Category: Journal

Risk Factors for Musculoskeletal Disorders in Liquefied Petroleum Gas Bottling Plant – A Case Study

Risk Factors for Musculoskeletal Disorders in Liquefied Petroleum Gas Bottling Plant – A Case Study
A. Zamil1, M.I. Yaacob1, M.H.I. Zulkapli1, M. R. Shaari1, R.N. Damiri1, B.M. Deros2, D.D.I. Daruis3, * and M. I. N. Ma’arof4

1 Center of Education Extension, UKM, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

2 Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, UKM, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

3 Faculty of Engineering, UPNM, Kem Sg. Besi, 57000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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

*Corresponding author: dian@upnm.edu.my

Page 8 – 11   |   Vol. 3, No. 1 (2018)   |    Available online on 1 June 2018

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Abstract

This study aims to investigate the risk factors of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) for operators at a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) bottling plant in Malaysia. The operators are involved in manual material handling such as lifting LPG cylinders from conveyer, rolling LPG cylinders onto platform, lifting and stacking the cylinders. Adapted Nordic Questionnaire were distributed to six subjects to determine the affected body part as perceived by them. They were also observed and assessed using pen and paper tool for entire body, REBA. The findings show that the majority of the subjects perceived that they experienced discomfort if not pain at almost every part of their body. The discomforts and pains have led them to be absent from work at any time during the past 12 month. From REBA it was found out that the loading and stacking activity gave the highest risk factor to MSDs (score 11) as compared to the rolling activity (score 7). The risk factors identified were awkward posture, repetitive movement and prolonged static posture.

Keywords

LPG Bottling Plant; Musculoskeletal Disorders; LPG cylinder; Nordic Questionnaire; Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA)

Acknowledgement

–

© 2022 Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFEM). All rights reserved.

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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.

Initial Study on Identifying Cognitive Operations in Teaching and Learning

Initial Study on Identifying Cognitive Operations in Teaching and Learning

Ummi Noor Nazahiah ABDULLAH, Norashiken OTHMAN

School of Manufacturing Engineering, University Malaysia Perlis, Kampus Pauh Putra, 02600 Arau, Perlis.

Page 1 – 7   |   Vol. 3, No. 1 (2018)   |    Available online on 1 June 2018

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Abstract

Imbalance proportion of examination results between theory and coursework marks in engineering courses among engineering students become central issue among educators in higher learning institutions. This scenario gives indication that possibly the learning and teaching methods used in the class not accounted the students’ cognitive background and capability. So that, not every students received the benefits from teaching and learning process. This study investigate and emphasize the significant of understanding the cognitive capability among students as the target audience before educating them using teaching and learning method according to their cognitive capability. Two types of questionnaire were distributed to the two groups of engineering students based on neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and multiple intelligences (MI) theory and methods. The answers were analysed using data categorizing and data entry technique. The results show that both students group dominated the kinaesthetic and digital auditory according to NLP principles while high percentage in body kinaesthetic and interpersonal category according to MI. However, the other parameters that present 10% feedback should be considered as input in teaching and learning methods because it is considered as high percentage. The contribution of this study not just for teaching and learning process among young students but also significant for ergonomics training that involving people from different groups of age, experience and culture. In future, further investigation will be conducted to examine the effectiveness of NLP and MI method implementation in teaching and learning process among engineering students using the results from this study.

Keywords

Cognitive, NLP, Multiple Intelligences, Engineering students

Acknowledgement

This study was supported by University Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP). I would like to express my
sincere grateful to School of Manufacturing Engineering, and Dr. Mohd Zakimi Zakaria. Many thankful also to students of School of Manufacturing Engineering for participates this research.

© 2022 Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFEM). All rights reserved.

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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.

