December 2016

Preliminary Study on the Best Working Posture for Motorcycling

December 13, 2016May 16, 2025superhfej

Preliminary Study on the Best Working Posture for Motorcycling

Muhammad Izzat Nor MA’AROF¹, Abdul Rahman OMAR², Zamalia MAHMUD², Nasir SENIN³

1 Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering and Quantity Surveying, INTI International
University, Persiaran Perdana BBN, Putra Nilai, 71800 Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

2 Motorcycle Engineering Test Lab (METAL) of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

3 Mechanical and Human Factor Department (MHFD), MIMOS Berhad, Technology Park Malaysia, Bukit Jalil 57000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Page 39 – 47 | Vol. 1, No. 2 (2016) | Available online on 1 December 2016

Abstract

Motorcycle riding posture has generally been documented to be ergonomically unfitting for human. This is because the human operator is mostly seated at static with minimal sitting support and without a backrest. Thus, it is emphasized that there is a link between motorcycling riding posture (motorcycle ergonomics) with motorcycle road accidents. The objective of this study was to identify the best riding posture for motorcycling based on a survey study. The significance of this study was to investigate the public perception on the best motorcycling riding posture. A survey research with 30 healthy motorcyclists (between the ages of 18 – 25 years old) from diverse backgrounds via questionnaire was conducted. The data was analyzed via the Statistical Package Service and Solution (SPSS) with the statistic for level of confidence at 95% (1.96), expected proportion (in proportion of one) at 0.5 and the precision (in proportion of one) at 0.1 (due to the limitation of resources). For greater grasp of understanding in regards to the results obtained, veteran motorcyclists (above 14 years of riding experience) were also consulted.

The results summarized that the best riding posture for motorcycling is the upright riding posture. From the consultation, it was detailed that the particular riding posture was most probably selected due to the following reasons: i) being the most versatile/flexible riding posture, ii) capable of providing an acceptable level of motorcycling comfort, iii) propose minimal level of physical hazard. Even so, the results also highlighted by the consultants that other factors such as modes of travelling and riding styles would also influence in determining the best riding posture. Conclusively, based on the survey, the upright riding posture is the best riding posture. Nevertheless, the result is only limited to physical and psychological (perceptions) evaluations without examining the riding postures from the physiological perspective such as via the use of sEMG measurement.

Keywords

Motorcycle Ergonomics, Riding Posture, Working Posture

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to acknowledge the Ministry of Education (MOE) Malaysia for funding this research through the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS/1/2014/TK01/UITM/02/3). The authors would like to express their utmost
gratitude to Muhammad Fauzi Mohd Talib, Muhammad Firdaus Azhar, Muhammad Hafizudin Kamal, Wan Muhammad Syahmi Wan Fauzi, Mohd Afham Azmi, Muhammad Adzri Adzman, the staffs of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and the Institute of Graduate Studies in Universiti Teknologi MARA and the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Malaysia who have, directly or indirectly, contributed to this research.

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Human Factors & Ergonomics Journal (HFEJ), eISSN: 2590-3705 is the official Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Malaysia. The journal is published on a biannual basis. HFEJ aims to address current research in the field of Ergonomics in addition to the broad coverage of cognitive ergonomics, user experience, physical ergonomics and others such as transportation, industrial design and industrial engineering. HFEJ is a member of, and subscribes to the principles of the COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics), as such we only accept original work.

