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Glossary/References
Glossary      References

Glossary:

Term DefinitionTerm Definition

Anthropometry

The measurement of the dimensions, and certain other physical characteristics such as weight and centers of gravity, of the human body as a whole or of its segments.

Fixed work posture

 A work posture that does not permit the operator to freely change position so as to relieve postural stress.  Fixed postures tend to statically load muscle groups since movement of the body segments and/or trunk is inhibited.

Clearance dimensions

The dimensions of a workspace required to provide appropriate space for body members to maneuver without interference from surrounding structures or equipment.

Foot-candle

A unit measure of illumination striking a surface.  One foot-candle is equivalent to one lumen per square foot.

Contact point or Pressure point

 A body site at which an item of workplace equipment or a tool exerts pressure on the tissues.  Soft tissue sites are of most concern to ergonomics since the compression of the tissue can occlude blood vessels, irritate nerves and tendons, or damage the muscle tissue itself.

Functional reach or “dynamic” reach

An anthropometric dimension representing the arm reach capability when the body is allowed to bend and/or rotate at the shoulder and hips so as to extend the reach beyond that obtainable when the body is in a static or fixed posture. 

Dynamic work

Work activities involving movement and thus requiring the muscles to both contract and relax during the activity.

Normal reach radius

The area that can be conveniently reached with a sweep of the forearm, with the upper arm hanging in a natural position vertically at the side. All materials, tools, controls, and containers should be arranged within the normal reach radius whenever possible.

Elbow height

The anthropometric dimension referring to the height of the elbow above the floor when the arm is hanging relaxed at the side of the standing individual.

Normal work area

The area in front of the worker which can be used for work with a normal expenditure of effort.

Elbow rest height

The anthropometric dimension referring to the elbow above the seat surface when the upper arm is hanging relaxed and the elbow is bent so that the forearm is parallel with the floor.

Power grasp/grip

A grasp in which the hand wraps around the handle being grasped.  In the power grasp the thumb aligns the hand with the long axis of the forearm and the wrist assumes a slight ulnar deviation.  The power grip provides more than five times the gripping strength of a precision grip.

Ergonomics

The scientific study of the relationship between humans and their working environment. 

Precision grasp/grip

A grasp in which the object is held by the force of the thumb vs. the first (or first and second) finger(s).  It provides precise aim but has limited strength.

Extended reach radius

The area that can be reached by extending the arm from the shoulder.

Reach envelope

The surface in space centered on the left/right midline plane of the body representing the reach capability of the population percentile of interest.  The envelope may be described as a functional reach envelope.
  

Viewing angle

The angle, either vertical or horizontal, at witch the worker views the task measured from the center line of the horizontal line of sight when the operator is looking straight ahead.

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References

Selected Texts

Abstracts from the 1st International Symposium on Ergonomics in Building and Construction; International Ergonomics Association.  CPWR, Washington, DC. CPWR@CPWR.COM Tel.  202-962-8490.

Alexander, David C., Applied Ergonomics Case Studies, Engineering and Management Press, Norcross, Georgia, 1999.

Auburn Engineers, Ergonomics Design Guidelines, Auburn, AL, 1997.

Casey, Steven, Set Phasers on Stun, Aegean Publishing Company, Santa Barbara, California, 1993.

Chaffin, Don B., Andersson, Gunnar B.J., Occupational Biomechanics 2nd Edition, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 1991.

Corlett, E. N., The Ergonomics of Workspaces and Machines, Taylor and Francis, Bristol, Pennsylvania, 1995.

DFMA adapted from: Ron Garrett, Instructor, Michigan Virtual Automotive College, (www.engineer.gvsu.edu/vac)

Ergonomics and Construction: A Review of Potential Hazards in New Construction: Scott Schneider and Pam Susi. 1993. Center to Protect Workers’ Rights, 111 Massachusetts Ave.  NW, Washington DC 20001.  Tel. 202-962-8490

Grandjean, Etienne, Fitting the Task to the Man, Taylor and Francis, New York, 1988.

HumanTech, Product Design for Ergonomics in Assembly, Ann Arbor, MI, 1996.

Humantech.  Ergonomic design guidelines for engineers – Version 3.2Humantech, Inc.  2005.

Junghanns, Herbert, Clinical Implications of Normal Biomechanical Stresses on Spinal Function, Aspen Publishers, Rockville, Maryland, 1990.

