Human Factors Experiences in Context - Comparing Four Industrial Cases Using a Soft Systems Framework

Abstract: In industrial production companies, the practice of assigning responsibility for human factors and ergonomics (HFE) to specific professionals (referred to as HF agents in this paper) may take on various organizational forms. This interview study examines the extent to which HF agents are able to give input towards the design of new production systems in different industrial sectors. The present paper reports on how HF agents work in four Canadian case companies from the Automotive, Nuclear Power, Poultry and Auto parts sectors. A stratified soft-systems framework was used to guide the comparison of the four case companies regarding the HF agents’ positioning in their companies and how this influences their work practices. HF agents and a cluster of 2 -3 surrounding colleagues with adjacent responsibilities were interviewed. Results showed that company context-specific factors such as procedures, collegial relations, processes and culture all heavily influence the “infrastructure” the HF agents can make use of to advance and sustain a human factors/ergonomics agenda. This includes vertical support in the company hierarchy (management support from top-down, employee acceptance from bottom-up), available tools and methods for demonstrating HFE benefits, and proceduralized accountability for HFE in projects. The companies that report positively on being able to address HFE issues proactively have HFE input integrated procedurally into new project start-ups, and the HF agent has a sign-off role. These companies have also, on a high organizational level, established linkage between HFE improvements and business objectives

Social Implications of Introducing Innovative Technology into a Product-Service System: The Case of a Waste-Grading Machine in Electronic Waste Management

This paper examines the social implications of introducing a new technology into the product-service system (PSS) of electronic waste management (EWM). Using a previously established set of social sustainability key performance indicators (KPIs) targeting the operations level (i.e. impacts on EWM operators), social implications are examined in a case where a specific innovative new technology is introduced to replace manual sorting of e-waste into re-use, refurbish and recycle fractions. The social sustainability KPIs were applied to the case as a structured interview guide. The results showed that the KPI framework provided a good basis for examining the social impacts and also stimulated discussions about potential business impacts based on the human resources in the system. The framework showed that the implementation supported proactive social sustainability, but some additional conditions need to be addressed by the customer organization to make sure that potential risks (identified in the interview) are mitigated

Proaktiv bed\uf6mning av kognitiva och mentala arbetsbelastningskrav och resurser i manuell montering - PreKo-modellen

Projektet ”Modell f\uf6r prediktiv bed\uf6mning av kognitiv belastning” (”PreKo”, dnr. 170018)\ua0genomf\uf6rdes 2018-2021 och syftade till att sammanst\ue4lla vetenskaplig och empirisk kunskap\ua0om kognitiv och mental belastning i sammanhanget taktad industriell montering av komplexa\ua0produkter. M\ue5let var att skapa underlag f\uf6r r\ue5dgivning kring utformning av s\ue5v\ue4l\ua0monteringsuppgifter och instruktioner som av monterbara komponenter.F\uf6religgande rapport ger \uf6versiktliga resultat av projektet ”Modell f\uf6r prediktiv bed\uf6mning av kognitiv\ua0belastning - PreKo”. Detaljerade resultat \ue5terges i separata vetenskapliga publikationer. Det praktiska\ua0slutresultatet av projektet \ue4r en fram\ue5tsyftande, holistisk och systemorienterad ”bed\uf6mningschecklista” som\ua0vi kallar PreKo-modellen. Denna modell st\uf6ttar olika roller i tillverkande f\uf6retag i att kartl\ue4gga m\uf6jliga\ua0kognitiva/mentala\ua0sund och lagom utmanande belastning, som fr\ue4mjar mont\uf6rernas trivsel och motivation i arbetet samt h\uf6g\ua0monteringskvalitet. Modellen och det tillh\uf6rande verktyget ”PRECO I” \ue4r t\ue4nkt att hj\ue4lpa f\uf6retag att\ua0analysera f\uf6ruts\ue4ttningarna f\uf6r mont\uf6rers v\ue4lm\ue5ende och prestation samt identifiera krav och resurser fr\ue5n\ua0ett flertal systemniv\ue5er (konstruktionen, monteringsstationen, produktionsfl\uf6det, inl\ue4rning och\ua0instruktioner, arbetslaget och \uf6vriga krav/resurser). F\uf6r att f\ue5 insikt i alla dessa aspekter, som ibland \ue4r\ua0organisatoriskt och geografiskt separerade p\ue5 vissa f\uf6retag, f\uf6respr\ue5kar modellen att ett flertal bed\uf6mare\ua0som representerar olika roller (erfaren mont\uf6r, oerfaren mont\uf6r, konstrukt\uf6r, produktionsberedare och\ua0ergonom/arbetsmilj\uf6ansvarig) f\uf6r att genomf\uf6ra bed\uf6mningen. Eftersom checklistan bygger p\ue5\ua0litteraturstudier och en intervjustudie s\ue5 syftar modellen i nul\ue4get inte till att kvantifiera och m\ue4takognitiv/mental belastning; i st\ue4llet b\uf6r modellen anv\ue4ndas som ett praktiskt orienterande scanningverktyg.Projektet utf\uf6rdes av ett k\ue4rnteam av forskare kopplade till Chalmers Tekniska H\uf6gskola i G\uf6teborg.\ua0Projektet omfattade en informell litteraturstudie; en intervjustudie med tre industriella f\uf6retag;\ua0medverkande i ett flertal forum d\ue4r f\uf6retagen och andra intressenter delgavs prelimin\ue4ra resultat l\uf6pande\ua0under projektet; samt ett antal konferenspresentationer och vetenskapliga publikationer.Covid 19-pandemin under v\ue5ren 2020 till h\uf6sten 2021 p\ue5verkade delvis projektets genomf\uf6rande, dock\ua0endast till lindrig grad. N\ue5gra planerade intervjustudier beh\uf6vde st\ue4llas in pga. utbrottet, som begr\ue4nsade\ua0m\uf6jligheten att kunna ta nya intervjupersoners tid i anspr\ue5k. Dock gjorde forskarlaget bed\uf6mningen att det\ua0insamlade antalet intervjuer (75 totalt, varav 50 med mont\uf6rer och resten med konstrukt\uf6rer och beredare)\ua0totalt sett \ue4r tillr\ue4ckligt f\uf6r att underst\uf6dja v\ue5ra resultat och slutsatser, med givna f\uf6rbeh\ue5ll om att studien \ue4r\ua0i huvudsak kvalitativ och att fokuset h\ue5lls p\ue5 kognitiv och mental belastning hos mont\uf6rer p\ue5 industriella\ua0monteringsf\uf6retag. Vissa personalrelaterade omst\ue4ndigheter och ett internt ekonomiskt sparbeting p\ue5\ua0Chalmers Tekniska H\uf6gskola under 2019-2021 p\ue5verkade ocks\ue5 delvis projektets bemanning och\ua0genomf\uf6rande, men anst\ue4llning s\ue4krades f\uf6r kritiska projektmedlemmar fram till projektets\ua0verksamhetsslut

