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Il presente studio illustra i risultati di parte del Work Package (WP) 6 del progetto IN-TRAC con l'obiettivo di indagare il comfort degli operatori mediante un approccio sog-gettivo ed antropometrico-funzionale. Il comfort percepito dagli operatori di macchine destinate ad essere utilizzate sui luoghi di lavoro, infatti, costituisce un elemento chiave nel determinare preferenze e comportamenti di acquisto e nel promuovere condizioni di impiego che aumentino la produttività e il benessere. Per quanto non sia presente in lette-ratura un concetto condiviso di comfort, numerosi autori concordano sulla sua natura soggettiva, elemento che rende fondamentale coinvolgere gli utenti in modo diretto nella sua valutazione; notevole importanza rivestono in particolare i giudizi dei novizi, utili al fine di individuare le principali criticità nell'uso di un prodotto. Oltre ai diversi livelli di esperienza è però opportuno considerare altri fattori che determinano una diversa perce-zione di comfort come, ad esempio, le differenze prettamente fisiche (antropometriche e funzionali) e cognitive degli operatori e le caratteristiche intrinseche del prodotto. La ricerca indaga il comfort percepito su due trattori agricoli, diversi per layout del posto di guida e per livello tecnologico. Lo studio è stato condotto su 18 operatori, novizi ed esperti. I dati relativi al comfort percepito sono stati raccolti mediante un questionario compilato al termine dello svolgimento di una serie di prove alla guida di entrambi i vei-coli. È stata valutata la relazione tra i giudizi di comfort espressi dagli operatori, alcune caratteristiche antropometriche e funzionali dell'individuo e alcuni aspetti costruttivi del posto di guida dei due trattori. I risultati dello studio mettono in evidenza il maggior livel-lo di comfort percepito sul trattore con più alto contenuto tecnologico. La posizione inat-tesa di alcuni comandi, o il loro funzionamento diverso dal previsto, sono i limiti fatti rilevare dai novizi su questa macchina. I risultati dello studio, seppur non esaustivo, evi-denziano gli elementi su cui è utile concentrarsi in fase di progettazione del layout del posto di guida di trattori agricoli per assicurare che le tecnologie adottate concorrano realmente ad incrementarne il comfort e la facilità d'impiego.

Exposure to whole body vibration (WBV) is one of the most important risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Agricultural machinery operators are particularly at risk and it is therefore important to minimize the transmission of harmful vibrations to the driver as much as possible. Telescopic handlers are self-propelled vehicles very versatile used on different terrains and for different operations. Despite their diffusion few studies investigated their vibrational safety and comfort. The objective of the study was to investigate whether an active cab suspension system fitted on a telehandler was effective in reducing WBV and in improving comfort. Sixteen male healthy professional operators drove a telehandler on a 100 m ISO 5008 smooth track at two different speeds (5 and 12 kph) with activated and deactivated cab suspension system. Adopting an ergonomic approach, different aspects of the human-machine interaction were analyzed: 1) WBV measurements, 2) subjective ratings of general comfort and local body discomfort, and 3) anthropometric characteristics of the users. The suspension system was effective in reducing WBV and in improving comfort, especially for individuals with higher stature, body mass and Body Mass Index (BMI). Some neck/shoulder and lumbar complaints seems to remain, even when the system was activated. Results suggest that the operators, given their wide range of physical variability, may need more adjustable or customizable WBV reduction systems.

The massive introduction of technology in agriculture lead to a revolution in farming, in terms of a huge increase in productivity, energy savings, lower environmental impact, and improvement of drivers' working conditions. Technological innovation, however, raises some issues about its acceptability and perceived comfort. With regard to this, ergonomics considers users involvement and subjective ratings fundamental to improve efficiency, safety, and human well-being. In particular, the involvement of novice users is useful to identify the most severe issues. This study investigates the subjective assessment of comfort made by a group of novices approaching a tractor equipped with a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). Electronics plays a major role in controlling the performance of this type of transmission and the working station (the cab) has been designed to hold and integrate the specific controls this technology requires. Eight tractor drivers participated in the study. After they had driven the tractor performing definite tasks they filled in a questionnaire about the arrangement and operation of the controls and of the touch-screen display and the general perception of safety, comfort, ease of use and solidity. The results of the study shows that participants didn't find the vehicle particularly user-friendly because it was equipped with controls and devices that made difficult to learn how they had to be triggered. The study points out that novice users have some difficulties when interacting for the first time with technological and electronic devices equipping the tractor's working station. These difficulties highlight the importance of training when a new machine has to be operated to improve user's comfort, operator's health and safety, and machine performance.

Aim of study: We tested the perceived quality in use of a prototype of a handling supporting device, developed through a user-centred design process intended for rear-mounted foldable rollover protective-structures (FROPSs).Area of study: The study was performed in the Province of Cuneo, which has the largest number of farms and the highest share of utilized agricultural area (UAA) in Piedmont Region, NW Italy.Material and methods: Three groups of users, novice-novice (NN), novice-expert (NE) and expert-expert (EE) were asked to raise two rear-mounted FROPSs: a traditional one and a second one equipped with a supporting device which consisted of a gas spring and a rod. A questionnaire has been used to record the perceived quality in use of both FROPSs (effort, physical discomfort, temporal demand and ease of use) and perceived usefulness and attitudes toward the adoption of the supporting device.Main results: All groups reported less physical effort, more stable postures, higher ease of use in handling the FROPS equipped with the supporting device; NN users, in particular, declared to be willing to adopt the supporting device in the future on their tractors when commercially available.Research highlights: Previous studies reported discomfort in operating the FROPS as the main cause of its improper use. A solution to improve FROPS reachability was developed and tested with users. Benefits were perceived by both novice users and expert users.

