associationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_ergonomicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_ergonomicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Ergonomics_Associationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupational_therapistshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physiologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinesiologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_designhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_designhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_engineeringhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_engineeringhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_engineeringhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomechanicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropometryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repetitive_strain_injury


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(Relevant topics include mental workload, decision-making,

skilled performance, human-computer interaction, human

reliability, work stress and training as these may relate to human-

system and Human-Computer Interaction design.)

Organizational ergonomics: is concerned with the optimizationof socio technical systems, including their organizationalstructures, policies, and processes.(Relevant topics include

communication, crew resource management, work design, design

of working times, teamwork, participatory design, community

ergonomics, cooperative work, new work programs, virtual

organizations, telework, and quality management.)

Research Design:

METHODOLOGY:

Descriptive research, also known as statistical research, describes data and

characteristics about the population or phenomenon being studied.

Descriptive research answers the questions who,

what, where, when and how...

Although the data description is factual, accurate and systematic, the

research cannot describe what caused a situation. Thus, Descriptive

research cannot be used to create a causal relationship, where one variable

affects another. In other words, descriptive research can be said to have a

low requirement for internal validity.

The description is used for frequencies, averages and other statistical

calculations. Often the best approach, prior to writing descriptive research,is to conduct a survey investigation. Qualitative research often has the aim

of description and researchers may follow-up with examinations of why

the observations exist and what the implications of the findings are.

In short descriptive research deals with everything that can be counted and

studied.

Advantage:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human-Computer_Interactionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Participatory_Ergonomicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statisticshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statistical_populationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causalityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_validityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency_(disambiguation)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Averagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qualitative_researchhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qualitative_researchhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Averagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency_(disambiguation)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_validityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causalityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statistical_populationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statisticshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Participatory_Ergonomicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human-Computer_Interaction


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The subject is being observed in a completely natural and unchanged

natural environment. A good example of this would be an anthropologist

who wanted to study a tribe without affecting their normal behavior in any

way. The experiments, whilst giving analyzable data, often adversely

influence the normal behavior of the subject. Descriptive research is often

used as a pre-cursor to quantitative research designs, the general overviewgiving some valuable pointers as to what variables are worth testing

quantitatively. Quantitative experiments are often expensive and time-

consuming so it is often good sense to get an idea of what hypotheses are

worth testing.

Data Collection:

Source:

Data collected on source which has not been subjected to processing or

any other manipulation, it is also known as primary data. It is a relative

term. Raw data can be input to a computer program or used in manual

analysis procedures such as gathering statistics from a survey. It can refer

to the binary data on electronic storage devices such as hard disk drives .In

computing, it may have the following attributes: possibly containing

errors, not validated; in several different (colloquial)

formats; uncoded or unformatted; and suspect, requiring confirmation orcitation. Once captured, this raw data may be processed and stored as a

single format. So as to be easier for computers and humans to interpret

during later processing.

Primary data (sometimes called sourcey data or eggy data) is data that has

not been processed for use. A distinction is sometimes made between data

and information to the effect that information is the end product of data

processing. Primary data that has undergone processing is sometimesreferred to as cooked data. Although primary data has the potential to

become "information," it requires selective extraction, organization, and

sometimes analysis and formatting for presentation.

Method:

Questionnaire is a structured technique for data collection that consists of

a series of questions, written or verbal, that a respondent answers
http://www.experiment-resources.com/true-experimental-design.htmlhttp://www.experiment-resources.com/quantitative-research-design.htmlhttp://www.experiment-resources.com/research-hypothesis.htmlhttp://www.experiment-resources.com/hypothesis-testing.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_programhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statisticshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statistical_surveyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colloquialhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_processinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_processinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colloquialhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statistical_surveyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statisticshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_programhttp://www.experiment-resources.com/hypothesis-testing.htmlhttp://www.experiment-resources.com/research-hypothesis.htmlhttp://www.experiment-resources.com/quantitative-research-design.htmlhttp://www.experiment-resources.com/true-experimental-design.html


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Its only one element of data-collection package that might also include

Fieldwork procedures such as instructions for selecting, approachingand questioning respondents