Production Ergonomics Evaluation – Needs, Procedures and Digital Human Modeling Tools

In production systems, human operators may be at risk for developing work-relatedmusculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), resulting in pain, inability to work and high costs. Anincreasingly capable tool for identifying MSD risks early in the production designprocess are Digital Human Models (DHMs), although their built-in analysis tools are ingreat need of development regarding how they address time-related aspects of loadexposure. Some examples of time-related exposure phenomena provoking MSDs arerepetitive work patterns, lack of variation, fatigue effects, work rotation effects, anddistributions of activity/rest. The aim of this thesis is therefore two-fold; to explorepragmatic industrial needs regarding ergonomics evaluation and compare this to theState-of-the-art of scientific evaluation methods that address time-related aspects.The first approach, a case study in an automotive setting, revealed that switching fromone evaluation method to another in a factory may be for pragmatic contextual reasonsrather than based on educated selection. It was also shown that companies who do thismay unintentionally risk producing evaluation results that are not equal regardingcriteria levels or degree of analysis detail, rendering results unsatisfactory to use forsome actors in the process.The second approach, a literature review, categorizes several time-related ergonomicsterms and has proposed a ‘process-flow’ framework for the terms, based on an inputthroughput-output concept. This framework can give DHM tool developers an overviewof which time-related aspects interact and which combinations are suited to differentanalysis goals.Lastly, the thesis reflects on actor roles and time perspectives

Prerequisites for a high-level framework to design sustainable plants in the e-waste supply chain

Currently few attempts to properly structure knowledge that specifically supports a fully sustainable e-waste treatment system design have been proposed in literature. As a result, this paper sets up the prerequisites for a high-level framework to design sustainable plants in the supply chain of e-waste. The framework addresses production and environmental engineers mainly. The methodology grows out of literature studies, research project’s outcomes and interviews with a group of sector experts. Stemming from this, a list of prerequisites was presented for the case study of an automated plant for e-waste sorting in order to design it while considering the triple-bottom-line of sustainability

Production Ergonomics: Designing Work Systems to Support Optimal Human Performance

Production ergonomics – the science and practice of designing industrial workplaces to optimize human well-being and system performance – is a complex challenge for a designer. Humans are a valuable and flexible resource in any system of creation, and as long as they stay healthy, alert and motivated, they perform well and also become more competent over time, which increases their value as a resource. However, if a system designer is not mindful or aware of the many threats to health and system performance that may emerge, the end result may include inefficiency, productivity losses, low working morale, injuries and sick-leave.To help budding system designers and production engineers tackle these design challenges holistically, this book offers a multi-faceted orientation in the prerequisites for healthy and effective human work. We will cover physical, cognitive and organizational aspects of ergonomics, and provide both the individual human perspective and that of groups and populations, ending up with a look at global challenges that require workplaces to become more socially and economically sustainable. This book is written to give you a warm welcome to the subject, and to provide a solid foundation for improving industrial workplaces to attract and retain healthy and productive staff in the long run

