Mine equipment operators' perceptions concerning alertness and shift rotation

Mine equipment operators' perceptions concerning alertness and shift rotation

lighting was preferred over task lighting and some task lighting conditions were preferred over others. The single adjective scale is recommended as b...

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lighting was preferred over task lighting and some task lighting conditions were preferred over others. The single adjective scale is recommended as being more sensitive than the typical paired semantic-differential scale.

19.1.34 (104707)

Kenney, W.L. A review of comparative responses of men and women to heat stress. Environmental Research, 1985, 37.1, 1- 11. Abstr in Documentation Occupational Health. Most of our present knowledge regarding human responses to thermal stress is primarily a result of research conducted on male subjects. Recently, as women have moved into the industrial workplace and forefront of athletic activity, attention has turned to comparative responses of men and women. Very limited research on preadolescent children suggests no physiological thermoregulatory sex differences except for a slightly higher sweat rate in lean boys as compared with lean girls of a similar age. Boys also tended to be more tolerant of higher temperatures. Current beliefs regarding men and women are: (1) women, as a population, are less tolerant to a given imposed heat stress; however, if cardiovascular fitness level, body size, and acclimation state are standardised, the differences tend to disappear; (2) women have a lower sweat rate than men of equal fitness, size and acclimation which is disadvantageous in hot-dry environments, but advantageous in hot-wet environments; and (3) menstrual cycle effects are minimal. It is concluded that aerobic capacity, surface area-to-mass ratio, and state of acclimation are more important than sex in determining physiological responses to heat stress.

accepted, published and read. With the help of suitable software an author may enter a text into a system, and the editor, referees and ultimately the readers can access the article in its final form through their own computer terminals. The first research study of this concept was conducted in the USA in 1978 to 1980 via the Electronic Information Exchange System (EIES) at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. qhe second and more successful research study was conducted in Britain in 1980 to 1984, organised jointly by two universities as the Birmingham and Loughborough Electronic Network Development (BLEND). The background of electronic mail and computer conferencing, and the research studies into the possibilities of electronic journals, are outlined in this paper. Some of the problems and needs for the future are discussed.

Work design and organisation 19.1.36 (104754) Sinclair, M.A. Ergonomics aspects of the automated factory. Ergonomics, 1986, 29.12, 1507-1523. The paper outlines some of the implications for ergonomics of the current trend towards 'automated factories'; ones in which human functions will be largely supervisory and minute-by-minute control will be by computers. These implications are discussed under the headings: locus of control and accountability; organisation, staffing and training issues; decision aids; the transfer of knowledge among multiple users; and knowledge capture. It is clear that much of ergonomics knowledge is relevant to these matters; nevertheless, there are areas where more research is required. These are outlined at the end of the paper.

System characteristics 19.1.35 (104738)

Shackel, B. Research into electronic journals - A broad overview. In: Trends in the Ergonomics of Work, Proc 23rd ann conf Erg Soc Australia & New Zealand, Perth, W Australia, 2 4 - 2 8 Nov 1986, D. Morrison, L. Hartley, and D. Kemp (Eds). ESANZ, Carlton South, Victoria, Australia, 1986, pp 1 0 2 - 1 1 7 . The concept of the electronic journal is one which involves using a computer to aid the normal procedures whereby an article is written, refereed,

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Applied Ergonomics

March 1988

Topics of interest are future problems with reduction of working hours and introduction of new technologies, the different handling of shiftwork for women in different countries as well as intervention studies, proposals and recommendations to alleviate shiftwork.

19.1.38 (104775)

Wagner, J.A., and Garcia, M,M. Mine equipment operators' perceptions concerning alertness and shift rotation. In: A Cradle for Human Factors. Proc Human Factors Soc 30th ann meeting, Dayton, Ohio, 29 Sep 3 Oct 1986. The Human Factors Society, Santa Monica, California, Vol 1, 1986, pp 5 7 1 - 5 7 5 . In order to learn how mine equipment operators view numerous factors which may affect their alertness, two groups of operators (N = 57 and N = 73) were surveyed through the administration of questionnaires. It was of particular interest to usesurvey questions which would elucidate the hypothetical links between shift rotation, alertness and accident causation. Based on the information and impressions obtained during this project, it seems apparent that alertness is greatly influenced by the necessity to work three shifts on a rotating schedule, by the physical and mental stimulation afforded by the task, and by the physical environment. It is also apparent that alertness can be maintained or at least restored by incorporating certain changes in the way tasks are performed and by modifying shift rotation schedules. Future Bureau of Mines research will utilise this information in designing improved shift rotation schedules and in deriving coping strategies which shiftworking mine equipment operators can use to maintain alertness on the job.

19.1.39 (104797) 19.1.37 (104771)

Hasberg, M., and Sundelin, G,

Haider, M., Koller, M., and Cervinka, R. (Eds)

Discomfort and load on the upper trapezius muscle when o p e ~ t i n g a wordprocessor. Ergonomics, 1986, 29.12, 1 6 3 7 - 1 6 4 5 .

Night and shiftwork: Longterm effects

and their prevention. Verlag Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main, 1986, 483 pp. This publication mainly deals with the question of long.term adjustment to shift work and the possibility of preventing adverse effects. Special stress is laid on newer aspects such as shiftwork combined with other occupational and environmental hazards and working irregular hours.

Surface electromyogram recordings from the descending p a ~ of the trapezius muscle and d ~ o m f o r t ratings were assessed for six f e r u l e VDT wordprocessor operators d ~ their work. Each ~ r a t o r was ~ d i e d during three work periods of three to fivehours on differentdays, During one of the work periods, short pauses (15 s)