The Effects of Temperature Levels on Task Performance: A Review

December 13, 2016May 16, 2025superhfej

The Effects of Temperature Levels on Task Performance: A Review

Ezrin Hani SUKADARIN¹, Tan Zhen SHENG¹, Junaidah ZAKARIA¹, Fazrina SALLEH¹ and Khairul Amri Abdul AZIZ²

1 Occupational Safety and Health Program, Faculty of Engineering Technology

2 Centre for Modern Language and Human Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, 26300 Gambang, Pahang, Malaysia

Page 48 – 52 | Vol. 1, No. 2 (2016) | Available online on 1 December 2016

Abstract

Temperature may negatively affects human performance rate and human physical response if it is not properly controlled. Effects of temperature on task performance and its contribution to the occurrence of thermal comfort had been a major focus in hundreds of studies. However, until now inconsistent results were yielded from those studies. This paper presents the literature review of the researches on the effects of temperature on task performance. To gain better understanding, thermal comfort issue and task performance also have been reviewed. Conclusively, there are some researches which have proved that the variations in temperature levels can affect task performance and thermal comfort, while some researchers disagreed with the finding.

Keywords

Temperature, Task Performance, Thermal Comfort

Acknowledgement

The authors wish to thank the Faculty of Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP), for the continuous support in terms of facilities provided.

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A Case Study of on the Usage of Safety Helmet Among Agricultural Workers in Palm Oil Plantation

December 13, 2016May 16, 2025superhfej

A Case Study of on the Usage of Safety Helmet Among Agricultural Workers in Palm Oil Plantation

Ammar ADNAN¹, Roya LATIFI¹, Shamsul Bahri MOHD TAMRIN¹, Yee Guan NG¹, Khairul Nazri ABD WAHIB¹, Ahmad Rizal ABDUL RAHMAN², Shahriman ABU BAKAR³

1Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia

2 Faculty of Design and Architecture, Universiti Putra Malaysia

3 School of Mechatronic Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis

Page 53 – 57 | Vol. 1, No. 2 (2016) | Available online on 1 December 2016

Abstract

Personal protective equipment or PPE is important to protect the user against safety or health risks at work. In oil palm plantation, safety helmet is one of the important PPE to protect against falling object or impact. The aim of this study was to gather data regarding the knowledge, attitude and practice on the usage of safety helmet among oil palm workers. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 178 workers in two oil palm plantation located in Melaka, Malaysia. A set of questionnaires was used to collect data on socio-demographic, safety information, knowledge, attitude and practice on the usage of safety helmet. Based on the descriptive analysis, results indicate that the workers lack in knowledge, attitude and practice of the safety helmet used. Thus, intervention program on usage of safety helmet should be carried out to increase safety awareness among the workers.

Keywords

Safety helmet, harvester, oil palm

Acknowledgement

–

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Prevalence of Cataract, Climatic Droplet Keratopathy and Eye Lid Diseases Among Fishermen in Jazan in Saudi Arabia, and the Association of Risk Factors

December 13, 2016May 16, 2025superhfej

Prevalence of Cataract, Climatic Droplet Keratopathy and Eye Lid Diseases Among Fishermen in Jazan in Saudi Arabia, and the Association of Risk Factors

Ahmed ALIBRAHIM¹, Shamsul BMT¹, Nasser ALSSABANI², Yee Guan NG¹, Nazri OMAR³, Faisal SHAIKH¹

1 Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia

2 Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, King Khaled University

3 Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia

Page 58 – 63 | Vol. 1, No. 2 (2016) | Available online on 1 December 2016

Abstract

The fishermen in the coastal region of Jazan are subjected to long working hours in the sun where the risk for cataract, climatic droplet keratopathy (CDK) and Eyelid diseases due to solar radiation are high. The objective of this study to determine the prevalence of anterior segment eye disorders, specifically cataract, CDK and eyelid diseases among fishermen in Jazan and examination of its association with the sociodemographic and occupational among fishermen in Jazan. This study employed a cross-sectional design conducted in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia. A total of 511 fishermen were included in the study. All the respondents were interviewed using a questionnaire and subsequently undergone an eye examination. The prevalence of the cataract was found to be 3.3 %, CDK, 0.4 % and the eyelid diseases affecting 3.2 % of the respondents. A significant association was seen between the prevalence of anterior segment eye disorders (p<0.05). Overall, CDK for fishermen with less than five days of work per week was found to be 75 % while for fishermen with more than five days of work per week the CDK was found to be 25 %. The overall eyelid disease on the other hand was found in all the respondents with over five days of work per week. The overall cataract for the same group of fishermen was however 64.7 % while for fishermen with less than five days of work per week it was found to be 35.3 %. Knowledge and awareness training as well as future research are warranted to assess the health implications of fishermen in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. It is imperative for all involved to take notice of such implications on health with the government implementing regulatory frameworks that can aid these fishermen. Future research is also recommended.

