Industrial Engineering Publications and Research

Quantifying an Organisation's Human Factors Capability: Targeting World Class Integration

Michael Greig et al. — Fri, 10 May 2013 07:55:36 PDT

Many methods track company performance and process integration for quality, productivity, environment and safety. Similar methods do not exist for human factors (HF) even though it has impact on these outcomes. Without a HF specific assessment method it is impossible for managers to know if they are achieving 'world class' HF integration. An assessment tool is under development to address this need. The tool assesses the capability of each functional unit in an organization to manage HF aspects in their processes. This includes organizational strategy, design, maintenance, operations, logistics, marketing, and human resources, among others. For each department, the presence of HF aspects including indicators, process flows, and methods are evaluated. The maturity level of HF integration for each is rated in five classifications, conceptually similar to the Baldridge criteria, to reflect its level of 'world class'. The tool is non-prescriptive as it recognises the validity of different integration approaches. Progression to world class means HF works proactively becoming part of the organization's culture. With this tool companies can evaluate their ability to benefit from HF integration on an ongoing basis. It also provides a quantitative method for research and to benchmark macroergonomic capability in other organizations.

Using workstation design parameters to predict workload - A proactive assessment approach for light assembly work

Michael Greig et al. — Thu, 09 May 2013 18:15:23 PDT

Addressing the need for a virtual tool to predict operator load in light assembly work, a method is presented to estimate shoulder load and hand movement from layout parameters. Using three-dimensional representation of a task location relative to the seated workstation, a regression model is used to predict operator shoulder load. Hand locations for each task of the work cycle are used to determine cumulative hand movement and shoulder load. A case application of the virtual tool showed that trends from an observational tool used by Neumann et al. (2002) in a workstation comparison were matched. The virtual tool predicted shoulder load values 19.8-23.8% higher than the observational tool however this was attributed to its use of three-dimensional task analysis and a different shoulder model. Future work for the virtual tool will assess reliability, validity, the effect of underlying tool assumptions, and the incorporation of a movement time prediction method.

A Framework for Integrating Human Factors into Work-System Design

W. Patrick Neumann et al. — Thu, 09 May 2013 18:15:23 PDT

This paper suggests a framework for helping companies integrate Human Factors (HF) considerations proactively into their development process. The interactive approach draws on activities aimed at successive stages in the development process: cognitive mapping of the strategic environment, process mapping of the design process, simulation of design alternatives, and development of metrics to support ongoing evaluation. Each initiative establishes a new dialogue in the company around how HF can be usefully integrated into design routines allowing stakeholders to adopt or adapt routines that include HF aspects as a regular part of the process of creating new work-systems.

Participatory development of ergonomic design-for-fixture guidelines - A case study

Judy Village et al. — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:00:32 PDT

This paper describes one initiative in a 3-collaboration between RIM and Ryerson University, the goal of which is to integrate human factors (HF) considerations early in design of assembly production lines. The RIM-Ryerson steering group suggested this initiative because the engineering group was formalizing their fixture development process with the goal of improving the quality and timeline for design. To incorporate HF into design, research has suggested that the combination of a few specific HF design criteria and active involvement of HF specialists are both critical for positive outcomes. In this initiative, Ergonomists analyzed current fixtures for ergonomics-related concerns. These were shared with nine design engineers in a workshop with a goal of translating the concerns into design guidelines that would prevent the concern. The workshop resulted in 12 design guidelines that are ergonomic requirements for internal or external vendors. The new fixture development process now includes four process stages where the ergonomist, as one of the team, ensures the design meets ergonomics requirements. The stages are: fixture design kick-off meeting to clarify design requirements and initiate the DFMEA; the fixture design review; the production tool design sign-off; and lessons learned. The combination of ergonomic design-for-fixture guidelines and Ergonomists in the fixture design process has the potential for improving assembly ergonomics and quality across thousands of workers.

Linking human factors to corporate strategy with cognitive mapping techniques

Judy Village et al. — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:00:31 PDT

For human factors (HF) to avoid being considered of "side-car" status, it needs to be positioned within the organization in such a way that it affects business strategies and their implementation. Tools are needed to support this effort. This paper explores the feasibility of applying a technique from operational research called cognitive mapping to link HF to corporate strategy. Using a single case study, a cognitive map is drawn to reveal the complex relationships between human factors and achieving an organization's strategic goals. Analysis of the map for central concepts and reinforcing loops enhances understanding that can lead to discrete initiatives to facilitate integration of HF. It is recommended that this technique be used with senior managers to understand the organizations' strategic goals and enhance understanding of the potential for HF to contribute to the strategic goals.