Some reward, gift, or payment offered to respondents Communication aids, such as maps, pictures, advertisements and

products (as in personal interviews) and return envelops (in mail

surveys)

Objectives of questionnaire:

Regardless of the form of administration, a questionnaire is characterized

by some specific objectives

It must translate the information needed into a set of specificquestions that the respondents can & will answer

A questionnaire must uplift, motivate & encourage the respondent tobecome involved in the interview, to cooperate & to complete the

interview

A questionnaire should minimize the errorSampling plan:

Sampling method:

Stratified random sampling: Where the population embraces a number of

distinct categories, the frame can be organized by these categories into

separate "strata." Each stratum is then sampled as an independent sub-

population, out of which individual elements can be randomly selected.

There are several potential benefits to stratified sampling. Stratified

samplings are of two types

Proportionate stratified sampling: the number of sampling units drawn

from each stratum is in proportion to the population size of that stratum.

Disproportionate stratified sampling: the number of sampling units drawn

from each stratum is based on the analytical consideration, but not in the

proportion to the size of the population of that stratum.

Sample size is 30.


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Limitation:

sample size is very less to represent whole population Answers may be biased because employees dont want to reveal

about their company

Objective:Ergonomics is the application of human biological sciences to in

combination with engineering science to achieve a good matching of

capabilities and limitations of human mind and body to the requirements

of work.

The major objectives

Secure health, safety and comfort of persons doing the work. Improve the comfort and utility of various equipments and facilities,

such as furniture and dwelling units, used by people by matching

their design with physiological characteristics of their intended users

Achieve better work efficiency and effectiveness.

Findings:


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After research I find out that 60% people is working 5-8hrs per day, 23% people is working 8-

12hrs, 10%people is working 0-5hrs per day and 7% people is working more than 12hrs per

day.

working on a computer

0-5hrs

5-8hrs

8-12hrs

12 & above


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Study indicates that 67% of employee experiencing eye strain. Its because they are spending maximum time in front ofcomputer. This indicates the weak ergonomics in IT industry To reduce eye strain they required breaks while working on computer And company should provide antiglare systems

Experience eye strain

yes

no

Experiencing eye strain

0-5hrs

5-8hrs

8-12hrs

12 & above


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Study says 83% people experiencing discomfort while working.

Experience discomfort while working

yes

no


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Symptoms were first noticed after 2yrs while working in IT industries. The major symptoms are

Headache, Neck pain, Eye strain, Wrist pain and Back pain.

Symptoms were first noticed

0-2yrs

2-4yrs

4-7yrs

Symptoms

headache

neck pain

back pain

wrist pain


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60% employee shown their injury to the physicsian.

seen physicsian for the problem

yes

no


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Computer screen always at or just slightly below the eye level

Study says that 70% employee is not using the computer below the eye level. Which cause eye

strain.

Treatments doctor prescribed

Anti-inflammatory drugs

Surgery

Ice/heat

Steroid injection

Phsical therapy

Rest

computer screen at the eye level

no

yes


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Positioning of elbow at approximately 900

Elbow positioning at approximately 900

yes

no


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When typing wrist are bent at 450 angle

adjusting the chair so that feets are flat on

the floor

no

yes

yes

no


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Employees rate their company ergonomics

Conclusion:

All these factors go into creating an efficiently designed office chair or workstation.

Ergonomics has become a very important aspect of office furniture design, and

rightly so. Efficient design makes it easy for people to function better and be more

productive. Long term damage to the musculoskeletal system and work related

injuries can be minimized or avoided.

Important for IT industries

Understand, identify, and perform current office ergonomic evaluation tools Differentiate common office ergonomic assessment tools and their benefits Identify common office ergonomic risk factors and solutions to reduce these

risk factors

Understand basic methods of identifying, selecting, and implementing officeergonomic solutions

Select appropriate engineering and administrative controls to reduce officeergonomic risk factors

Demonstrate a general knowledge of office ergonomics

company ergonomics

strongly satisfied

satisfied

neutral

dissatisfied

strongly dissatisfied


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Develop and implement a full office ergonomics injury reduction program Perform a full office work station ergonomic analysis.

Documents

Study on Ergonomic Application for IT Industry