Kansei Evaluation of Universal Series Bus (USB) Charging Cable Designs

Kansei Evaluation of Universal Series Bus (USB) Charging Cable Designs
Muhamad Arif ABDILLAH1, Mohd Arif Hafizi ABD LATIF1, Ammar ADNAN1, Mohd Razif MAT HASAN2, ‘Atiah ABDULLAH SIDEK1, Malek HAMID1, *

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

2 Occupational Safety and Health and Built Environment Department, International Islamic University Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia

* Corresponding Author: abdmalek@iium.edu.my

Page 39 – 43   |   Vol. 3, No. 1 (2018)   |    Available online on 1 June 2018

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Abstract

Moving towards Industry 4.0, the use of Universal Serial Bus (USB) charging cable is a need among the users of smartphones whether android, iPhone, or others. Currently, many third party manufacturers produce USB charging cable with their own brand to fulfil the demand. However, the lifetime, design, and function of USB charging cable somehow may not meet user expectations. In the competitive market, it is important to know what are the user preferences regarding the existing USB charging cable design in the market especially in Malaysia. The objective of this study is to investigate affective aspect of USB charging cable perceived by the users and how they can be relating to product specifications. A survey at 30 stores around Klang Valley was conducted to find information regarding the current USB charging product in market and three selected designs were chosen based on the popularity and suggested by the store personnel. Then the Kansei online survey was done, in which respond from 111 volunteers- 65 males and 46 females- age between 18 to 30 years old [mean = 23.33; SD =1.73] were collected using Google forms survey. The respondents were asked to rate the three-designs based on Kansei words given. The data was analyzed to find the mean scores for the three selected designs -Design A, Design B, and Design C- in this study. It was found that Design C [mean=3.62; S= 0.2511] are the most preferred design, followed by Design B [mean=3.58; SD= 0.1904] and Design A [mean=3.28; SD= 0.3213]. Then, one-way ANOVA model was utilized (SPSS Version 23), and the finding shows that the difference between the three selected designs were significant [F (23,6) = 4.211, p = 0.040]. Design C becomes most preferred compared to other design due to its futuristic appearance, lightweight to carry, and more pleasant to hold which were agreed by most respondents. As a result, the subsequent data may serve to prove informative guideline for USB charging cable manufacture to design and produce the product that meet user preferences.

Keywords

Kansei Evaluation, Kansei Word, USB Charging Cable, User Preferences, Smartphone.

Acknowledgement

The study was supported by the Department of Manufacturing and Materials Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia, through the Special Topic in Engineering Manufacturing course.

© 2022 Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFEM). All rights reserved.

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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.

Kansei Evaluation of Headscarf (Hijab, Tudung) Designs

Kansei Evaluation of Headscarf (Hijab, Tudung) Designs
Azkar Zahidi ISMAIL1, Muhamad Zul Asraf MOHD ZAMRI1, Ammar ADNAN1, Mohd Razif MAT HASAN2, Nor Khairusshima MUHAMAD KHAIRUSSALEH1, Malek HAMID1, *

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

2 Occupational Safety and Health and Built Environment Department, International Islamic University Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia

* Corresponding Author: abdmalek@iium.edu.my

Page 34 – 38   |   Vol. 3, No. 1 (2018)   |    Available online on 1 June 2018

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Abstract

Headscarf (tudung in Malay Language) has become one of the Muslimah fashion. Nowadays, there are massive brands and designs of tudung are available in the market. However, most of the designs are dependent on designers’ artistic sensibility. Moreover, lack of proper consideration on user preferences may results in an unfit product that may minimize the potential profit. This study used Kansei evaluation to obtain user preferences on tudung in general, more specifically, on the design criteria of the tudung in Malaysian context. Twenty-five participants were involved in a semi-structured interview, and three designs of tudung were selected (namely Ariani, Naelofar, and Galeria), and ten Kansei words were obtained (trending, beautiful, quality fabric, non-transparent, cooling effect, comfortable, easy to wear, easy to shape, wrinkle free, and uncrowded design). These information were then converted into a Kansei Questionnaire, in which a respondent was asked to rate the three selected designs based on the ten Kansei words. 158 respondents were completed the questionnaire. In overall, Ariani scored the highest among the three designs (M = 3.86; SD = 0.367), follows closely by Galeria (M = 3.85; SD = 0.321), and the lowest was Naelofar (M = 3.40; SD = 0.321). The result also reveals that there is a significant difference between the three chosen designs at p < 0.05, [F (2, 27) = 6.295, p = 0.006]. The results from this study give an additional information regarding the user preferences on tudung’s design in general, more specifically, recommends the preferable tudung design based on the design criteria, in which will optimized the fit between the design and user preferences.

