Ergonomics in Developing Regions: Needs and Applications (Ergonomics Design & Mgmt. Theory & Applications)

474 Pages·2009·9.51 MB·English

by  Patricia Anne Scott

Ergonomics in
Developing Regions
Needs and Applications
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Series Editor
Waldemar Karwowski
Industrial Engineering and Management Systems
University of Central Florida (UCF) – Orlando, Florida
Published Titles
Ergonomics in Developing Regions: Needs and Applications
Patricia A. Scott
Trust Management in Virtual Organizations: A Human Factors Perspective
Wiesław M. Grudzewski, Irena K. Hejduk, Anna Sankowska, and Monika Wan´tuchowicz
Ergonomics and Psychology: Developments in Theory and Practice
Olexiy Ya Chebykin, Gregory Z. Bedny, and Waldemar Karwowski
Forthcoming Titles
Handbook of Human Factors in Consumer Product Design, 3 vol. set
Neville A. Stanton and Waldemar Karwowski
Nanotechnology, Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety
Ash M. Genaidy and Waldemar Karwowski
Ergonomics in
Developing Regions
Needs and Applications
Edited by
Patricia A. Scott
Boca Raton London New York
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ergonomics in developing regions : needs and applications / editor, Patricia Anne Scott.
p. cm. -- (Ergonomics design and management : theory and applications)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4200-7911-1 (hard back : alk. paper)
1. Human engineering--Developing countries. I. Scott, Patricia Anne. II. Title. III. Series.
T59.7.E725 2009
620.8’2091724--dc22 2009012823
Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at
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Contents
Preface .............................................................................................................................................ix
Acknowledgments .........................................................................................................................xi
Editor.............................................................................................................................................xiii
Contributors ...................................................................................................................................xv
Part I Distinctive Requirements of Developing Regions
1. The Development of, and the Need for, Ergonomics
in Industrially Developing Countries ..............................................................................3
Patricia A. Scott
2. Human Factors and Ergonomics in Industrially
Developing Countries: Necessity and Contribution ...................................................15
Klaus J. Zink
3. Ergonomics, Safety, and Health in Industrially Developing
Countries: A Needed Multilevel Interdisciplinary Approach ..................................29
Maria Julia Brunette and Maria Teresa Santa Ana Ibarra
Part II Participatory Approaches
4. Ergonomics Intervention in Industrially Developing Countries .............................41
Houshang Shahnavaz
5. Participatory Ergonomics Training for Networking Farmers ...................................59
Tsuyoshi Kawakami and Ton That Khai
6. The Practice of Ergonomics in the South of Brazil
from a Sociotechnical Perspective...................................................................................67
Lia Buarque de Macedo Guimarães
7. Ergonomics Education in Industrially Developing Countries ..................................89
Emma-Christin Lönnroth
8. Participatory Ergonomics: A Case Study Implementing an
Ergonomics Program in a Specifi c Brazilian Company ............................................101
Marcelo M. Soares
Part III Diverse Ramifications
9. Ergonomics of Technology Transfer .............................................................................129
Houshang Shahnavaz
v
vi Contents
10. Ergonomics Issues in Transport.....................................................................................153
Dave H. O’Neill
11. Distinctive Ergonomics Requirements of Developing
Regions: Economic Costs and Benefi ts .........................................................................171
Andrew Ivan Todd
12. Vulnerable Populations in Industrially Advanced Countries ................................185
Dave Moore
Part IV Application in Specific Industries
13. Vibration Characteristics of Tractors
and Power-Tillers: An Ergonomics Perspective .........................................................203
Vilas M. Salokhe, Madhav D. Gholkar, Peeyush Soni, and Hiroshi Nakashima
14. The Contribution of Ergonomics to the Forestry
Industry in Developing Countries ................................................................................235
Candice J. Christie, Felipe Meyer, Genevieve James, and Elias Apud
15. Ergonomics in the Carpet-Weaving Industry in Iran................................................253
Majid Motamedzade
16. Nonfatal Accident Analyses in the Textile Industry in India .................................263
Pranab K. Nag, Anjali Nag, and Heer Vyas
17. Below the Surface of Practical Application of Ergonomics
in Mining ............................................................................................................................273
Petrus C. Schutte and Jonathan P. James
18. Women in Indian Agriculture ........................................................................................291
Laxman P. Gite
19. Ergonomics in Construction, Specifi cally in Industrially
Developing Countries ......................................................................................................307
Romuald A. Rwamamara and John J. Smallwood
20. Keeping the Wheels Turning—Practical Application
of Ergonomics in the Automotive Industry.................................................................323
Jonathan P. James and Genevieve James
Part V R egional Experiences: How Needs Are Being
Addressed Universally
21. Assessing Available Resources to Meet Ergonomics Needs
in the Subregions of West and Central Africa ............................................................337
Samson Adaramola
Contents vii
22. Ergonomics in South Africa, and beyond the Borders .............................................343
Jonathan P. James and Patricia A. Scott
23. Overview of Ergonomics in Latin America .................................................................349
Marcelo M. Soares
24. Ergonomics in Chile .........................................................................................................357
Elias Apud and Felipe Meyer
25. Ergonomics in the People’s Republic of China ..........................................................363
Pei-Luen Patrick Rau and Tom B. Leamon
26. Growth of Ergonomics in India .....................................................................................373
Anindya K. Ganguli
27. Development of Ergonomics in Iran .............................................................................379
Majid Motamedzade
28. Ergonomics in Russia .......................................................................................................385
Alexey N. Anokhin
29. Experiences in Ergonomics Action Programs for
Industry and Agriculture in Asia ..................................................................................391
Kazutaka Kogi
Part VI I nsights and Reflections from Ergonomists
around the Globe
30. Times Remembered: Refl ections on the Postgraduate Program in
Ergonomics at the University of Cape Town 1983–1999 ...........................................401
Robert S. Bridger
31. Starting a New Cottage Industry Factory in the Philippines ..................................407
Hal W. Hendrick
32. Experience of Teaching and Researching Ergonomics
in Germany and in South Africa ...................................................................................411
Matthias Goebel
33. Managing Low Back Pain Risk in Industrially Developing Countries ................425
William S. Marras
34. Sustainability: An Ergonomics Watchword
for the Twenty-First Century..........................................................................................437
Patricia A. Scott
Index .............................................................................................................................................445

