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Safety standards, risk analysis and decision making on prevention measures: Implications of some recent European legislation and standards
influence the decision-makhlg steps related to risk assessment are also discussed.
ABSTRACTS To provide readers of Applied Ergonomics with a selection of current ergonomics literature likely to be of direct practical value, abstracts are published selected from the collection held at the Ergonomics Information Analysis Centre. These abstracts are classified in a similar manner to the main articles in the journal; for easy reference, the code number at the head of each abstract (e g, 1.1.21) consists of the volume number, part or issue number and a sequential abstract number.
The published abstracts are only a selection of the Centre's material and readers concerned with specific areas are invited to contact the Centre for further information. Those readers unable to obtain copies of the original articles abstracted here through their usual sources, such as company librarian, may obtain photocopies from the Centre. Details of this service are available from The Ergonomics Information Analysis Centre, School of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B 15 2TT. Tel. 0 2 1 - 4 1 4 4239.
General ergonomics 22.6.1 (121761)
Life, M.A., Narborough-Hall, C.S. and Hamilton, W.I. (Eds). Simulation and the user interface. Taylor & Francis, London, 1990, 269 pp. Engineers involved in the development of h u m a n - c o m p u t e r interfaces use strategies that depend upon empirical knowledge of m a c h i n e - u s e r interaction. Such knowledge needs to be obtained from techniques that can be implemented quickly and with minimum risk. Simulation meets these needs. The achievements and the problems that have so far been encountered in the use of interface situations and the future potential of the technique are reviewed. The b o o k also provides a critical appraisal of the functions of simulation and strengthens the foundations for the future application of the technique. Although the emphasis lies with the user interfaces of systems involving computer technology, the central themes are applicable to the development and optimisafion of h u m a n - m a c h i n e work systems. The papers in this volume arose from the conference 'Simulation in the development of user interfaces' which was organised by the Ergonomics Society in affiliation with the British Computer Society H u m a n - C o m p u t e r Interaction Group, held at Brighton, UK, in May 1989. 22.6.2 (121767) Wakula, J. Work sciences and ergonomics in the USSR (Uber die Arbeitswissenschaften und die Ergonomie in der UdSSR). (In German.) Zeitschrift fur Arbeitswissenschaft, 1990, 44.3, 1 7 5 - 1 7 8 , 14 refs. This paper describes the development states, scientific areas of
416
industrial medicine, work and engineering psychology, and ergonomics in the USSR and introduces the research institutions in the USSR addressing such questions. 22.6.3 (121775)
Hale, A.R., De Loor, M., van Drimmelen, D., and Huppes, G. Safety standards, risk analysis and decision making on prevention measures: Implications of some recent European legislation and standards. JofOccupatAccidents, 1990, 13.3, 2 1 3 - 2 3 1 , 3 4 refs. Legislation on industrial safety in many countries contains several different ways of phrasing its requirements: either as exposure or risk standards which have to be met; or as specific requirements to apply specified prevention measures; or as general requirements to put into effect measures belonging to 'the state of the art' in so far as those can reasonably be required of the e m p l o y e r or designer. A new approach to European standardisation of machinery safety is in the process of putting forward a standard of good design practice as an umbrella for specific machinery standards, which fits this last approach. In placing a general requirement of good practice on industry there is an implication that manufacturers and employers should be able to demonstrate that their decisions are based upon sound analysis of risk which they or others have conducted. The paper presents a discussion of the implications of recent European legislation on machinery safety and of the Dutch Working Environment Law on the structuring of such a systematic approach. Emphasis is placed on the use of standards based on 'the state of the art' in prevention. The options open for government to facilitate and
AppliedErgonomics December 1991
22.6.4 (121776) Noe, W. Human factors at ETSI. Mandate, activities and standards. In: Proc 13th Int Syrup on Human Factors in Telecommunications, Turin, 1 0 - 1 4 Sep 1990, pp 4 3 5 - 4 4 0 , 0 refs. ETSI, the new European Telecommunications Standards Institute, founded in 1988 by the Commission of the European Communities, includes a technical committee working on human factors standards for telecommunications. The Technical Committee Human Factors (TC HF) supports the other ETSI Technical Committees with regard to specific human factors aspects in technical standards and elaborates human factors standards for human factors subjects with impact on Europe-wide telecommunications. The field work of the ETSI TC HF includes Telecommunication Services (e g, videophone services, message handling services, user control procedures, tones), usability evaluation (e g, usability measurement, testing, tools for user surveys), special needs of disabled people (e g, text telephones, video telephones, acoustic menus for the blind) and human factors support (e g, development of a H a n d b o o k of Human Factors in telecommunications). At present, work in TC HF is aimed at establishing human factors standards in the field of videophone services and terminals, user control procedures for ISDN services, tones, telephone-based computer interfaces and message handling systems.
22.6.5 (121783)
Ridyard, D.T., Bobick, T.G., and Starkman, B.S. Ergonomics awareness training for workplace design engineers. Appl
Occupat and Environmental Hygiene, 1990, 5 . 1 1 , 7 7 1 - 7 8 1 , 15 refs. This article presents an overview of an ergonomics awareness training programme that has been developed for the design engineers at a major pharmaceutical manufacturer. The purpose of this training is to provide engineers with practical working knowledge of some common principles of ergonomic job design. The main objective is to ensure that these ergonomics principles are used by design engineers to increase the effectiveness of newly designed systems without adversely stressing the workers. In addition to sitespecific slides and case studies, the training programme utilises a series of
ABSTRACTS To provide readers of Applied Ergonomics with a selection of current ergonomics literature likely to be of direct practical value, abstracts are published selected from the collection held at the Ergonomics Information Analysis Centre. These abstracts are classified in a similar manner to the main articles in the journal; for easy reference, the code number at the head of each abstract (e g, 1.1.21) consists of the volume number, part or issue number and a sequential abstract number.