Keywords

Kansei Evaluation, User Preferences, Headscarf Design, Hijab, Tudung

Acknowledgement

The study was supported by the Department of Manufacturing and Materials Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia, through the Special Topic in Engineering Manufacturing course.

© 2022 Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFEM). All rights reserved.

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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.

Evaluation of Motorcyclists’ Hazard Anticipation Behavior at Unsignalized Roundbaouts: On-Campus vs. Off-Campus

Evaluation of Motorcyclists’ Hazard Anticipation Behavior at Unsignalized Roundbaouts: On-Campus vs. Off-Campus
Ahmad Hanif AHMAD RAHMAN1, Ammar ADNAN1, Radin Zaid RADIN UMAR2, Siby SAMUEL3, Mohd Hanafi ANI1, Malek HAMID1, *

1 Department of Manufacturing and Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, 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 46 – 51   |   Vol. 2 No. 3 (2017)  |    Available online on 1 December 2017

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Abstract

Annually, more than 1 million teenagers and young adults died in road traffic crashes, and road traffic accident is one of the alarming causes of mortality rate in Malaysia. Motorcyclists are among the most vulnerable road users and this is mostly due to improper riding behavior. This study focuses on improper behavior – performance of the hazard anticipation – of motorcyclists when entering the roundabout. The objectives of this study were; (i) to evaluate the percentage of overall hazard anticipation behavior among motorcyclists during entering roundabouts; (ii) to compare the hazard anticipation behavior among motorcyclists during entering roundabouts with different road environment – on-campus vs. off-campus roundabouts. 

A naturalistic observation was done at eight scenarios – four at on-campus roundabouts and four at off-campus roundabouts. Dependent variable for this study was the percentage of hazard anticipation among motorcyclists before entering the roundabouts. If a motorcyclist anticipated hazards towards the target zone (the area which the potential hazard may merge) while in the launch zone (the area of two second before merge onto the roundabout). On average, only 54.5% of the motorcyclists anticipated the hazards, while the other 45.5% did not anticipated the hazards. The data was then analyzed by using the chi-square goodness of fit test. The null hypothesis – the equal performance – was rejected, χ2(1) = 6.480, p = 0.011. Comparing the effect of the road environment where the roundabouts are located, the result shows that there was a significant difference in the percentage of hazard anticipated for on-campus scenarios (M=30.75%, SD=13.28) and off-campus scenarios (M=78.25%, SD=11.18) conditions: t(6) = -5.474, p=0.002. Thus, the null hypothesis for this comparison – the equal performance – was rejected. 

This result suggests that location of the roundabout (either on-campus or off-campus) do effect the hazard anticipation behavior among motorcyclists. In general, these findings suggest that an improvement in the current riding education program is needed, as well as to facilitate more awareness program to promote concern on hazard anticipation among motorcyclists.

Keywords

Motorcyclists Behavior, Head Check, In-Campus and Off-Campus, 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.

© 2022 Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFEM). All rights reserved.

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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.

Survey on Working Environment Potentially to Slips and Falls Among Food Production Industry Workers

Survey on Working Environment Potentially to Slips and Falls Among Food Production Industry Workers
Sharifah Aznee SYED ALI1, 2, Seri Rahayu KAMAT2

1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Polytechnic of Port Dickson, KM14 Jalan Pantai, 71050 SiRusa, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.

2 Faculty of Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Hang Tuah Jaya, 76100 Durian Tunggal, Melaka, Malaysia.

Page 52 – 56   |   Vol. 2 No. 3 (2017)  |    Available online on 1 December 2017

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Abstract

Food production workstation is one of the workplace which manually handle by workers during production activities. The objective of this study is to identify the main factors contribute to slips and falls at food production industry. A qualitative method using survey through questionnaire and observation was utilized to identify the harmful working environment at food production workstation. A questionnaire survey was distributed among thirty workers at the selected food production industry. The findings from this study yielded that there are four main factors contribute to slips and falls accident at the food production and services. The factors are flooring (33.33%), footwear (20.00%), cleaning (13.33%), and environment (13.33%). The outcome can serve as a guideline for further study for better understand the association between lifting, fatigue issue in slip and fall factors at food production working area.