Kroemer, K. H. E. and Grandjean, E.  Fitting the task to the human Fifth edition  A Textbook of occupational ergonomics.  Taylor & Francis. 2003.

MacLeod, Dan, The Ergonomics Edge, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1995.

Mital, A., A Guide to Manual Materials Handling, Taylor and Francis, London, 1993.

Norman, Donald A., The Psychology of Everyday Things, Basics Books, Inc., New York, 1988.

Pecina, Marko M., Overuse Injuries of the Musculoskeletal System, CRC Press Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1993.

Pelmear, Peter L., Hand-Arm Vibration, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1992.

The Productivity Press Development Team.  5S for Operators; 5 Pillars of the visual workplaceProductivity, Inc.  1996.

Pulat, Babur Mustafa, Industrial Ergonomics Case Studies, McGraw-Hill, Inc., New York, 1991.

Putz-Anderson, Vern.  Cumulative trauma disorders; a manual for musculoskeletal diseases of the upper limbs. Taylor & Francis.  2001.

Reducing Sprains and Strains In Construction Through Worker Participation: A Manual for Managers and Workers With Examples from Scaffold Erection;   E.A.P. Koningsveld, Peter Vink, Ilse J.M. Urlings, A.M. de Jong, NIA TNO, Amsterdam, The Netherlands May 1998.  (Available from CPWR, Washington, DC. CPWR@CPWR.COM Tel. 202-962-8490)

Rice, Valerie J. Berg, Ergonomics in Healthcare and Rehabilitation, Butterworth-Heinemann, Boston, 1998.

Rodgers, Suzanne H., Ergonomic Design for People at Work, Volumes I and II, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1983 and 1986.

Roughton, James E., Ergonomics Problems in the Workplace, Government Institutes Inc., Rockville, Maryland, 1996.

Salvendy, Gavriel, HandBook of Human Factors and Ergonomics, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1997.

Stand, Lift, Carry; Back Care in Manual Materials Handling in Construction; 1993 Construction Safety Association of Ontario, 74 Victoria Street, Toronto, Ontario M5C 2A5 Tel.  416-366-1501.

Weerdmeester, B., Dul, J., Ergonomics for Beginners, Taylor and Francis, London, 1993.

Winter, David, Biomechanics of Human Movement, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1979.

Wolf, Stewart G., Jr., Occupational Stress, PSG Publishing Company, Littleton, Massachusetts, 1986.

Woodson, Wesley E., Human Factors Design Handbook, McGraw-Hill Inc., New York, 1992.

Work-Related Disorders of the Back and Upper Extremity in Washington State, 1989 - 1996; Safety & Health Assessment & Research for Prevention (SHARP) P.O. Box 44330, Olympia, WA 98504-4330  1-360-902-5669 dots235 @LNI.WA.GOV

Government Publications

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Elements of Ergonomics Programs, NIOSH, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1997.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Participatory Ergonomic Interventions in Meat Packing Plants, NIOSH, Cincinnati, Ohio.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Applications Manual for the Revised NIOSH Lifting Equation, NIOSH, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1994.

U.S. General Accounting Office, Worker Protection, Private Sector Ergonomics Programs Yield Positive Results, Health Education and Human Services, Washington, D.C., 1997.

(Reference www.osha.gov for additional government  publications)

Journals (Selected)

Applied Ergonomics, Elsevier Science Ltd.

Ergonomics, Taylor and Francis.

Human Factors, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

(Reference www.ergoweb.com for a very complete list of ergonomics related journals)

Professional Organizations

American Industrial Hygiene Association

2700 Prosperity Avenue, #250

Fairfax, VA  22031

(703) 849-8888

 

American Society of Safety Engineers

1800 E. Oakton St.

Des Plaines, IL 60018-2187

(847) 699-2929

 

Board of Certification in Professional Ergonomics (BCPE)

PO Box 2811
Bellingham WA 98227-2811 USA

Phone: 888.856.4685

FAX: 866.266.8003

E-mail: bcpehq@bcpe.org

 

Human Factors and Ergonomics Society

PO Box 1369

Santa Monica, CA 90406-1369

(310) 394-1811

 

International Ergonomics Association

Secretary General IEA

Pieter Rookmaaker

SEARBO/Ergonomics

PO Box 2286

3500 GG Utrecht

The Netherlands

+31 30 2399455

 

National Safety Council

444 North Michigan Avenue

Chicago, IL 60611

(800) 621-7619

 

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