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Introduction: Pushing and pulling activities are common in daily life and industrial workplaces. These activities are potentially contributing to muscle fatigue in the back and shoulder if not managed ergonomically. Therefore, this study aimed to quantify the maximum strength of Malaysian adults in horizontal symmetrical two-handed pushing and pulling with different handle heights and stances. Methods: Forty-seven participants of 24 males and 23 females were recruited in pushing and pulling experiments. The participants were assistant engineers and postgraduate students of a technical university. The dependent variable was the magnitude of push/ pull force. The independent variables consisted of action, handle height and stances. The experimental design was set for 2 actions, 3 handle heights and 2 stances, yielding 12 variables combinations. Results: Key findings of this study revealed that combination of pull action, handle height at elbow level and staggered stance exhibited greatest force. On the contrary, combination of push action, handle height at knuckle level and parallel stance resulted in lowest force. In pushing test, both male and female participants obtained greatest force of 233.3 N and 121.7 N, respectively, when the handle height was at elbow level and staggered stance. Similarly, in pulling test, males and females obtained highest force of 242.9 N and 152.4 N, respectively. Conclusion: This study concluded that handle height at elbow level and staggered stance exhibited greatest force in pushing and pulling activities. This study provides information to individuals who involved in pushing and pulling tasks with least force exertion to minimize muscle fatigue in the back and shoulder. Future studies should consider the following recommendations: 1) Participants of study should involve manufacturing industry workers. 2) To study the effect of pushing and pulling tasks on muscle activity.

Improper design of manual materials handling (MMH) tasks at workplace can cause musculoskeletal disorders such as muscle strain to industrial workers. To avoid these disorders, ergonomists and engineers require an integrated measurement system which allows them to study the interaction of body posture and muscle effort during performing MMH tasks. However, far too little attention has been paid to develop an integrated measurement system of body posture and muscle activity for assessing MMH tasks. The aim of this study was to develop and test a prototype of integrated system for measuring postural angles and electromyography (EMG) signals of a worker who doing MMH tasks. The Microsoft Visual Studio software, a 3D camera (Microsoft Kinect), Advancer Technologies muscle sensors and a microcontroller (NI DAQ USB-6000) were applied to develop the integrated postural angle and EMG signal measurement system. Additionally, a graphical user interface was created in the system to enable users to perform body posture and muscle effort assessment simultaneously. Based on the testing results, this study concluded that the patterns of EMG signals are depending on the postural angles which consistent with the findings of established works. Further study is required to enhance the validity, reliability and usability of the prototype so that it may facilitate ergonomists and engineers to assess work posture and muscle activity during MMH task.

Competitiveness of product innovation depends on how the company can answer the customers’ needs. To capture the right needs, product designer has to go and ask the customers and summary them into priority and translate the needs into technical requirement in order to produce the competitive product. At this era there are many kinds of drinks available in the market. Tea is one of the popular drinks for quite long. Different types of flavor tea created to find its market. This study is trying to offer a new product of Kombucha tea, a fermented tea. A method of Quality Function Deployment (QFD) was implemented to come out the right design of Kombucha tea which may absorb the customer needs. This was done through the questionaries and interview to the community. Based on this information then provide some technical requirements to produce the right quality Kombucha tea that are wanted by the customer. The results show customer requirement from the questionnaires 59% of respondents agrees that they buy Kombucha due to its taste. While 82% respondent agree on the Fuzzy sensation of kombucha taste. Packaging (Appearance), 58% like the package. And for Health benefit, respondents 83% agree. For easiness to get, respondents only gave 31%. The customer need should be transformed into Functional or technical measures. The study analyzed that there are 13 Functional aspects determined the end quality of Kombucha tea. This study presented on how to translate the customer needs into functional requirements to produce the right product.Keywords: QFD, kombucha, product development, customer needs