Keywords

Working posture, food production, slip and fall

Acknowledgement

Authors would like to express gratitude to the Faculty of Production Engineering (FKP), Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka and Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education for support of this work under the sponsorship scheme.

© 2022 Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFEM). All rights reserved.

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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.

Motorcyclists’ Head Check Behavior During Merging in Traffic: Effect of Different Ranges of Merging Lane Length

Motorcyclists’ Head Check Behavior During Merging in Traffic: Effect of Different Ranges of Merging Lane Length
Ahmad Taqiyuddin ABU HASSAN11, Ammar ADNAN1, Radin Zaid RADIN UMAR2, Siby SAMUEL3, Mohd Hanafi ANI1, Malek HAMID1, *

1 Department of Manufacturing and Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, 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 39 – 45   |   Vol. 2 No. 3 (2017)  |    Available online on 1 December 2017

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Abstract

Head check is a crucial action to anticipate potential hazards whenever a road user is about to merge onto traffic. Failing to anticipate the hazards may result a road crash. Besides road users’ riding individual behavior, there are several external contributing factors that may influence the head check performances. In this study, the length of the merging lanes of urban expressway was the focus. The objective of the study is to investigate the effect of several ranges of merging lane length on motorcyclists’ head check performance during merging in urban expressways. 1200 motorcyclists were observed at twelve selected scenarios around Klang Valley Metropolitan area (n=100 for each scenario). The twelve scenarios were divided into four categories based on its length – (i) 0-100 feet; (ii) 101-200 feet; (iii) 201-300 feet; and (iv) above 300 feet. Dependent variable for this study was the percentage of head checks. If a motorcyclist turns his or her head over the shoulder towards the target zones (the area in which the potential hazard may emerge – the lanes on the expressway) while in the launch zone (the area that is two seconds before the merging nose), he or she was scored 1, else 0 (i.e. binary scoring). In general, the results show that the percentage of motorcyclists who did not performed head checks (88.17%) is higher compared to motorcyclists who did performed head check (11.83%). Specifically, it was observed that the percentage of head checks among the motorcyclists was higher at the shorter merging lanes rather than the longer merging lanes (i.e. gradually decreases from range (i) to range (iv)). This indicate that the length of merging lanes does affect the head check performance among motorcyclists during merging in urban expressway. The finding may recommend for an improvement to the current riding education curricular. In addition, it also would suggest the optimal range of merging lane length for future merging lane design, in which, may influent head check performance among motorcyclists and reduce the road crashes in the merging areas.

Keywords

Motorcyclists Behavior, Head Check, Merging Lane, Urban Expressway, 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.

© 2022 Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFEM). All rights reserved.

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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.

Safety At Work and Current Legal Framework for the Transport Sector in Anglophone Cameroon

Safety At Work and Current Legal Framework for the Transport Sector in Anglophone Cameroon
Quinta Ewoh ENCHO1, Rozanah AB. RAHMAN2, Shamsul Bahri MOHD TAMRIN3, Vivien HOW3

1 Putra Business School, Universiti Putra Malaysia

2 Faculty of Economics and Management, UPM

3 Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UPM

Page 34 – 38   |   Vol. 2 No. 3 (2017)  |    Available online on 1 December 2017

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Abstract

Occupational Safety and Health is somewhat existing and on the rise issue in Cameroon. Like most developing countries, little or nothing is being done to stop the ever-increasing rate of accidents and injuries occurred at work. In the transport sector, the rate of occupational accidents and injuries in Cameroon is nothing to ride home about. Every day, thousands of people lost their lives. What is also more disturbing is the fact that when it comes to public transportation companies, the workers are not the only ones involved; the customers or passengers are too. The human cost of poor occupational safety and health is huge. This article discusses the adequacy of the current legal framework in the transport sector in Anglophone Cameroon and proposes a strategic driver towards achieving a safe place of work for this industry.

Keywords

OSH, legislation, policy, enforcement

Acknowledgement

–

© 2022 Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFEM). All rights reserved.

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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.