Keywords

CDK, UV, eyes disorders, cataract, eyelid diseases

Acknowledgement

This research was funded by Rawaat Almaha optical company, Saudi Arabia.

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Absence of Physical Exercise and Incidence of Musculoskeletal Discomforts Among Office Workers: A Short Review

December 13, 2016May 16, 2025superhfej

Absence of Physical Exercise and Incidence of Musculoskeletal Discomforts Among Office Workers: A Short Review

Ardalan SHARIAT^{1, *}, Shamsul Bahri Mohd TAMRIN¹, Mahmoud DANAEE²

1 Department of Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Putra Malaysia, Malaysia.

2 University of Malaya Centre of Addiction Sciences (Umcas), Malaysia.

Page 16 – 21 | Vol. 1, No. 2 (2016) | Available online on 1 December 2016

Abstract

Lower back, neck and shoulder pain are the most prevalent musculoskeletal problems affecting office workers worldwide. Several hypotheses regarding the underlying mechanisms and the maintenance behind office work-related musculoskeletal disorders have been presented. There is some evidence, based on epidemiological studies as well as studies upon smaller groups of subjects, that individuals who sit and work for a long time not only show cognitive impairment at the workplace, but also suffer from poorer and fragmented daytime sleep, in addition to increased risks of developing various psychological, physiological and medical impairments and musculoskeletal disorders. The related physical mechanisms behind musculoskeletal disorders are discussed in the context of new findings. The main causes, as well as varying levels in severity of musculoskeletal disorders, not to mention the link between such disorders in the neck, shoulder and lower back regions and physical activity among office workers are also stated. The main objective of this review paper is to conduct a systematic review to identify musculoskeletal disorders and how these disorders are correlated with physical activity among office workers. The results of this review indicate that the musculoskeletal disorder is a critical issue among office workers and the main cause is related to the absence of physical activity as well as the subjects’ sedentary lifestyle.

Keywords

Sedentary life style, Musculoskeletal disorders, Office workers, Physical activity

Acknowledgement

–

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Reduction of Maximum Effort Level of Lumbar Muscle Among Workers in Aerospace Industry

December 13, 2016May 16, 2025superhfej

Reduction of Maximum Effort Level of Lumbar Muscle Among Workers in Aerospace Industry

Seri Rahayu KAMAT¹, Norhidayah HASHIM¹, Isa HALIM¹, Mohd Shahrizan OTHMAN¹, Mohammad Firdaus ANI¹

1 Department of Manufacturing Engineering, Faculty of Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, 76100 Durian Tunggal, Melaka, Malaysia.

Page 10 – 15 | Vol. 1, No. 2 (2016) | Available online on 1 December 2016

Abstract

In the new era of world industrialization, ergonomics plays an important role to improve occupational safety and health, and productivity in most industries including an aerospace industry. However, the manufacturing industry in Malaysia does not put any priority on ergonomics awareness, for an example, by not selecting a suitable height of workstation with operators’ anthropometry. Ergonomics so far has litle impact in Malaysia as majority of the Malaysian managers had believed that the ergonomics is not considered to be associated with performance. In a recent study on ergonomics awareness in Malaysian manufacturing industries by Mustafa et al., (2009), the researchers discovered that the main factors for the lack of ergonomics awareness were the lack of information/education/training and no pressure from the top management to initiate the ergonomics programmes. As a consequence, operators are exposed to various ergonomic risk factors and prone to have ergonomic injuries. The objective of this study was to reduce the maximum effort level of lumbar muscles of operators by changing the height of workstation using suitable anthropometry among operators.