Smart Maintenance: an empirically grounded conceptualization

How do modernized maintenance operations, often referred to as “Smart Maintenance”, impact the performance of manufacturing plants? The inability to answer this question backed by data is a problem for industrial maintenance management, especially in light of the ongoing rapid transition towards an industrial environment with pervasive digital technologies. To this end, this paper, which is the first part of a two-paper series, aims to investigate and answer the question, “What is Smart Maintenance?”. The authors deployed an empirical, inductive research approach to conceptualize Smart Maintenance using focus groups and interviews with more than 110 experts from over 20 different firms. By viewing our original data through the lens of multiple general theories, our findings chart new directions for contemporary and future maintenance research. This paper describes empirical observations and theoretical interpretations cumulating in the first empirically grounded definition of Smart Maintenance and its four underlying dimensions; data-driven decision-making, human capital resource, internal integration, and external integration. In addition, the relationships between the underlying dimensions are specified and the concept structure formally modeled. This study thus achieves concept clarity with respect to Smart Maintenance, thereby making several theoretical and managerial contributions that guide both scholars and practitioners within the field of industrial maintenance management

Smart Maintenance: a research agenda for industrial maintenance management

How do modernized maintenance operations, often referred to as “Smart Maintenance”, impact the performance of manufacturing plants? This question is a pressing challenge for practitioners and scholars in industrial maintenance management, in direct response to the transition to an industrial environment with pervasive digital technologies. This paper is the second part of a two-paper series. We present an empirically grounded research agenda that reflects the heterogeneity in industrial adoption and performance of Smart Maintenance. Focus groups and interviews with more than 110 experts from over 20 different firms were used to identify contingencies, responses, and performance implications of Smart Maintenance. The findings were transformed into a contingency model, providing the basis for a research agenda consisting of five principal areas: (1) environmental contingencies; (2) institutional isomorphism; (3) implementation issues related to change, investments and interfaces; (4) the four dimensions of Smart Maintenance; and (5) performance implications at the plant and firm level. The agenda can guide the field of industrial maintenance management to move from exploratory work to confirmatory work, studying the validity of the proposed concepts as well as the magnitude and direction of their relationships. This will ultimately help scholars and practitioners answer how Smart Maintenance can impact industrial performance

Development of a stakeholder identification and analysis method for human factors integration in work system design interventions – Change Agent Infrastructure

In any work system design intervention—for example, a physical workplace redesign, a work process change, or an equipment upgrade—it is often emphasized how important it is to involve stakeholders in the process of analysis and design, to gain their perspectives as input to the development, and ensure their future acceptance of the solution. While the users of an artifact or workplace are most often regarded as being the most important stakeholders in a design intervention, in a work‐system context there may be additional influential stakeholders who influenceand negotiate the design intervention\u27s outcomes, resource allocation, requirements, and implementation. Literature shows that it is uncommon for empirical ergonomics and human factors (EHF) research to apply and report the use of any structured stakeholder identification method at all, leading to ad‐hoc selections of whom to consider important. Conversely, other research fields offer a plethora of stakeholder identification and analysis methods, few of which seem to have been adopted in the EHF context. This article presents the development of a structured method for identification, classification, and qualitative analysis of stakeholders in EHF‐related work system design intervention. It describes the method\u27s EHF-related theoretical underpinnings, lessons learned from four use cases, and the incremental development of the method that has resulted in the current methodprocedure and visualization aids. The method, called Change Agent Infrastructure (abbreviated CHAI), has a mainly macroergonomic purpose, set on increasing the understanding of sociotechnical interactions that create the conditions for work system design intervention, and facilitating participative efforts

Cognitive Ergonomics of Assembly Work from a Job Demands–Resources Perspective: Three Qualitative Case Studies

In manufacturing companies, cognitive processing is required from assembly workers\ua0to perform correct and timely assembly of complex products, often with varied specifications and\ua0high quality demands. This paper explores assembly operators’ perceptions of cognitive/mental\ua0workload to provide a holistic understanding of the work conditions that affect cognitive demands\ua0and performance. While the physical loading aspects of assembly work are well known, most\ua0empirical literature dealing with cognitive/mental loading in manufacturing tends to examine a few\ua0particular aspects, rather than address the issue with a holistic system view. This semi-structured\ua0interview study, involving 50 industrial assembly operators from three Swedish companies, explores\ua0how assemblers perceive that their cognitive performance and well-being is influenced by a wide\ua0variety of factors within the context of mechanical product assembly. The interview transcripts were\ua0analysed using a priori coding, followed by bottom-up Thematic Analysis. The results indicate that a\ua0variety of systemic effects on assemblers’ cognitive performance can be classified as job demands\ua0or resources. Quite often, the absence of a resource mirrors a related demand, and “good assembly\ua0conditions”, as described by the interviewees, often re-frame demands as desirable challenges that\ua0foster motivation and positive feelings towards the work. The identified demands and resources\ua0stem from task design, timing, physical loading, intrinsic and extrinsic motivators, social teamwork\ua0and the product’s “interface” design. Despite organisational differences and conditions between the\ua0three companies that took part in the study, the results are largely consistent