Are Drivers\u27 Manuals Understandable?

In 1984, researchers determined that the readability of state drivers\u27 manuals exceeded the average literacy levels in the United States. Because text complexity threatened the ability of license applicants and practicing drivers to understand the information presented in the manuals, a potential safety risk was indicated. This study analyzes recent editions of the manuals using readability formulas and formal text presentation ratings. It was found that the average difficulty of the drivers\u27 manuals was reduced by more than one grade level and that the 1994 manuals are clearly superior to their earlier versions, but that, in the interest of highway safety, improvements should still be sought

Automatic editing of manuals

The documentation problem is discussed that arises in getting all the many items included in a computer program prepared in a timely fashion and keeping them all correct and mutually consistent during the life of the program. The proposed approach to the problem is to collect all the necessary information into a single document, which is maintained with computer assistance during the life of the program and from which the required subdocuments can be extracted as desired. Implementation of this approach requires a package of programs for computer editorial assistance and is facilitated by certain programming practices that are discussed

IFOAM Training Manual: Training Manual for Organic Agriculture in the Humid Tropics

The first IFOAM Training Manual for Organic Agriculture in the Tropics (the Basic Manual) was published in 2004. The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) together with partners of the organic movement in the Tropics were commissioned by IFOAM to complete two new training manuals that build on the Basic Manual. The new IFOAM training manuals address the two basic climatic zones of the Tropics, the Arid and Semi-Arid Tropics, and the Humid Tropics. For both new manuals, already existing material was collected, screened and condensed into comprehensive training manuals. Additionally, a large number of farmers, trainers and scientists were asked for their experience. Partner institutions from the Tropics actively collaborated in the development of the manuals. The partners of the manual for the Arid and Semi-Arid Tropics are from Asia (India), Africa (Senegal and Tunisia) and Latin America (Chile). The training manuals contain case studies of organic farming systems, describe successful organic marketing initiatives and offer guidelines for the main crops of the Tropics. With the informative text, transparencies and didactical recommendations the training manuals offer a resource basis for trainers with the idea of encouraging individual adaptation and further development of the material according to need. The training manuals are available on separate CDs in English, French and Spanish. The training manuals were commissioned by IFOAM and funded through its program IFOAM-GROWING ORGANIC II (I-GO II). The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) and the Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO) provided co-funding

"Do screen captures in manuals make a difference?": a comparison between textual and visual manuals

Examines the use of screen captures in manuals. Three types of manuals were compared: one textual and two visual. The two visual manuals differed in the type of screen capture that was used. One had screen captures that showed only the relevant part of the screen, whereas the other consisted of captures of the full screen. All manuals contained exactly the same textual information. We examined immediate use on time (use as a job aid) and on learning (use as a teacher). For job-aid purposes, there was no difference between the manuals. The visual manual with full-screen captures and the textual manual were both better for learning than the visual manual with partial screen captures. We found no effect on user motivation. The tentative conclusion of this study is that screen captures seem not to be vital for learning or immediate use. If one opts for including screen captures, then the conclusion is that full-screen captures are better than partial one

Identifying the Ergonomic Risk Factors of a Job

[Excerpt] When we experience overexertion of muscles and joints, common symptoms include soreness, pain, discomfort, redness and swelling, limited range of motion, stiffness in joints, weakness and clumsiness, numbing/ tingling sensations (“pins and needles”), popping and cracking noises in the joints, and “burning” sensations in muscles. We need to pay attention to these warnings and act quickly to prevent trauma from becoming more serious. For repetitive jobs, over time, cumulative trauma injuries can develop. At first, our symptoms of pain and/or weakness are felt during work and disappear during off-hours or rest. Usually the body recovers and the problem is completely reversible at this stage. But, if the workplace conditions of the task are not changed, the injury can progress to the point that our symptoms no longer disappear completely between work shifts. This means that our bodies are unable to completely repair the affected tissues during rest. We may find that our symptoms are beginning to interfere with our ability to perform our usual work activities. We might find that we are moving more slowly, taking care how we bend or reach, conserving our movements just to get through the day. But, if the work conditions are still not changed and the trauma is allowed to continue, we may find that the pain persists even at rest, even to the point that we have trouble sleeping. At this stage, severe pain, limited mobility, loss of sensation or muscle weakness can make it impossible to perform most tasks. We find both our work and our home life affected – brushing teeth, combing hair, picking up objects, getting up and down on the toilet – everyday life is impacted

