A case study of the use of ergonomics information in a heavy engineering design process

The aim of this case study was to investigate the use of ergonomics information in an engineering design company's design process, Interviews were undertaken with engineers and designers in the company to establish their knowledge of the design process and use of ergonomics in design. Several of the company's installed designs were also evaluated to identify if the end product of the design process met ergonomics best practice. The results showed that the engineers and designers had poor knowledge of both the formal design processes in use in their company and how to apply ergonomics principles. The installed designs revealed several serious ergonomics problems that could impact on the operators' ability tp work efficiently and safely. Recommendations included improving the understanding and structure of the company's design process, improving communication, providing adequate ergonomics resources, improving strategies for identification of ergonomics issues in designs and improving quality control of ergonomics issues. Relevance to industry In the well resourced and safety-aware environment of the oil and gas industry one would expect that ergonomics would be used to ensure that designs enhance operator efficiency and safety. The achievement of good ergonomic designs would also be expected to have substantial economic benefits in terms of reduced costs in manufacturing, training and maintenance (Hendrick, 1997, Good ergonomics is good economics. Ergonomics in Design). This study identifies minimal understanding or use of ergonomics by international engineers and designers and provides a reminder to all industries to evaluate how well they are using simple ergonomics principles and information. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.