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Industrial robot safety
Books Culnulative trauma disorders: A manual for musculoskeletal diseases of the upper limbs Vern Putz-Anderson (Ed) Taylor & Francis, London, 1988. pp 151 + xi. £7.50. Problems caused by constantly repeated work activities are of increasing interest and concern, and rightly so. The terminology varies - e g, repetitive strain injury or cumulative trauma disorders are two of several popular terms - but the effects are painful, debilitating and long lasting in many cases. This modestly priced book is one which every medical department, production engineer and works manager should study, whilst for union representatives in mass production industries it is essential reading. In straightforward language the book gives the anatomy and physiology of the hand-arm, a discussion on causes of injury, and recommendations for preventing injuries occurring. Ample further reading is given, the text is authoritative and by eminent authors, but the book is readable and well illustrated. The book arose from work in one of the Divisions of the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. They have done a major service by achieving its publication. E.N. Corlett
Industrial robot safety. Robot Safety Guidance Document HS/G 43, published by the Health & Safety Executive. 50 pp. £9.50. The safety aspect of robots is treated differently in different countries. Visitors from the UK to even advanced industrial nations may have been surprised to see robots and people working together without the intervention of solid guarding. UK practice has been to insist on clear separation and protected guarding, but this Health and Safety Executive manual on Industrial Robot Safety extends the possibilities and introduces a more flexible approach. For engineers, ergonomists, union personnel and shop floor management it is important that safety should not be a 'rule of thumb' exercise but be a matter of knowledge and decision. This manual is important to all the groups listed. Its dissemination to students will not be helped by its price, however, and profitability for HMSO may be a short-term benefit to put against the possibility of long-term loss through students not having their own copy of this important manual. E.N. Corlett
The disability scene: A library reference list for designers and makers of equipment for the disabled Compiled by Anne Rehahn London College of Furniture. 2nd ed, 1985 with 1987
supplement. 35 pp. £4.00. Ergonomics to overcome disabilities is of widespread interest to ergonomists, and this modestly priced bibliography is bound to be of help. It was compiled by a librarian,
332
Applied Ergonomics
December 1988
Anne Rehahn, at the London College of Furniture library and represents a listing of that library's very considerable holding. The lists are grouped under Welfare of the Disabled, Disabilities, the Environments for the Disabled, and Towards Rehabilitation. They are complemented by an extensive index. The listings are alphabetically by title, but are followed by an author index. The coverage is both popular and scientific, and should prove valuable as a starting point for ergonomists and others. E.N. Corlett
Preventing back pain at work E.M. Bunker and J. O'Sullivan
National Safety Council of Australia, Queensland Division, Safety House, Brisbane, Australia Q 4006. ISBN 0 906670 21 8. Anything that can be done to relieve the burden of backache must be welcomed. It is not only a disease which causes absenteeism at work, costing individuals and the economy as a whole untold millions, but causes enormous suffering and discomfort. We need hardly go to the statistics to discover its prevalence, just mention in any social gathering that you are a victim, you will soon be surrounded by fellow sufferers. Come up with a cure or a means of prevention and there will be no shortage of customers. This little book sets out simply and clearly to explain the possible causes of back pain and how to prevent it. The first chapter elucidates the anatomical and biomechanical background, pointing out the large extra stress put on the back when it is loaded in the bent position. Chapter 2 consists mostly of a series of grim illustrations of the conditions at work that are likely to lead to back pain. The photographs are well chosen, showingcommon situations in offices, shops, hospitals, workshops and on construction sites. They look real; to the back sufferer, just looking at them evokes pain and discomfort. The strategies for prevention are laid out graphically in the last chapter. Ergonomics has a large part to play in alleviating this form of human suffering. The ergonomist has only to persuade those responsible for even the simplest workstation to take note of what is represented here. The facts are all known, there is no need for further research; the problem is one of persuasion and selling the product. Lastly, there are three appendices, a simple anthropometric table, a guide to fitness, and illustrations of exercises to warm up and relieve pain. The last covers a series of simple warm-up exercises that anyone could do at work with undoubted benefits. They are illustrated with photographs not, as is more common, showing only the instructor but here there is an ordinary, slightly overweight worker doing the exercises as he might at work. Unfortunately, the painrelieving exercises are done only by the glamorous instructor who clearly has not got back pain. This is an excellent book; it aims to communicate the possibility of prevention and it triumphantly hits its target. It