This study has conducted two analyses; analysis for quantify maximum effort level of lumbar muscle, and analysis for identify comfort level of working posture The surface Electromyography (sEMG) and Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) method from Computer-Aided Three-Dimensional Interactive Application (CATIA) software are used to evaluate maximum effort level of lumbar muscle, and comfort level of working posture respectively. Results for maximum effort level of lumbar muscle and comfort level of working posture found that by changing the anthropometry with suitable height of workstation has diminished the physiological stress such as work load in lumbar fascia muscle as well as extreme working posture.

The study concluded that anthropometry of operators associated with the height of workstation was influenced the maximum effort level of lumbar muscle and comfort level of working posture when operators performing their jobs. The appropriate selection of workstation’s height can contribute significantly to improve physiological performance of the operators.

Keywords

Maximum Effort Level of Lumbar Muscle, Anthropometry, Height of Workstation, RULA Method

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to acknowledge the Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) for funding this research under Research Grant PJP/2012/FKP (6D) S1125. Special thank also goes to Composites Technology Research Malaysia (CTRM) Sdn. Bhd. for the permission and opportunity to facilitate a fruitful research.

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Development of a Regression Model for Relationship Between Psychophysical and Biomechanics Factors of Push Activities

December 13, 2016May 16, 2025superhfej

Development of a Regression Model for Relationship Between Psychophysical and Biomechanics Factors of Push Activities

Mohammad Firdaus ANI¹, Seri Rahayu KAMAT¹, Athirah GHAZALI¹

1 Department of Manufacturing Management, Faculty of Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, 76100 Durian Tunggal, Melaka, Malaysia.

Page 1 – 9 | Vol. 1, No. 2 (2016) | Available online on 1 December 2016

Abstract

In aerospace industries, many working tasks require their workers to perform the works in push-pull activities. The workers need to push or pull the mould tool in a long distance in to a workplace. Performing these activities continuously throughout the working hours, may lead to an early initiation of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) symptoms as workers developed muscle fatigue particularly concerning the hand muscles. Grip strength is the force applied by the hand to pull objects and is a part of hand strength. Repetitive usage of hands will create an imbalance between closing and opening (antagonist) muscles, which can lead to problem such as carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

The primary purpose of this study was to develop a regression model based on psychophysical and biomechanical factors that contributes to fatigue, in which the models can predict the relationship between the input parameters and output responses. The methodology used for this study focused on three types of data collection which were questionnaire and observation which conducted as the preliminary study to prove the problems that have been stated and experimental was conducted by using surface Electromyography (sEMG) and Tekscan system to evaluate the muscle fatigue and hand grip pressure force of the Lay-up workers who were performing push activity.

This study investigates the hand grip pressure force for the right hand and left hand within 5 minutes and 10 minutes of time exposure while workers pushing the mould tool, and study the relationship between time exposure with hand grip pressure force and muscle fatigue. The input parameters evaluated were time exposure, hand side and body mass index (BMI); while the output responses are muscle fatigue (voltage), hand grip pressure force (left hand), and hand grip pressure force (right hand). Two polynomial equations were successfully developed and validated. The modelling validation runs were within 90% prediction interval of the developed models and their residual errors compared to the predicted values were less than 10%. The significant parameters that influenced the output responses were also identified. Muscle fatigue was influenced by time exposure, hand side, BMI, and interaction between hand side and BMI; while hand grip pressure force was influenced by time exposure, hand side, BMI, interaction between time exposure and hand side, interaction between time exposure and BMI, and interaction between hand side and BMI.