Manufacturing industries play an important role in the economy of Malaysia. One of the manufacturing industries is metal stamping industry. Basically, the processes in the metal stamping industry are using die to cut or form a flat metal sheets into desired shape. Consequently noise is produced from the processes. Noise considered as an unwanted or undesired sound. Prolonged exposure to the noise can lead to the health problems, low productivity and low performance of workers. The aim of this study is to design a noise insulator for reducing the noise level in the metal stamping industry. This study applied a workplace observation, questionnaire survey and noise level assessment at the metal stamping workstations by using a sound level meter (SLM). A prototype design of noise insulator was developed through brainstorming among the metal stamping workers, questionnaire survey and morphological chart. Recycle papers and coconut fibers were used as materials of the noise insulator. This study conducted a noise level assessment to determine the effectiveness of the developed noise insulator. The noise levels have effectively reduced the noise level up to 17.2%. This study concluded that application of used materials such as recycle papers and coconut fibers in making of noise insulator is able to reduce noise levels in metal stamping operation. This study suggests that the real fabrication and application should be implemented in the metal stamping industry to reduce the risk of noise exposure to the workers.

Hand is made up of bones, tendons, ligaments, nerves and blood vessels that can be easily debilitated and injured if the hand tool is not design ergonomically. Recently researchers have examined the effects of individual, environmental and occupational factors on hand grip strength. However, information on the influence of hand tool design on hand grip strength is still lacking. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of factors influencing hand grip strength focusing more towards hand tool design factors. The authors searched the journal articles, book and guidelines from the online databases of Google Scholar, ScienceDirect and Pubmed. Fourteen factors of hand tools design were found to have significant effect on the hand grip strength. The handle size shows the most significant factor for hand grip strength.

The perfume preparation laboratory as part of Research and Development department in a chemical industry takes customer orders in form of request of making fragrance or flavors. There are many processes in laboratory; these can be classified into value added as well as non-value-added activities. The processes of making perfume oftentimes happen waiting for raw materials, stock out of raw materials, storage of excess raw materials and repeated pouring activities of raw materials. This study applies Define, Measure, Analyze, Improvement, and Control (DMAIC) methodology, to improve its productivity. The study identifies wastes in laboratory activities. The method also reduced the frequency of raw materials demand by 90% and decreased inventory process time by 90%. It also cut the trial making process consisting of 14 processes into 11 processes and time savings of 104.9 seconds.

Background: This review summarizes the evidence regarding the association between musculoskeletal disorders and computer users at work. Past studies had identified that musculoskeletal disorders among computer users are known to be multifactorial in origin. This includes work related and nonwork-related factors. Methods: Literature search was conducted in various databases such as Pubmed, ScienceDirect, and Scopus. The articles were analyzed based on predetermined objectives and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) such as computer users, musculoskeletal disorders and risk factors. Almost seventy-seven (77) articles were retrieved and analyzed to understand the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders among computer users. Results: Based on the previous articles, a framework of musculoskeletal disorders and computer users was proposed for a better understanding of the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders among computer users in the workplace. The framework emphasizes the association between work-related (physical, environmental and psychosocial risk factors) and non-work related factors (individual risk factors) among computer users. It was hypothesized that an increase in the muscle activity or increase in the muscle loads were the possible early symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders among computer users at the workplace due the interaction of individual, psychosocial and physical risk factors. Furthermore, the decrease in productivity was shown in the framework as an effect of an increase in musculoskeletal disorders among computer users. Conclusion: The proposed framework may be used for better prevention and intervention of musculoskeletal disorders among computer users in the workplace.

To mimic a tribosystem setup to the real-time model while taking into consideration the subject of green tribology, many tribological wear test rigs are invented. The current work is a dedicated review on the latest development of various tribological wear test rigs build for numerous applications. With the aid of diagrams, the working principles of the machines which are built on specific standards are discussed. Their operating parameters associated with related research using these machines are also included. In addition to that, recommendations and directions for improvements in tribology machines are reported.