The published abstracts are only a selection of the Centre's material and readers concerned with specific areas are invited to contact the Centre for further information. Those readers unable to obtain copies of the original articles abstracted here through their usual sources, such as company librarian, may obtain photocopies from the Centre. Details of this service are available from The Ergonomics Information Analysis Centre, School of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B 15 2TT. Tel. 0 2 1 - 4 1 4 4239.
General ergonomics 22.6.1 (121761)
Life, M.A., Narborough-Hall, C.S. and Hamilton, W.I. (Eds). Simulation and the user interface. Taylor & Francis, London, 1990, 269 pp. Engineers involved in the development of h u m a n - c o m p u t e r interfaces use strategies that depend upon empirical knowledge of m a c h i n e - u s e r interaction. Such knowledge needs to be obtained from techniques that can be implemented quickly and with minimum risk. Simulation meets these needs. The achievements and the problems that have so far been encountered in the use of interface situations and the future potential of the technique are reviewed. The b o o k also provides a critical appraisal of the functions of simulation and strengthens the foundations for the future application of the technique. Although the emphasis lies with the user interfaces of systems involving computer technology, the central themes are applicable to the development and optimisafion of h u m a n - m a c h i n e work systems. The papers in this volume arose from the conference 'Simulation in the development of user interfaces' which was organised by the Ergonomics Society in affiliation with the British Computer Society H u m a n - C o m p u t e r Interaction Group, held at Brighton, UK, in May 1989. 22.6.2 (121767) Wakula, J. Work sciences and ergonomics in the USSR (Uber die Arbeitswissenschaften und die Ergonomie in der UdSSR). (In German.) Zeitschrift fur Arbeitswissenschaft, 1990, 44.3, 1 7 5 - 1 7 8 , 14 refs. This paper describes the development states, scientific areas of
416
industrial medicine, work and engineering psychology, and ergonomics in the USSR and introduces the research institutions in the USSR addressing such questions. 22.6.3 (121775)
Hale, A.R., De Loor, M., van Drimmelen, D., and Huppes, G. Safety standards, risk analysis and decision making on prevention measures: Implications of some recent European legislation and standards. JofOccupatAccidents, 1990, 13.3, 2 1 3 - 2 3 1 , 3 4 refs. Legislation on industrial safety in many countries contains several different ways of phrasing its requirements: either as exposure or risk standards which have to be met; or as specific requirements to apply specified prevention measures; or as general requirements to put into effect measures belonging to 'the state of the art' in so far as those can reasonably be required of the e m p l o y e r or designer. A new approach to European standardisation of machinery safety is in the process of putting forward a standard of good design practice as an umbrella for specific machinery standards, which fits this last approach. In placing a general requirement of good practice on industry there is an implication that manufacturers and employers should be able to demonstrate that their decisions are based upon sound analysis of risk which they or others have conducted. The paper presents a discussion of the implications of recent European legislation on machinery safety and of the Dutch Working Environment Law on the structuring of such a systematic approach. Emphasis is placed on the use of standards based on 'the state of the art' in prevention. The options open for government to facilitate and
AppliedErgonomics December 1991
22.6.4 (121776) Noe, W. Human factors at ETSI. Mandate, activities and standards. In: Proc 13th Int Syrup on Human Factors in Telecommunications, Turin, 1 0 - 1 4 Sep 1990, pp 4 3 5 - 4 4 0 , 0 refs. ETSI, the new European Telecommunications Standards Institute, founded in 1988 by the Commission of the European Communities, includes a technical committee working on human factors standards for telecommunications. The Technical Committee Human Factors (TC HF) supports the other ETSI Technical Committees with regard to specific human factors aspects in technical standards and elaborates human factors standards for human factors subjects with impact on Europe-wide telecommunications. The field work of the ETSI TC HF includes Telecommunication Services (e g, videophone services, message handling services, user control procedures, tones), usability evaluation (e g, usability measurement, testing, tools for user surveys), special needs of disabled people (e g, text telephones, video telephones, acoustic menus for the blind) and human factors support (e g, development of a H a n d b o o k of Human Factors in telecommunications). At present, work in TC HF is aimed at establishing human factors standards in the field of videophone services and terminals, user control procedures for ISDN services, tones, telephone-based computer interfaces and message handling systems.
22.6.5 (121783)
Ridyard, D.T., Bobick, T.G., and Starkman, B.S. Ergonomics awareness training for workplace design engineers. Appl
Occupat and Environmental Hygiene, 1990, 5 . 1 1 , 7 7 1 - 7 8 1 , 15 refs. This article presents an overview of an ergonomics awareness training programme that has been developed for the design engineers at a major pharmaceutical manufacturer. The purpose of this training is to provide engineers with practical working knowledge of some common principles of ergonomic job design. The main objective is to ensure that these ergonomics principles are used by design engineers to increase the effectiveness of newly designed systems without adversely stressing the workers. In addition to sitespecific slides and case studies, the training programme utilises a series of