Tractor overturn is the main cause of injuries and fatal accidents in agriculture. Rollover Protective Structures (ROPS) showed to be effective in reducing fatalities during tractor overturn. Foldable ROPS (FROPS) have been developed to offer greater mobility when working in low overhead clearance zones and more storage options. However, many fatalities and serious injuries in tractor overturn accidents occur for a misuse of the FROPS. The study proposed a multidimensional ergonomic investigation of FROPS handling to identify criticalities in the human-machine interaction which prevent farmers from raising the roll-bar. An observation of users’ behaviors while operating the FROPS and a collection of subjective ratings about perceived effort were performed, considering also tractor objective features. Eleven operators and nine tractors were involved in the study. The results showed that the participants exposed themselves to different safety (e.g. falls) and health (e.g. biomechanical overload of the spine) risks when raising the FROPS, even though they did not perceive any intense effort in handling the roll-bar. The vertical distance between the FROPS pivot pin and the ground affected participants’ gestures and postures. To facilitate the actual use of the FROPS and to prevent injuries or fatal consequences in case of tractor overturn, some technical solutions to enhance the accessibility of the FROPS may be developed. Furthermore, the correct postures and gestures to handle the roll-bar should be addressed during safety and health training courses.

The analysis of the postural attitude of workers during the interaction with workstation&rsquo, s elements and working environment is essential in the evaluation and prevention of biomechanical overload risk in workplaces. RULA (Rapid Upper Limb Assessment) and REBA (Rapid Entire Body Assessment) are the two easiest methods for postural risk assessment in the workplace. Few studies investigated postural risk in forestry sector with regard to human&ndash, machine interaction, in particular manually fed wood-chippers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the postures assumed by an operator during the manual feeding of a wood-chipper, and to compare RULA and REBA, in order to identify the more effective and appropriate method for the assessment of the risk of biomechanical postural overload. The results pointed out several postural issues of the upper limbs, and showed that RULA is a more precautionary method to protect operator&rsquo, s health during the targeted tasks. Implications to improve the human&ndash, wood-chipper interaction are discussed.

At the end of the 20th century the adoption of the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) was one of the disruptive technological advances in agricultural tractors. Several changes in the Human Machine Interface (HMI) of the tractor cab have been introduced to accommodate this technology. HMIs are known to raise issues about their ease of use; however, this topic has been under-investigated in the agricultural sector. The present study introduces a method to investigate the perceived ease of use of the HMI of agricultural tractors equipped with technological innovations. The HMI required to manage a CVT tractor was evaluated by sixteen tractor drivers (8 novices and 8 experts). During the first contact with the machine and after having performed two targeted tasks with the tractor, participants filled in a questionnaire about the ease of use of the controls and of the touch-screen display, and evaluated the general perception of ease of use, safety, quality and solidity of the machine. The trial pointed out some significant differences between novices and experts, thus confirming the validity of the proposed method. In particular, novice users showed some difficulties when interacting for the first time with the HMI of the CVT tractor working station, whereas experts did not report similar difficulties. Thus, expertise seems to play a role in determining the quality of the interaction with the HMI. Training interventions should be designed to help novices in increasing their expertise effectively, avoiding effort and errors and improving user’s comfort and system performance.

Agricultural and earth-moving machinery operators are particularly exposed to whole body vibration (WBV), which has severe effects on health and affects comfort and performance. Few studies have investigated vibrational safety and comfort issues in telescopic handlers. These vehicles are widespread in many off-road applications--such as construction, agriculture and mining--used to handle loads and to lift persons and equipment. This study investigated the effects of an active hydro-pneumatic cabsuspension system fitted to a telehandler on a driver's vibration exposure along the x-, y- and z-axes, through both objective and subjective assessments. Sixteen healthy professional telehandler drivers took part in the study. Objective measurements were acquired at the operator's seat, and subjective ratings were taken while participants drove the telehandler with either a deactivated or activated suspension system at 12 kph on an ISO 5008 smooth track. The results showed that the activation of the cab-suspension system reduced the root-mean-square acceleration along the x- and z-axes. (p=.038 and p=.000, respectively). Moreover, the frequency analysis showed a reduction in the acceleration along the z-axis in the range of 2-25 Hz (p

Agriculture is among the most hazardous productive sectors, and farm machinery is a major source of injury. In the present study, a mediated model was used to test the role played by workers’ characteristics, work environment factors, and near misses in predicting agricultural machinery-related accidents in a sample of Italian users (n=290). Hours worked per week (via the mediation of an adverse work environment) showed a positive association and years of work experience (via the mediation of risk perception) showed a negative association with the probability of being involved in a near miss, which in turn showed a positive association with the probability of being involved in a machinery-related accident. Implications for tailored preventive interventions are discussed.