Industrial workers were frequently exposed to injury at work due to an incorrect working posture. Improper working posture such as bending, twisting, overreaching, repetitive task and uncomfortable posture contribute to musculoskeletal disorder (MSD). This paper deals with the survey of the posture practices by Malaysian industrial workers. The questionnaire was distributed among 282 industrial workers. The survey was concerned with demographic detail, job specialization, industrial sectors, work and rest duration and the physical and mental condition during working time. It was found that over 93.1% of the workers facing the physical fatigue and 94.2% experienced mental fatigue while working. For the working posture it was observed that shoulder at chest level (30.1%), back in moderately bent forward (90.8%) and lifting heavy load 1 to 5 kg (80.5%) are the major work postures practiced by most of industrial workers. Based on the statistical analysis there are significance correlation of the physical injury with the body injury among industrial workers. In conclusion, the specific working posture has yet to be determined for workers in industry. Therefore, this survey can provide a preliminary data for further research to ensure the correct working posture for worker.

Background: Prolonged standing has been hypothesized as a vital contributor to discomfort and muscle fatigue in the workplace. The objective of this study was to develop a decision support system that could provide systematic analysis and solutions to minimize the discomfort and muscle fatigue associated with prolonged standing. Methods: The integration of object-oriented programming and a Model Oriented Simultaneous Engineering System were used to design the architecture of the decision support system. Results: Validation of the decision support system was carried out in two manufacturing companies. The validation process showed that the decision support system produced reliable results. Conclusion: The decision support system is a reliable advisory tool for providing analysis and solutions to problems related to the discomfort and muscle fatigue associated with prolonged standing. Further testing of the decision support system is suggested before it is used commercially.

In aerospace industries, many working tasks require d their workers to perform works in push-pull activ ity. It is associated with an awkward posture. The awkward posture is a practical working posture when joints are not in neutral pos ition. Furthermore, the workers need to push or pull the mould in a long di stance into a workplace. If the workers perform the activity continuously throughout the working hours, they may be experienc ed back pain problem. The objective of this study i s to measure the maximum acceptable initial force and sustained force for pu sh-pull activity while workers perform their tasks. Besides that, this study also wants to identify which activity can endure longer betwee n push or pull activity. Moreover, this study measu res the comfort level of working posture. The acceptable initial force and sustained force were measured using Push-Pull Analysis, expr essed in Newton, N. The comfort level is measured using Rapid Upper Limb As sessment (RULA) Analysis, expressed in scoring leve l. Both of these assessments are analysis tools Computer-Aided Three-Dimensional Interactive Application (CATIA) software. Six prod uction workers from manufacturing department were participated as subje cts. The results show the maximum acceptable initia l force for push task is 433.942N and pull task is 396.691N. While, the sust ained force for push task is 333.465N and pull task is 318.317N. Referring to the results, pushing activity can endure longer than pu lling activity while workers perform their tasks. W hile the comfort level for this working posture is seven. Based on this study, the authors concluded that push-pull activity can lead to the back pain problem for workers in aerospace industry. It’s was influenced by the work activity, work load, work duration of a wkward posture and distance between workplace.

Many occupations in industry such as metal stamping workers, electronics parts assembly operators, automotive industry welders, and lathe operators require working in a standing posture for a long time. Prolonged standing can contribute to discomfort and muscle fatigue particularly in the back and legs. This study developed the prolonged standing strain index (PSSI) to quantify the risk levels caused by standing jobs, and proposed recommendations to minimize the risk levels. Risk factors associated with standing jobs, such as working posture, muscles activity, standing duration, holding time, whole-body vibration, and indoor air quality, were the basis for developing the PSSI. All risk factors were assigned multipliers, and the PSSI was the product of those multipliers. Recommendations for improvement are based on the PSSI; however, extensive studies are required to validate their effectiveness. multipliers, and the PSSI was the product of those multipliers. Recommendations for improvement are based on the PSSI; however, extensive studies are required to validate their effectiveness.

