List of Titles

An analysis of the forces required to drag sheep over various surfaces

- Harvey, Jack, Culvenor, John, Payne, Warren, Cowley, Stephen, Lawrance, Michael, Stuart, David, Williams, Robyn

Authors: Harvey, Jack , Culvenor, John , Payne, Warren , Cowley, Stephen , Lawrance, Michael , Stuart, David , Williams, Robyn
Date: 2002
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Applied Ergonomics Vol. 33, no. 6 (Nov 2002), p. 523-531
Full Text:
Reviewed:
Description: Some occupational health and safety hazards associated with sheep shearing are related to shearing shed design. One aspect is the floor of the catching pen, from which sheep are caught and dragged to the shearing workstation. Floors can be constructed from various materials, and may be level or gently sloping. An experiment was conducted using eight experienced shearers as participants to measure the force exerted by a shearer when dragging a sheep. Results showed that significant changes in mean dragging force occurred with changes in both surface texture and slope. The mean dragging forces for different floor textures and slopes ranged from 359 N (36.6 kg) to 423N (43.2 kg), and were close to the maximum acceptable limits for pulling forces for the most capable of males. The best floor tested was a floor sloped at 1:10 constructed of timber battens oriented parallel to the path of the drag, which resulted in a mean dragging force 63.6N (15%) lower than the worst combination.
Description: C1
Description: 2003000244

How do I save it? Usability evaluation of a systems theory-based incident reporting software prototype by novice end users

- Grant, Eryn, Goode, Natassia, Salmon, Paul, Lenné, Michael, Scott-Parker, Bridie, Finch, Caroline

Authors: Grant, Eryn , Goode, Natassia , Salmon, Paul , Lenné, Michael , Scott-Parker, Bridie , Finch, Caroline
Date: 2015
Type: Text , Conference proceedings
Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1058737
Full Text: false
Description: The level of usability achieved by software tools is a key factor that determines their success and indeed uptake by end users. This paper describes a study that was undertaken to evaluate the usability of a prototype incident reporting software tool. The study involved novice end users completing a series of tasks using the software tool and then completing Ravden and Johnsonâ€™s Human Computer Interaction (HCI) checklist. The findings identify aspects of the system that pose particular challenges for participants. Participants appeared to lack a clear understanding of the relationship between the information required from them, and the underpinning accident analysis method of the software tool. This is perhaps unsurprising, considering that most incident reporting systems do not include these functions. The findings indicate that the tool requires better levels of intuitiveness to assist users in complex tasks so the focus is on awareness of accident causation methods rather than task instructions. The implications for the design of incident reporting software tools are discussed. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015.

Activity behaviors of university staff in the workplace : A pilot study

- Bird, Marie-Louise, Shing, Cecilia, Mainsbridge, Casey, Cooley, Dean, Pedersen, Scott

Authors: Bird, Marie-Louise , Shing, Cecilia , Mainsbridge, Casey , Cooley, Dean , Pedersen, Scott
Date: 2015
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Journal of Physical Activity and Health Vol. 12, no. 8 (2015), p. 1128-1132
Full Text: false
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Description: Background: Sedentary behavior is related to metabolic syndrome and might have implications for the long-term health of workers in a low activity environment. The primary aim of this pilot study was to determine activity levels of adults working at a University during work hours. A secondary aim was to determine the relationship between actual and perceived activity levels. Methods: Activity levels of university staff (n = 15, male = 7, age = 53 ± 7 years, BMI = 26.5 ± 2.5kg•m2) were monitored over 5 consecutive workdays using SenseWear accelerometers, then participants completed a questionnaire of their perception of workplace sedentary time. Results: Each participant spent 71.5 ± 13.1% (358 ± 78 min) of their workday being sedentary (< 1.5 METs), 15.6 ± 9.0% involved in light activity (1.5-3 METs), 11.7 ± 10.0% in moderate activity (3-5 METs), and 1.1 ± 1.3% in vigorous activity (> 5 METs) (P <.0001). The mean difference between actual (SenseWear < 1.5 METs) and perceived sitting time was-2 ± 32%; however, perceived sedentary time was reported with a range of under-to-over estimation of-75% to 51%. Conclusion: This pilot study identifies long periods of low metabolic activity during the workday and poor perception of individual sedentary time. Interventions to reduce sedentary time in the workplace may be necessary to ensure that the work environment does not adversely affect long-term health. © 2015 Human Kinetics, Inc.

Bridging the research-practice gap: Validity of a software tool designed to support systemic accident analysis by risk managers

- Goode, Natassia, Salmon, Paul, Taylor, Natalie, Lenné, Michael, Finch, Caroline

Authors: Goode, Natassia , Salmon, Paul , Taylor, Natalie , Lenné, Michael , Finch, Caroline
Date: 2015
Type: Text , Conference proceedings
Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1058737
Full Text: false
Description: Despite the proposed advantages of systems accident analysis (SAA) methods for understanding incident-causation, these approaches have not been widely adopted by practitioners. This represents a significant gap between research and practice in accident analysis. The Understanding and Preventing Led Outdoor Accidents Data System (UPLOADS) provides a series of tools to address this gap. The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity of UPLOADS by comparing analyses generated by risk managers and researchers experienced in SAA. Twenty-three risk managers used UPLOADS to collect and analyse incident data from their organization over a three month period. The reports were then analyzed by two researchers experienced in SAA, and compared to those generated by participants. Participants identified half the number of factors identified by researchers, and tended to focus on only one or two factors as the causes of each incident. The potential consequences for practitioners' understanding of incident-causation and countermeasure development are discussed, as well as ways of improving the system. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015.

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