Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 42 in total

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  1. Accidents in Malaysian construction industry: statistical data and court cases
    Chong HY, Low TS
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2014;20(3):503-13.
    PMID: 25189753
    Safety and health issues remain critical to the construction industry due to its working environment and the complexity of working practises. This research attempts to adopt 2 research approaches using statistical data and court cases to address and identify the causes and behavior underlying construction safety and health issues in Malaysia. Factual data on the period of 2000-2009 were retrieved to identify the causes and agents that contributed to health issues. Moreover, court cases were tabulated and analyzed to identify legal patterns of parties involved in construction site accidents. Approaches of this research produced consistent results and highlighted a significant reduction in the rate of accidents per construction project in Malaysia.
  2. Development of prolonged standing strain index to quantify risk levels of standing jobs
    Halim I, Omar AR
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2012;18(1):85-96.
    PMID: 22429532
    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.
  3. The relation between upper limb muscle and brain activity in two precision levels of repetitive light tasks
    Zadry HR, Dawal SZ, Taha Z
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2011;17(4):373-84.
    PMID: 22152503
    A study was conducted to investigate the effects of repetitive light tasks of low and high precision on upper limb muscles and brain activities. Surface electromyography (EMG) and electroencephalography (EEG) were used to measure the muscle and brain activity of 10 subjects. The results show that the root-mean-square (RMS) and mean power frquency (MPF) of the muscle activity and the mean power of the EEG alpha bands were higher on the high-precision task than on the low-precision one. There was also a high and significant correlation between upper limb muscle and brain activity during the tasks. The longer the time and the more precise the task, the more the subjects become fatigued both physically and mentally. Thus, these results could be potentially useful in managing fatigue, especially fatique related to muscle and mental workload.
  4. An ergonomics study of a semiconductors factory in an IDC for improvement in occupational health and safety
    Bin WS, Richardson S, Yeow PH
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2010;16(3):345-56.
    PMID: 20828490
    The study aimed to conduct an ergonomic intervention on a conventional line (CL) in a semiconductor factory in Malaysia, an industrially developing country (IDC), to improve workers' occupational health and safety (OHS). Low-cost and simple (LCS) ergonomics methods were used (suitable for IDCs), e.g., subjective assessment, direct observation, use of archival data and assessment of noise. It was found that workers were facing noise irritation, neck and back pains and headache in the various processes in the CL. LCS ergonomic interventions to rectify the problems included installing noise insulating covers, providing earplugs, installing elevated platforms, slanting visual display terminals and installing extra exhaust fans. The interventions cost less than 3 000 USD but they significantly improved workers' OHS, which directly correlated with an improvement in working conditions and job satisfaction. The findings are useful in solving OHS problems in electronics industries in IDCs as they share similar manufacturing processes, problems and limitations.
  5. The relationship between psychosocial work factors, work stress and computer-related musculoskeletal discomforts among computer users in Malaysia
    Zakerian SA, Subramaniam ID
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2009;15(4):425-34.
    PMID: 20003776
    Increasing numbers of workers use computer for work. So, especially among office workers, there is a high risk of musculoskeletal discomforts. This study examined the associations among 3 factors, psychosocial work factors, work stress and musculoskeletal discomforts. These associations were examined via a questionnaire survey on 30 office workers (at a university in Malaysia), whose jobs required an extensive use of computers. The questionnaire was distributed and collected daily for 20 days. While the results indicated a significant relationship among psychosocial work factors, work stress and musculoskeletal discomfort, 3 psychosocial work factors were found to be more important than others in both work stress and musculoskeletal discomfort: job demands, negative social interaction and computer-related problems. To further develop study design, it is necessary to investigate industrial and other workers who have experienced musculoskeletal discomforts and work stress.
  6. Evaluation and optimization of handle design parameters of a grass trimming machine
    Mallick Z
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2008;14(3):343-9.