Preface
Appreciation of the role of ergonomics in improving and enriching the conditions of
humans at work is burgeoning worldwide. How could it be otherwise, given the fact that
ergonomics has at its core not merely understanding but improving working conditions
and work practices, in a way that “humanizes” working lives by reducing physical and
mental stress, and minimizing drudgery, while facilitating initiative, optimizing creativ-
ity, self-esteem, and a sense of recompense for effort expended; in short—“joie de vivre.”
Yet, this salutary effort is more widely publicized, better resourced (and as a consequence
more appreciated) where it is least needed, namely in a modern, well-established,
industrialized, affl uent, human-rights-oriented, “developed” world in which a relatively
small fraction of the human biomass is fortunate to reside. Arguably, 75% of humankind
lives in another world, a world which is developing and industrializing, whose popu-
lace is under-resourced, undernourished, and largely denied its rights. This is a world in
which human work, when you can get a job, is not done for self-enrichment but to secure
basic survival of dependents who cannot themselves access the workplace, and where
thousands of children grow up never having seen the inside of a school, but rather are sent
out to work under the most appalling conditions.
Notwithstanding the forces of globalization, the gap between industrially advanced
countries (IACs) or the “haves” and industrially developing countries (IDCs) or the
“have-nots” is increasing. Poverty, deprivation, overpopulation, illiteracy, and subopti-
mal working conditions attend this scenario. This widening chasm, among other things,
feeds discontent which, justifi ed or not, exacerbates tensions. To the extent that this view
is valid, the challenge for ergonomics is to contribute to a narrowing of the gap by recog-
nizing that the vast majority of the biomass of humanity is engaged in basic IDC issues
(Scott and Charteris, 2004).
It is in this world that ergonomics takes on a whole new meaning, a world where the ame-
lioration of harsh working conditions is subservient to basic day-to-day s urvival. It is here,
in what we euphemistically call the “informal sector,” that human beings toil long hours at
brutal tasks which none in the “advanced” world would tolerate; tasks long since legislated
against in the developed world. Their needs are greater and tragically most often they are
unaware that their conditions can in fact be dramatically improved. A core of dedicated
endemic ergonomists work in this milieu, under-resourced and largely unsung, certainly
often unappreciated, or perceived as another expense to drain the m eager fi nances of a
struggling company in a struggling region of the world.
This book is not a lament of suboptimal working conditions, but rather an eye-opening
tribute to the resourcefulness and tenacity of developing world ergonomists whose simple
interventions hugely and benefi cially impact the lives of millions. It is worth noting that
the better working conditions are, the higher the cost–benefi t ratio is of further improv-
ing them, and one advantage the IDC ergonomists have over their IAC counterparts is
that their interventions reap greater rewards, and the benefi ts they effect can be felt far
beyond the working environment. Our book aims to fi ll the gap in an understanding of
the global nature of ergonomics. The collected wisdom of First-World ergonomists is epito-
mized in the magisterial Evaluation of Human Work so ably pulled together by Wilson and
Corlett (2005), and now in its third edition. This superb compilation, however, speaks to
the world that is represented by its 51 contributors, not one of whom lives and works where
ix