Gaining support for human factors in an engineering design culture

Judy Village et al. — Mon, 06 May 2013 11:55:46 PDT

Background and Objectives:

This paper reports qualitative findings from the first year of a three-year collaborative action research project with a large electronics manufacturer. The goal is to help the organization increase their HF capabilities within their engineering design processes. Our goal, through first-hand observation and participation, is to increase understanding of the facilitators and barriers of HF integration.

Methods:

Approximately 400 hours were spent on site and 79 interviews and meetings were conducted, either in person or by telephone. Field notes documenting details of events and researcher impressions were recorded in NVivo software. At the end of the first year, one-hour interviews were conducted with four steering committee managers to reflect on the barriers and facilitators of HF integration. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and coded and analyzed for main themes in NVivo. Themes were triangulated with field notes as well as internal communication documents (i.e. meeting minutes, company newsletters, etc.).

Results and Discussion

Eight themes were classified as facilitators and ten as barriers to HF integration, some of which had overlapping content. Interestingly, six themes appeared as both, depending upon the context, including: notions of compatibility of the HF initiative within the organizations’ engineering process (its strategies, other initiatives, internal software, etc).; being “engineering-like” (i.e. project or process with a defined plan, timelines, deliverables and returns on investment); being visible (something demonstrable to show); having support from participants; having the right mix of participants; and permanence of the initiative. HF integration was also facilitated by having good quality initiatives, and having the right champion. Four additional barriers included lack of awareness of the initiative; high complexity; lack of a plan; and company restructuring. Initiatives to integrate HF within the organization generally had a mix of facilitators helping to move it forward (such as being compatible and engineering-like), while at the same time had barriers to overcome (such as low visibility and not having the right mix of people). One participant summarized common sentiments regarding visibility by stating that “everyone can agree that HF is good, but operationalizing HF is a problem because it is not tangible”. Some facilitators and barriers to integrating HF into engineering processes in this study have been reported in the ergonomics literature (i.e. the right mix of participants, or permanence) (Haines et al, 2002; VanEerd et al, 2010), or organizational change literature (i.e. support, or the right champion) (Driessen, 2010; Waterson, 2010; Whelen-Berry, 2010). However, factors, which may be specific to the companys’ engineering design culture, were also found. High visibility of the effort, and being compatible and similar to engineering projects appeared important in this culture. This is consistent with increasing emphasis onToyotaproduction-like continuous improvement efforts in the organization, such as kaizens, and hoshins. These efforts provide very tangible and visible shop floor changes that can be tracked, documented and reported.

Conclusions

HF initiatives may benefit from resembling engineering efforts in an engineering design culture.

Adapting the failure modes effect analysis (FMEA) for early detection of human factors concerns

Judy Village et al. — Mon, 06 May 2013 11:45:31 PDT

As one of many initiatives underway in a collaborative action research project with a large manufacturer, this paper presents the development of a "human factors" failure modes effect analysis (HF-FMEA). FMEA is an engineering reliability tool that helps define, identify, prioritize and eliminate known or potential failures of a system, design or manufacturing assembly process, generally to optimize quality or systems safety for consumers. The goal of the HF-FMEA is to detect and minimize risk of injury for the operator who will assemble products, prior to design of an assembly line. Scoring procedures for "severity", "occurrence" and "detection" from a HF perspective are presented with examples. Embedding the HF-FMEA into software templates, and structuring a process for support and integration helps ensure its continued use. The process may be useful for other organizations with hand-intensive assemblies to optimize worker health together with assembly quality.

Integrating Flow and Human Simulation to Predict Workload in Production Systems

W. Patrick Neumann Eur.Erg. et al. — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 09:13:25 PDT

Flow simulation is increasingly used in the early stages of production system design when basic flow patterns are chosen. This paper describes and discusses a linear approach to integrating load information – based in biomechanical assessment of a work cycle - with the output from a flow simulation to predict cumulative workload. Integrating ergonomics information in these early design processes represents an opportunity for the joint optimisation of ergonomics and productivity in system design.