Investigation of Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Workers in Food Services (Cafeteria)

Investigation of Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Workers in Food Services (Cafeteria)
Seri Rahayu KAMAT1, Eezsafauzia Azalin NORDIN1, Kalthom HUSAIN2, Sharifah Aznee SYED ALI3

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

2 Department of Methodology, Kolej Universiti Islam Antarabangsan (KUIS) Selangor, Malaysia

3 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Polytechnic Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.

Page 27 – 33   |   Vol. 2 No. 3 (2017)  |    Available online on 1 December 2017

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Abstract

In commercial food services, the workers are exposed to various risks factors such as awkward postures, repetition of the body movement, heat stress, prolonged standing, poor lighting and vigorous vibration that are led to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of ergonomics risk factors on worker’s postures while performing kitchen daily activities. The method adopts qualitative method on the physical experience discomfort through the interview session, workplace observation and questionnaires survey to all workers. This project started with determining the physical discomfort which influenced worker working posture while performing daily kitchen activities. The result concluded that most of the respondents faced severe pain in their upper back and lower back. This is due to kitchen daily activities usually involving repetitive and forceful task where workers are required to perform the task in prolonged working hours hence lead to the development of muscle fatigue. The effect of risk factors on the working posture of UTeM’s Cafeteria workers while performing daily kitchen activities is determined by analysing the worker posture using RULA Analysis. Based on the result obtained, the total score for all working posture for current cooking area involving male and female workers are high and required immediate improvement.

Keywords

Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs), Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), Food Service Industry, Workstation

Acknowledgement

This study was supported by University Technical Malaysia Melaka. We would like to
express our gratitude to the Faculty of Manufacturing Engineering (FKP), Café UTEM
for the support in this study. Not to forget, our sincerest gratitude to all respondents who took part in this research.

© 2022 Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFEM). All rights reserved.

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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.

Design Automotive Driver Seat Ergonomically for Malaysian Anthropometry Measurement

Design Automotive Driver Seat Ergonomically for Malaysian Anthropometry Measurement
Mugilan Muralitharan1, Syed Ahmad Helmi1, 2 and Kamarulafizam bin Ismail1

1 Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310, UTM Skudai, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

2 Center for Engineering Education, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310, UTM Skudai, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Page 21 – 26   |   Vol. 2 No. 3 (2017)  |    Available online on 1 December 2017

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Abstract

Aesthetic value of the automotive car seat has been one of the selling point of each car besides providing functions such as being safe, supportive as well provide comfort to the occupants. Criteria that have been considered besides the aesthetic element are cushion foam and self-adjustment factor. Ergonomics are not new issue to be brought up as most of the existing seat design today have already practiced. Existing car seat manufacturers have considered anthropometry data. The average upon 95th percentile of human measurement had been deliberated. However, issues such as time spent driving and seat design issue have arisen upon the search of comfort and rising of musculoskeletal disease such as back ache pain. As a solution, this study would propose an automotive car seat design of ergonomic evolution which would create comfort by manipulating the seat cushion foams. The proposed seat cushion foam would be replacing the existing polymers with bean bag foam. This has been inspired by the nature of bean bag, fitting up and providing comfort to the occupants of various body sizes and shapes. Malaysian anthropometry measurement required for design of car seat are obtained which are later compared with the existing seats of commercial vehicle. The most appropriate design principle is used as reference. Pressure mapping of respondent seating on the existing car seat are obtained by literature review. The most sensitive compartments where discomfort have been experienced are studied and placed with sachets filed with bean bag beads. This would be then tested over a few respondents by pressure mat to figure if there were any changes in terms of comfort. This design of new car seat with a manipulation cushion foam replaced with bean bag foam could be a niche to eliminate discomfort to all range body sizes and shapes.

Keywords

Car seat; anthropometry; seat cushion foam; bean bag foam

Acknowledgement

I would like to dedicate my gratitude to NIOSH Johor, Ergonomic Department for the help on the anthropometry data been given to conduct my research. Lastly, I would like to thank Dr Zulhilmi bin Che Daud, the Head of Automotive lab for sponsoring a car seat for me to conduct this research.

© 2022 Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFEM). All rights reserved.

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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.