Accommodating the Allergic Employee in the Workplace

[Excerpt] Once an employer learns an applicant or employee is allergic, and in need of an accommodation, the employer may be required by the Americans with Disabilities Act to provide the needed accommodation. The allergic worker may be able to respond to low levels of exposure, levels which may be lower than the relevant occupational exposure limits set by OSHA or recommended by agencies such as NIOSH or organizations such as the ACGIH. Accommodating the allergic employee would therefore generally involve reducing exposure further by providing specific protection for the sensitive individual, such as additional protective equipment which the average (nonallergic) worker probably wouldn\u27t need. Protective equipment could involve the use of respirators for respiratory protection or protective clothing (such as gloves) or barrier creams for skin protection. The use of respirators would involve employer compliance with OSHA\u27s Respiratory Protection Standard (29 CFR 1910.134) including the use of a physical to determine whether a worker could wear a respirator. Battery-powered respirators may enable those with pulmonary or cardiovascular problems to still use a respirator. Respirators made of silicone may enable someone to wear a respirator who has a rubber allergy (such as an allergy to mercaptobenzothiazole)

Communicable Diseases and the Workplace

[Excerpt] Coming to work when we are sick raises some interesting questions: How contagious are we? Should we stay home? What could be done to prevent disease transmission to others, with its effects on absenteeism, performance, and efficiency, as well as in the interests of public health? Is working from home an option? Shouldn’t the employer provide sick leave or flextime to discourage working when sick? Without sick leave, aren’t people more likely to go to work sick, as well as send sick kids to school? Should an employer sponsor, or even require, vaccinations? When trying to change policy and attitudes on communicable infectious diseases in the workplace, there is a good business case to be made. Workplaces traditionally plan for a variety of crises – especially infrastructure damage and its recovery – but planning and prevention for diseases seems to get overlooked, despite its very significant cost in both human suffering and dollars. Some diseases that have had a costly impact on businesses include mumps, measles, norovirus, SARS, tuberculosis, and whooping cough

Health Hazard Manual For Cutting Oils, Coolants, and Metalworking Fluids

[Excerpt] The metalworker can be exposed to cutting oils during application by two basic routes of entry: skin contact and inhalation. The higher risk jobs tend to be those with high cutting speeds, heavy oil flow, and continuous contact, which may result in the worker being splashed with oil on the skin or clothing. The oil may remain on the skin for some time and oil-soaked clothing may be worn all shift. Cutting oils may be applied manually, by an air-carried mist, or by a continuous flood. When flooding is used, the oil is delivered by a pump, piping, and nozzle to the cutting zone. With this method the tool, work, and chip are flooded. (Used fluid is then collected in the chip pan and returned by gravity to the pump sump.) Inhalation of cutting oil mists may occur because of the nature of coolant delivery or because of the high temperatures and speeds generated at the cutting tool\u27s working edge. When the mist stream method of coolant delivery is used, much of it evaporates on contact with the hot tool, workpiece or chip. In addition to the intentional production of oil mists, vaporized oil can also be generated by the forces of the rapidly spinning workpiece or tool, or by the vaporization of the fluid from the heat of the cutting process

Crisis Management

[Excerpt] It’s no longer a matter of WHETHER a crisis will happen or not, it’s a matter of WHAT TYPE it is and WHEN it occurs. An organization (and its union) that can manage and recover from a crisis demonstrates competence – the results can mean survival, growth, and profitability , which also means preserving and growing jobs while building reputations and trust