Lab+Five

Lab Five
 * Human Scale Ergonomics and Frank Gilbreth's 'Therbligs'**


 * Write three paragraphs to define the term 'ergonomics'. (3 paragraphs) **

//Picture Source: http://learning.richmond.edu/twiki/bin/view/OLT/ComputerErgonomics//

The term ergonomics is applied to the workplace which relates to the equipment used and how effective that is in the context of health and safety issues. The workers spend a large amount of their time sitting in the office at their workplace, hence the equipment they sit on or use should be ergonomically friendly. A workplace should make sure that the workers have a sense of comfort, freedom of movement, and a sufficient enough desk space. The way the furniture is designed is important since it affects how comfortable workers are in their workplace and therefore the amount of output they produce. They should also not only consider the safety segment, but the health segment since it is an important part of ergonomics. For example, a non-ergonomic chair could lead to back pain, strain injuries or so. Thus, it should be mandatory for employers to supply ergonomic furniture in order to have a healthy and safe workplace.

It is essential to design the things to suit the workers since they will use it. There is an interaction between the people and their work. For example, office desk should have enough space for the worker to perform their daily activities. It is important to also have office chairs that provide back support so the worker does not develop any pains in their body. Ergonomics is divided into three domains: physical, cognitive and organization ergonomics. Physical ergonomics deals with how the human body reacts to physical or physiological stress. For example, it includes topics such as repetitive movements, working postures and so. Cognitive ergonomic deals with mental processors which includes perception and memory. For example, decision making, and human error are relevant topics in this type of ergonomics. Organization ergonomic deals with maximizing use of socio-technical systems. They deal with how the organization is structure and how the processes work. Relevant topics are ethics, tele-work, motivation and so. Usually the term ergonomics refers to the physical ergonomics which relates to the workplace. Essentially, it is not only about creating a fix or solution for short-term but for long-term as well. It improves safety and reduces costs. There are two ways an organization may look at how to deal with the issue of ergonomics. Reactive ergonomics is when something needs to be fixed or changed and an action is followed by that, where as proactive ergonomics deals with looking for areas that could be improved and fixing them before a problem arises from them. //Information gathered from: http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics///

**What is the 'Gilbreth system of motion analysis' (1 paragraph)** Gilbreth system of motion analyzes the motions that are involved in a performance of a task. This method was developed by Frank Gilbreth in order to eliminate the tiring part of a job. He took the example of bricklaying where the bricklayers had to bend two times for one brick, which lead to 250 times. Gilberth identified individual motions and movements of delay in the process to eliminate inefficient motions and wasted time as well. He made a device that allowed bricklayers to stay standing so the workers would not have to bend down which lead to the increase of efficiency in work by 200%. This ergonomic improvement was one of the earliest ergonomic equipment implementation which ultimately proves that ergonomic environments lead to the work being done faster. //Information gathered from:// //http://gilbrethnetwork.tripod.com/therbligs.html//


 * Who was Frank Therblig, and how did he utilize 'motion study'? (2 paragraphs) **

The word therblig is the opposite of Gilbreth who is the man that came up with another way of bricklaying through motion analysis. The way bricks were layed out and the way workers would move was changed and became more efficient by his analysis. He implemented a safer working zone by increasing efficiency and decreasing unnecessary effort.

The system was invented between the years of 1908 and 1924. Gilbreth examined the smallest of motions and categorized the type of motions required to uniform processes amongst practioners. This is a uniform method that applies to all type of activities and identifies what glibreth viewed as unnecessary motions which includes anywhere from 15 to 18 therbligs.

These therbligs were then plotted on a simultaneous motion chard with the time each motion took. Therblig’s pointed out that it took more work to stand than laying the brick itself hence that waste of energy could be applied somewhere which changed the whole method of bricklaying. The sequences of motions were plotted and then compared to the charts available. The results determined which therbligs occupied more time. Any delays were noted down. In order to measure each therblig the time was noted down. //Information gathered from: http://gilbrethnetwork.tripod.com/therbligs.html//


 * Describe three categories Frank Gerblith used in the Therblig Analysis Checklist. **

The following depict the fundamental motions of hands of a worker. The operations consist of many type of motions, from which three are discussed below:




 * Search**

Search motion starts from when the eyes or hands try to seek an object and it ends when the object is sought. Gilbreth said the use of labels and colours makes it easier and faster for the user to optimize their relevant search. Also, using embosses symbols could lead to an efficient search. Specifically, Gilbreth reduced the search time by arranging parts in a physical sequence of use thought what he called the “Packet Principle”.


 * Rest to over come Fatigue**

This category includes the working conditions with the health of the worker. It ensures that an employee is treated fairly and properly and their safety is of the main concern for the employer. Working conditions are imperative so the worker does not get too tired which will lead to empowerment of work. Gilberth devised work/rest schedules in which he came to the conclusion that short and frequent rest breaks are more beneficial than less frequent rest breaks however that could be difficult since the worker may not know when to take their breaks and how long they will be. To fix that problem, he insisted on implementing enforced breaks which could be applied to even our current workplace environments. For example, when one is using a computer in their office for a long time, there should be a digital reminder that goes off two minutes before those enforced rest breaks to remind the worker about the break. Gilbreth actually suggested a timed function that would freeze the computer for five minutes for every hour which is the most common break frequency used in ergonomics.


 * Select**

Selecting the tools for a job increases efficiency at a workplace. This could be considered a part of search tool. The way tools are stored should be efficient so it is easy to restore them in a faster way. For example, if an employee is looking for different colour highlighters, they should not be placed with all the pencil/pen stationery. They should be placed in another container just for highlight in order to easily ‘select’ the tool. Also, when selecting objects, one should consider the quantity selected as well. For example, if a job requires to fill glasses with a 10 ml each, one must count accurately and make sure that there is only 10ml of water in the glass.

//Information gathered from: http://gilbrethnetwork.tripod.com/therbligs.html//