Who is Responsible for Human Factors in Engineering Design? The Case of Volvo Powertrain

W. Patrick Neumann Eur.Erg. et al. — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 08:43:08 PDT

A case study in Volvo Powertrain is conducted to examine the distribution of responsibility for human factors in the companies’ engineering design process. Design decisions with human factors impact, and hence system performance implications, are identified in the design of both the product and the production system in a chain of decisions, spread across multiple stakeholder groups. Thus the organisational structure of the engineering design process appears to influence the ability to handle human factors appropriately at each stage of design. Responsibility (although perhaps not accountability) appears to be distributed throughout the engineering design process. Thus human factors aspects require careful coordination throughout engineering design.

Virtual Tools for Assessing Human and Organisational Factors in Production System Design

W. Patrick Neumann et al. — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:24:35 PDT

This paper describes two approaches for integrating human factors into discrete event simulations of production systems. In the first, biomechanical loading information was integrated with a simulation model in a car dismantling operation. In the second study, the productivity sensitivity of three systems with varying parallelisation was tested with respect to a) allowing operators to take breaks ‘as desired’, and b) having ‘reduced capacity’ operators at work. Both methods provided insight into design options that gave superior performance with improved ergonomics. Such ‘virtual ergonomics’ approaches can help establish boundary crossing discussions to support ergonomics application in early design stages.

4D WATBAK: Adapting Research Tools and Epidemiological Findings to Software for Easy Application by Industrial Personnel

W. Patrick Neumann et al. — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:24:34 PDT

We have extended the research methods used in epidemiological studies of low back pain into assessment software that is suitable for use by industrial personnel. The system we are developing extends the capability of current biomechanical modelling approaches in two ways. We now have the ability to calculate shift-long cumulative loading (load integrals) on the spine as well the peak hand forces and peak spine load forces. We can also use epidemiological evidence to provide insight into low back injury risk in the presence of multiple, proven injury risk factors. This decision support aspect of the tool helps users apply current scientific evidence to make better decisions about job design and ergonomic program performance in industrial settings.

International Symposium on Corporate Strategy, Production System Design, and Musculoskeletal Health

W. Patrick Neumann et al. — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:27:05 PDT

In order to improve our understanding of how corporate strategies can affect worker

health we organised a special symposium at the 2003 international ergonomics

association (IEA) conference in Seoul Korea.

While global productivity has been increasing so have employees work-related disorders

and related costs. We invited 4 groups from around the world to share their recent

experiences examining how strategic decisions by manufacturers can affect ergonomics

in the resulting work systems. The bulk of this report is their written work and visual

aids used in the symposium presentations.

Each presenter dealt with a different aspect of Strategy.

Key Findings Include:

• Work-related disorders have their roots as unintended side-effects of early

strategic decisions made in the production system design process.

• Ergonomists are political agents who should seek coalitions of support to

promote ergonomic priorities and objectives in the organisation

• Companies can improve productivity and ergonomics simultaneously in

improvement projects. (Though, despite apparent success the work might not be

continued!)

• Corporate strategies can have both positive and negative effects on ergonomics –

participatory ergonomic strategies show good results, ‘lean’ approaches and

‘downsizing’ can lead to increases in risk.

• While sociotechnically innovative production systems are being abandoned,

elements of these systems appear to have both productivity and ergonomics

benefits over traditional line-based assembly.

This international symposium has served both to raise awareness of, and share

information on, the importance of corporate strategy as an early determinate of workrelated

disorders of operators in modern production systems.

A Case Study of the Ergonomic Consequences of Engineering Decisions

Patrick Neumann et al. — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:12:04 PDT

Integrate Ergonomics into Production System Design

Patrick Neumann et al. — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:12:04 PDT

A case study is presented evaluating the productivity and ergonomic consequences of strategies implemented in a re-design of an electronics assembly system. The company applied partial automation strategies for assembly and transportation functions, moving from a parallel-batch to a serial line-based production system. Through simultaneous consideration of technical and ergonomic indicators we aimed to identify linkages between design decisions, productivity, and ergonomics. Data obtained from company records and key company informants were combined with detailed video analysis, biomechanical modelling and field observations of the system. Implementation of the strategy to partly automate assembly operations was seen to reduce labour inputs for component assembly work without directly affecting ergonomic conditions. The automation of transportation strategy reduced both labour inputs and work in progress. This strategy also resulted in considerable reductions in work-task variability, and hence increases in repetitiveness for operators at manual assembly workstations. The manual assembly station examined had some increase in shoulder load amplitudes and a larger increase in the time-density of work (reduced porosity). Work activities were focused almost exclusively on stereotyped ‘get and put’ actions which increased in average frequency from one every 8.3 seconds to one every 7.4 seconds. Workstation design was constrained by initial decisions to adopt automation technologies and also affected by later problems in the automation of assembly. Ergonomic conditions varied across individuals and stations in the system. The adopted work organisation plan resulted in uneven distribution of risk factors across operators in the production system. It is concluded that strategic decisions made early in the design of the production system have considerable impact on ergonomic conditions in the production system. Optimal design for sustainable and efficient production require simultaneous and integrated consideration of technological and operator functions in the manufacturing system.

