In intermodal terminals the handling of containers and the number of accidents still depends on a wide range of
human errors due
to fatigue despite the automation level reached nowadays. For this reason it is very important to increase knowledge about the
factors affecting the propensity of operators to make
errors, increasing the chance of accidents happening. The
aim of this work is
to propose a novel approach to assess fatigue and performance lev
els in quay crane operators as a function of physiological
parameters and of the many varying boundary conditions encountered in daily work. During their work, quay crane
operators
have to deal with variable environmental conditions, such as task
type, wind speed and direction, lighting conditions that redu
ce
visibility that can require an exacting level
of attention. In the trial eight operators have been examined in a session lastin
g four
hours. All actual conditions are reproduced through a fully imme
rsive quay crane simulator. The operator completes the assigned
task (the same for each one) and can see through four wide monito
rs a high quality virtual reality view of the simulation. Most
biological parameters are acquired using different devices including a Holter ECG monitor, electromyographic monitoring the
four trunk muscles most involved in the test, eye tracker and seat
-
body pressure interface for both
seat pan and backrest. Changes
in physiological parameters have been monitored during the trial and interesting correlations with performance levels and
boundary conditions ha
ve been f
ound for each operator, in accord
ance with their age and skills.
The present study can form the
basis for further investigations aimed at developing a cost effective, reliable and robust system for monitoring increasing fat
igue
and for predicting the critical conditions
that may result in an acciden
