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Non-pharmacological interventions have been applied to manage Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD). However, these interventions have not been assessed from an ergonomics perspective. Ergonomics has investigated the age-related capability changes in terms of sensory, cognition and movement aspects. This study aims to review the existing non-pharmacological interventions for BPSD targeting nursing home residents and generate design recommendations based on the domain of ergonomics in ageing. The electronic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO were searched for studies which applied non-pharmacological interventions for treating BPSD in nursing home residents. A total of 67 studies met the inclusion criteria; from which 16 types of interventions were identified. Within these intervention types, the main capabilities required from the interventions for People with Dementia (PwD) were identified. The interventions were then categorized into sensory-, cognition-, and movement-oriented according to the main capabilities. Design recommendations were then generated for the interventions with knowledge from the domain of ergonomics in ageing.

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.

International audience; Neurological patients are characterized by multiple handicaps and by physical, behavioral, and psychological symptoms that are diverse and fluctuating. They need specialized, multidisciplinary and constant health care, a large amount of hygiene care and technical care, but also relational care. The objective of this communication is to present the anticipatory operative strategies used by a team of nurses working in a neurology hospitalization sector and their representations of healthcare quality. Healthcare quality is studied from the constructive perspective of activity ergonomics: it considers quality as a permanent process on-going in the work situation, articulating the effective conditions provided by the organization for the realization of work-as-imagined and the individual and collective resources available by the agents who deal with the actual context. The methodology used is based on an exploratory field study using the clinical method of work analysis in ergonomics. The results show that quality is the result of arbitrations and individual and collective adjustments built in context, which incorporate formal and informal standards of care quality according to the content of care, the type of patient and the current state of the latter. The strategies identified allow the agents to reconcile in more or less satisfactory ways the different existing standards.

Since the early development for health purposes in 1950s, motion tracking systems have been strongly developed for several applications. Nowadays, using Micro Electro-Mechanics Systems (MEMS) technologies, these systems have become compact and light, being popular for several applications. Looking at the manufacturing industry, such as the automotive one, ergonomic postural analyses are a key step in the workplaces design and motion tracking systems represent fundamental tools to provide data about postures of workers while carrying out working tasks, in order to assess the critical issues according to ISO 11226 standard. The aim of this work is to present an experimental wearable inertial motion tracking system, developed at the Dept. of Engineering of the University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli” in collaboration with Linup S.r.l., composed by several low-cost inertial measurement units (IMU). The system allows to estimate the orientation of selected human body segments and to analyze the postures assumed during the working tasks. To increase the flexibility of use, the system is highly modular: it’s composed by 4 independent modules in full-body configuration, each one made of 3 or 4 inertial units. In this paper, the overall system is presented, supported by several test cases, carried out in Fiat Chrysler Automobile (FCA) assembly lines, to test the system reliability in industrial environments. Furthermore, an automatic posture analysis code is presented to evaluate the postural critical issue of the workplaces.

Observation methods historically form a significant part of the identity of activity-oriented approaches to ergonomics, while playing a central role in the holistic approach to work activity. This paper introduces the issue of the role and positioning of observation in ergonomics approaches, and presents a current research and design project. Started two years ago, the project promotes research and practice exchanges, involving reflections on and teaching of observation methods and techniques. Its objectives are threefold: (1) design an open and stable tool for in-situ observation, (2) contribute to the research about observation and human activities, and (3) promote teaching of observation methods and techniques. The paper concludes with an outline of the next steps for research and practice.

Among the technologies included in Industry 4.0, the fourth industrial revolution, Digital Manufacturing (DM) represents a new approach to evaluate the performance of production processes in a virtual environment. DM can be seen as the industrial declination of Virtual Reality (VR) that, by using an integrated computer-based system, allows creating simulation, 3D visualization and provides different tools to define the product and the manufacturing process simultaneously. Virtualization and simulation of production processes generate benefits for companies in terms of time and costs, optimizing the assembly line and providing parameters for studying human-machine interaction. Regarding this last topic, the aim of this paper is to propose an innovative procedure to support the workplaces design, based on simulation techniques that allow setting a virtual scenario in which a Digital Human Model (DHM) is able to carry on assembly tasks. Data from simulations can be analyzed and used to assess ergonomic indexes in a preventive and proactive approach. As other automotive manufacturers, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) applies EAWS (European Assessment Work Sheet), a first level screening, to assess the ergonomic biomechanical overload of workplaces in the design phase, according to international standards (ISO 11226 and ISO 11228-1, -2, -3). The ergonomics risk assessment, since the design phase, allows identifying critical issues and to define and put in practice corrective actions in the earlier phase, being more successful and less expensive. In order to support the procedure proposed in this research, a case study is described, based on the EAWS index evaluation of a workstation in a FCA plant assembly shop. The simulation has been realized by using PLM software Tecnomatix Process Simulate by Siemens® and the EAWS analysis has been performed by using EAWSdigital by MTM®. The procedure can be considered innovative to support human-centered design of production process in developing new products.