Ergonomics and Productivity Consequences in Adopting a Line-Based Production System

Patrick Neumann et al. — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:12:03 PDT

Ergonomic and production system effectiveness are evaluated in a case of a production system redesign: from parallel flow dock-based, to serial flow line-based assembly. The line-based system displayed much tighter coupling of operators to the technical system and introduced system, balance and downtime losses. We observed reductions in: cycle times to 6% of previous, decision latitude, influence and control over work, perceived work load, and perception of available pauses. Layout and technology changes helped improve co-worker interaction and support, and reduce instances, but not magnitude, of peak spinal loading. It is concluded that serial flows can negatively affect psychosocial conditions and, if losses are high, reduce physical workload. An ‘Action Group’ has been formed in the company to adopt an evidence-based approach to the development of systems that are sustainable from both productivity and ergonomics perspectives.

Initiating an Ergonomics Process – Tips, Tricks and Traps. Commentary from Focus Groups and Case Studies

Patrick Neumann et al. — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:12:03 PDT

Establishing a new ergonomics process in a company poses a special challenge to the ergonomics practitioner. The aim of this paper is to identify barriers and assists to the initiation of an ergonomics process and to raise awareness of these issues for both practitioners and researchers trying to initiate ergonomics intervention activities. We report on results from focus group sessions held with industrial personnel focussing on the initiation of ergonomics processes. Two cases of ergonomics process initiation are then presented and interpreted in light of these findings. Critical aspects for start up may include the point of entry into the organisation as well as both the base of support for ergonomics and the chain of authority in the organisation. Awareness of these factors will allow a growth strategy to be applied so that credibility, support, and activity expand from small but visible first ergonomics initiatives. Gaining support of top and middle managers is a key first objective.

Organisational Design and the (dis)Integration of Human Factors in Production System Development

Patrick Neumann et al. — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:12:02 PDT

This paper describes and generalises experiences from two cases of production system development in the Swedish context. We have observed the successful application of ergonomics to be related to the lack of coordination of human factors across groups responsible for different stages of the production system design process. This problem is magnified by the tendency for ‘ergonomics’ to be the responsibility of Human Resources departments who are distanced from they design process, rather than engineering teams directly engaged in design. Available tools to improve the integration of ergonomics considerations into the design process are briefly presented and discussed.

Ergonomics Contributions to Company Strategy

Jan Dul et al. — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:12:02 PDT

Presently, ergonomics is associated with occupational health and safety and related legislation, and not with business performance. Therefore, companies perceive ergonomics as a “must” and not as a “want”. In order to strengthen the position of ergonomics and ergonomists, we discuss the opportunities to link ergonomics explicitly to company strategies and business goals. Conceptual models are presented and examples are given to illustrate the present and desired situation. It is concluded that ergonomics has a clear potential to contribute to business strategies and goals. In order to utilize this potential, considerable changes must take place within the ergonomics community by moving from a health ergonomics paradigm to a business ergonomics paradigm.

Can Assembly Performance and Work Environment be Jointly Optimized? An Example Discreet Event Simulation Study

Patrick Neumann et al. — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:12:01 PDT

We demonstrate here how discreet event simulation can be used to integrating ergonomics into design processes. In this case we test the effect of two different ways of organizing work within a conventional production line layout. We pay special attention to the sensitivity of the system to human factors such as work autonomy and reduced work pace. Results indicate the general superiority of a ‘dual-cell’ over a ‘chase-the-rabbit’ organization in accommodating human variability. The study shows how human considerations can be tested in the design process using flow simulation.

Social Simulations Teach Engineering Student to Gain 'Buy-In' for Human Factors

Patrick Neumann et al. — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 07:40:10 PDT