Industrial robot safety. Robot Safety Guidance Document HS/G 43, published by the Health & Safety Executive. 50 pp. £9.50. The safety aspect of robots is treated differently in different countries. Visitors from the UK to even advanced industrial nations may have been surprised to see robots and people working together without the intervention of solid guarding. UK practice has been to insist on clear separation and protected guarding, but this Health and Safety Executive manual on Industrial Robot Safety extends the possibilities and introduces a more flexible approach. For engineers, ergonomists, union personnel and shop floor management it is important that safety should not be a 'rule of thumb' exercise but be a matter of knowledge and decision. This manual is important to all the groups listed. Its dissemination to students will not be helped by its price, however, and profitability for HMSO may be a short-term benefit to put against the possibility of long-term loss through students not having their own copy of this important manual. E.N. Corlett
The disability scene: A library reference list for designers and makers of equipment for the disabled Compiled by Anne Rehahn London College of Furniture. 2nd ed, 1985 with 1987
supplement. 35 pp. £4.00. Ergonomics to overcome disabilities is of widespread interest to ergonomists, and this modestly priced bibliography is bound to be of help. It was compiled by a librarian,
332
Applied Ergonomics
December 1988
Anne Rehahn, at the London College of Furniture library and represents a listing of that library's very considerable holding. The lists are grouped under Welfare of the Disabled, Disabilities, the Environments for the Disabled, and Towards Rehabilitation. They are complemented by an extensive index. The listings are alphabetically by title, but are followed by an author index. The coverage is both popular and scientific, and should prove valuable as a starting point for ergonomists and others. E.N. Corlett
Preventing back pain at work E.M. Bunker and J. O'Sullivan
National Safety Council of Australia, Queensland Division, Safety House, Brisbane, Australia Q 4006. ISBN 0 906670 21 8. Anything that can be done to relieve the burden of backache must be welcomed. It is not only a disease which causes absenteeism at work, costing individuals and the economy as a whole untold millions, but causes enormous suffering and discomfort. We need hardly go to the statistics to discover its prevalence, just mention in any social gathering that you are a victim, you will soon be surrounded by fellow sufferers. Come up with a cure or a means of prevention and there will be no shortage of customers. This little book sets out simply and clearly to explain the possible causes of back pain and how to prevent it. The first chapter elucidates the anatomical and biomechanical background, pointing out the large extra stress put on the back when it is loaded in the bent position. Chapter 2 consists mostly of a series of grim illustrations of the conditions at work that are likely to lead to back pain. The photographs are well chosen, showingcommon situations in offices, shops, hospitals, workshops and on construction sites. They look real; to the back sufferer, just looking at them evokes pain and discomfort. The strategies for prevention are laid out graphically in the last chapter. Ergonomics has a large part to play in alleviating this form of human suffering. The ergonomist has only to persuade those responsible for even the simplest workstation to take note of what is represented here. The facts are all known, there is no need for further research; the problem is one of persuasion and selling the product. Lastly, there are three appendices, a simple anthropometric table, a guide to fitness, and illustrations of exercises to warm up and relieve pain. The last covers a series of simple warm-up exercises that anyone could do at work with undoubted benefits. They are illustrated with photographs not, as is more common, showing only the instructor but here there is an ordinary, slightly overweight worker doing the exercises as he might at work. Unfortunately, the painrelieving exercises are done only by the glamorous instructor who clearly has not got back pain. This is an excellent book; it aims to communicate the possibility of prevention and it triumphantly hits its target. It