What is ergonomics?
Interaction, this is the central concept of the topic, this interdependence between the human being and the working environment, the object of study of this multidisciplinary science.
Physical ergonomics optimises tools, technologies and systems by designing them to improve the well-being of those who use them. It also evaluates the positions adopted by the body during repetitive actions in order to eliminate or at least reduce psychophysical stress and the risk of injury.
How does Italian Legislative Decree D.lgs. 81/08 regulate ergonomics in the workplace? ?
The term ergonomics is now widely used and applied in different areas and contexts, but if we want to focus on work and therefore on the places related to it and the equipment used to perform tasks, we can certainly consider the Consolidated Law on Health and Safety at Work (Italian Legislative Decree 81/08).
There are many references to this topic in the above-mentioned collection of regulations, ranging from work environments, machinery, tools, and personal protective equipment, and then applied to specific areas such as work with video terminals, manual handling of loads, working at heights, etc.
What are the Employer’s obligations on the subject of ergonomics?
The employer’s obligation to ‘respect ergonomic principles in the organisation of work, in the design of workplaces, in the choice of equipment and in the definition of work and production methods, in particular in order to reduce the effects on health of monotonous and repetitive work’ is set out in the more general Article 15 and then repeated several times in the Legislative Decree 81/08 and applied to specific areas (e.g. Article 111 for work at heights, Article 174 for work at the video terminal).
European and International Standards on Ergonomics
The Italian National Unification Body (UNI), is in charge of transposing and translating, at the Italian level, the standards of supra-national standardisation bodies (ISO International Organisation for Standardisation and EN drawn up by the European Committee for Standardisation).
The UNI ISO 11226-11228 standards, which are also expressly cited in Legislative Decree 81/08, establish the limits of Biomechanical Overload in the manual handling of loads, regarding lifting, transport, pushing, pulling, and frequency, as well as assessing static work postures.
The UNI EN ISO standards on Anthropometry, on the other hand, define the techniques for measuring the human body during the product design phase, three-dimensional scanning methodologies and the requirements for templates or dummies for testing functions. The UNI EN standards on Machinery Safety establish principles for the design of ergonomic and safe devices, in terms of usability and performance. The UNI EN ISO 9241 standard on Man-System Interaction defines guidelines on the accessibility of information technology equipment and services.
How do you improve the ergonomics of a product at the production and design level?
If a tool is difficult to use, uncomfortable or unsafe, it is considered un-ergonomic.
A product is ergonomic when it safeguards the health and well-being of the user and enhances user satisfaction. Ergonomic suitability is achieved by relying on the kinetosphere, the science that measures man’s prehensility and ability to move in space, ideally represented as spherical.
In the production environment, a decision may be made to implement a reactive ergonomics plan, if a product needs to be corrected, or a preventive ergonomics plan if problems need to be identified in advance and then designed.
Ergonomists and/or specialised companies can improve ergonomic suitability by assessing products and posture during use, as well as officially certifying the level of ergonomics.
How is ergonomic risk assessed in the DVR, the Italian risk assessment document?
It is important to know in advance the work activity of each task through specific analyses such as: activity (interaction of the user with the system); flow (temporal sequence of the system’s events); decision (results consequent to the user’s decisions); task (list of the operations carried out by the user and the objectives to be achieved).
Depending on the task under consideration, specific evaluations will be carried out through preferential methods such as the OCRA (Occupational Repetitive Action) system, recommended by the ISO 11228-3 standard for estimating the risk of biomechanical overload of the upper limbs from repetitive movements.
To support the survey activity, there are several OCRA checklists, developed on computer supports by the EPM (Ergonomics of Posture and Movement) Research Unit, ranging from the most in-depth one applied to classic industry, to the simplest one indicated for small realities with less defined and less tight cycles.
How is ergonomics assessed in production, design and certification?
To assess the quality of ergonomics, ergonomists must take into account the characteristics of the human being and his demands, the environment in which he moves, the type of work he does and the tools he uses. The scientific disciplines on which ergonomics is based are many and varied: the aim is to make tools compatible with human abilities. To make an ergonomic product, therefore, it is necessary to apply anthropometry, biomechanics, physiology, psychology, kinesiology, physics, engineering and, of course, industrial design.
How do you certify an ergonomic product and whom do you turn to?
In order to certify a product or process, it is necessary to contact the relevant ergonomic certification bodies. The ergonomics certification process involves a preliminary analysis, followed by tests and verifications in the context of use, such as biomedical, usability and user experience tests, also with the aid of 3D simulation tools. The certification body, after requesting any adjustments, develops a report and can proceed with the issue of the certificate. Ergocert, is the first internationally Accredited Body for the Certification of ergonomic characteristics of professional and consumer products, processes and services.
Which products can be covered by ergonomics certification?
The International Ergonomics Association, with more than 42 member associations, is the association that promotes the application of ergonomics to more sectors in order to improve quality of life. A large number of consumer products (e.g. mattresses, pillows, irons, etc.), professional equipment and products (e.g. chairs, industrial laundry equipment, seat openers), workplaces (e.g. video terminals), processes (e.g. human centred design, digital systems approach) can be certified on safety and comfort.