Following the industrial revolution, a third of the world's economic output is derived from manufacturing industries. In the manufacturing industry sectors, manual lifting is commonly practiced even though mechanized material handling equipment are provided. Due to this repetitive lifting behavior, it will contributes to muscle fatigue and low back pain that can lead to work efficiency and low productivity. This will cause great losses to the company and to the country. The purpose of this study is to investigate changes in the surface electromyography (sEMG) signals during repetitive manual lifting for different twist angle values. The EMG signals are taken from right Biceps Branchii of five healthy subjects (age range 21 – 25 years) while performing symmetric and asymmetric lifting of twist angle 0° and 90° at lifting height of 140 cm with load mass of 10 kg. The analysis is done by applying time-frequency distribution (TFD) which is spectrogram technique to represent the EMG signal in time-frequency representation (TFR) before displaying the instantaneous voltage, V rms (t) value. This study found that symmetric lifting requires less force to lift the load and that asymmetric lifting has faster tendency to experienced fatigue. This study concludes that the twist angle has a significant influence to the muscle performance of right Biceps Branchii.

In most assembly lines in manufacturing industry and service occupations, employees may experience pain and discomfort associated with long periods of standing. Prolonged standing tasks in manufacturing industry may lead to musculoskeletal disorders including pain, increased fatigue and stiffness in active muscles. The aims of this study are to determine subjective fatigue experienced by male Malaysian operators in metal stamping industry, and assess muscle fatigue in their lower extremities. Ten production operators of the industry participated in the study. Muscle fatigue has been analyzed using surface electromyography (sEMG) whereby six muscles such as left and right erector spinae muscles, left and right tibialis anterior muscles, and left and right gastrocnemius muscles were simultaneously measured. On the other hand, the subjective fatigue was assessed through questionnaire surveys. Results of questionnaire surveys found that all operators involved in the study reported that they experienced muscle fatigue due to prolonged standing tasks. Result obtained from sEMG measurement shows similar trend with the conclusion derived from surveys. Workers who experienced fatigue recorded a decreased average mean.

In most industry, assembly line job environments such as workstation design and working posture are factors contribute to workers’ performance. Workstation design such as: standing or sitting, the use of tools such as jig and the height of working table are influencing worker’s productivity. Meanwhile, working posture such as: position of body: arm and wrist, neck, trunk and leg determine comfortability and safe posture while working. These aspects also play a significant role in productivity.

Occupational health is considered as a crucial element in almost every Small and Medium Industries (SMIs) and it is believed to be one of vital challenges that can influence productivity and competitiveness. It has been known that the metal stamping industry involved a lot of materials handling tasks such as carrying stamped parts from machine to packaging section, transferring moulds from tools store to machines, sorting the finished products and others. Appropriate materials handling equipments are not often provided in SMIs because of the limitation of capital and lack of ergonomics awareness. The workers have to handle the materials and goods manually. These practices may lead to occupational injuries particularly back pain and musculoskeletal injuries. The objectives of the research are to assess and analyze the muscles activity of workers in metal stamping industry. Three male workers who performed metal stamping process using manual technique were participated in the research. Ergonomic assessment associated with Surface Electromyography (SEMG) was used to capture and interpret the data related to muscles activity at before and after the ergonomic intervention. For the purpose of muscle activity assessment, SEMG electrodes were attached to eight critical muscles: deltoid muscle-medial part (left), deltoid muscle-medial part (right), trapezius muscle (left), trapezius muscle (right), erector spinae muscle (left), erector spinae muscle (right), gastrocnemius muscle (left) and gastrocnemius muscle (right). An ergonomically designed workstation has improved working posture and reduced the total muscle work/loading by about 43 % if it is properly utilized. This design approach can be adopted to improve the working conditions of industrial workers and thus enhance the occupational health practices.