Keywords

MSDs, CTS, sEMG, Grip strength, Psychophysical, Biomechanical

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to acknowledge the Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) for funding this research under University Short Term Grant (PJP/2104/FKP (11D)/S01369 and the Faculty of Manufacturing Engineering (UTeM) for
technical, educational and financial support through the UTeM Postgraduate Fellowship Scheme.

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Evaluation of Head Check Behavior of Motorcyclists During Merging in Traffic – Observational Study

December 13, 2016May 16, 2025superhfej

Evaluation of Head Check Behavior of Motorcyclists During Merging in Traffic – Observational Study

Muhamad Hafiz ZABIDI¹, Ammar ADNAN¹, Radin Zaid RADIN UMAR², Siby SAMUEL³, Mohd Hanafi ANI¹, Malek HAMID^{1, *}

1 Department of Manufacturing and Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia

2 Faculty of Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Malaysia

3 Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

* Corresponding Author: abdmalek@iium.edu.my

Page 29 – 38 | Vol. 1, No. 2 (2016) | Available online on 1 December 2016

Abstract

Improper riding behavior is one of the leading contributors for road crashes. Not wearing helmet, speeding, riding during fatigue and sleepy, and improper procedure during merging in traffic are among the poor behaviors of motorcyclists. For this study, improper merging behavior is the focus.

The objectives of the study are: (i) to evaluate motorcyclists head check behavior during merging in traffic; (ii) to evaluate the differences of motorcyclists head check behavior during merging in traffic with different environments – highway and town (with and without U-turn situations). A naturalistic observation study was done where 1091 motorcyclists were observed at eight locations (scenarios) – four of highway road environment, two of town with U-turn environment, and two of town without U-turn environment. The dependent variable is the percentage of head checks. If a motorcyclist performs head check towards the target zone (the area in which the potential hazard may merge – at the entering road) while in the launch zone (the area where a motorcyclist should turn his or her head to the target zone – on the leaving road), he or she was scored one, else he or she was scored zero.

It was found that, in overall, the percentage of motorcyclists who performed the head check (39.9%) is less than those who did not performed the head check (60.1%) – p ≤ 0.001. In term of the type of the road environment, similar results were found for the merging with highway environment (29.4% performed head check) and town without U-turn environment (31.4% performed head check). In contrast, for the merging with town with U-turn environment, the opposite result was found (75.7% performed head check). These differences were significant with p ≤ 0.001. This study provides prevalence information about Malaysian motorcyclists’ behavior in general and, more particularly, their behavior on the head check during merging in traffic. The findings shall recommend for an improvement to the current Malaysia riding/driving education system and road users awareness program in which may decrease the road crashes.

Keywords

Motorcyclists Behavior, Head Check, Merging, Highway and Town, Observational Study

Acknowledgement

The research was supported by the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education through the RAGS 2015-1 grant to International Islamic University Malaysia (Malek Hamid, PI). This study was also supported by the Department of Manufacturing and Materials Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia, Malaysia.

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Kansei Engineering Approach Towards Automotive Heads Up Display (Hud) Interface Design

December 13, 2016May 16, 2025superhfej

Kansei Engineering Approach Towards Automotive Heads Up Display (HUD) Interface Design

Muhammad Syafiq SYED MOHAMED¹, Chin Pow, OOI²

1,2 Faculty of Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), Hang Tuah Jaya, 76100 Durian Tunggal, Malacca, MALAYSIA

Page 22 – 28 | Vol. 1, No. 2 (2016) | Available online on 1 December 2016

Abstract

Driver distraction is becoming a growing concern in Malaysia since in vehicle electronic devices are becoming more common in cars. Among the technologies being installed in cars is Heads Up Display (HUD). HUDs are meant to help drivers to focus their attention towards the forward roadway while driving by providing a simplistic display of speed and car navigation while driving. In this study, a Kansei Engineering approach is used to translate the usability requirements for HUD interfaces. A new HUD interface design was developed based on important features such as digital speed indicator, speed limit sign, as well as the indicator for the next turning.

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