    PMID: 18954544
    The grass trimming machine is a widely used agricultural machine for cutting grass by the roadside and in other areas in Malaysia. Hand-arm vibration (HAV) syndrome is very common among workers operating power tools and performing similar work for extended periods. Grass trimming involves the use of a motorized cutter spinning at high speed, resulting in high levels of HAV among its operators. The existing D-shape handle causes HAV-related stress and operational load in operators. This research proposes a new design of a handle of the grass trimming machine. When this new design was compared with the old one, it was found that the new handle resulted in 18% lower HAV. To find the lowest HAV, 3 critical parameters of the new handle (length, angle and material of the cap of the handle) were optimized using the Taguchi quality tool. Appropriately selected parameters of the new handle significantly reduced the occurrence of HAV among grass trimmers.
  7. Investigating data entry task performance on a laptop under the impact of vibration: the effect of color
    Mallick Z
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2007;13(3):291-303.
    PMID: 17888238
    The last 20 years have seen a tremendous growth in mobile computing and wireless communications and services. An experimental study was conducted to explore the effect of text/background color on a laptop computing system along with variable environmental vibration on operators' data entry task performance in moving automobiles. The operators' performance was measured in terms of the number of characters entered per minute without spaces (NCEPMWS) on a laptop computing system. The subjects were divided into 3 categories, namely, Novices, Intermediates and Experts. Findings suggest a re-evaluation of existing laptop designs taking ergonomics into consideration. It appears that proper selection of text/background color on the laptop coupled with controlled vehicular speed could result in a better quality of interaction between human and laptops and it could also resolve the problem of poor data entry task performance.
  8. The effect of job and environmental factors on job satisfaction in automotive industries
    Dawal SZ, Taha Z
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2006;12(3):267-80.
    PMID: 16984786
    A methodology was developed for diagnosing industrial work, which includes questionnaire, observation, measurements, data collection and statistical analysis. A survey was conducted to investigate the relationship between job satisfaction and factors that affect work design in 2 automotives manufacturing companies in Malaysia. A basic work design model was proposed. The aim of this model was to determine the factors that influence employees' perception towards their work. A set of multiple-choice questionnaires was developed and data was collected by interviewing employees at a production plant. The survey focused on job and environmental factors. The results supported the proposed model and showed that job and environmental factors were significantly related to job satisfaction. They highlighted the significant influence of age, work experience and marital status on job satisfaction. Further, environmental factors, especially the surroundings, context dependence and the building's function, also had a significant impact on job satisfaction.
  9. Ergonomics improvements of the visual inspection process in a printed circuit assembly factory
    Yeow PH, Sen RN
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2004;10(4):369-85.
    PMID: 15598361
    An ergonomics improvement study was conducted on the visual inspection process of a printed circuit assembly (PCA) factory. The process was studied through subjective assessment and direct observation. Three problems were identified: operators' eye problems, insufficient time for inspection and ineffective visual inspection. These problems caused a huge yearly rejection cost of US 298,240 dollars, poor quality, customer dissatisfaction and poor occupational health and safety. Ergonomics interventions were made to rectify the problems: reduced usage of a magnifying glass, the use of less glaring inspection templates, inspection of only electrically non-tested components and introduction of a visual inspection sequence. The interventions produced savings in rejection cost, reduced operators' eye strain, headaches and watery eyes, lowered the defect percentage at customers' sites and increased the factory's productivity and customer satisfaction.
  10. Anthropometric database for the learning environment of high school and university students
    Dawal SZ, Zadry HR, Azmi SN, Rohim SR, Sartika SJ
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2012;18(4):461-72.
    PMID: 23294660
    This paper presents an anthropometric database of high school and university students from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Forty-one high school participants (21 males and 20 females), 13-17 years old, and 143 university students (74 males and 69 females) took part in the study. Twenty-one static body dimensions were measured. The greatest mean differences in the anthropometric data between male and female high school students were found in the sitting elbow height. In addition, a comparison of anthropometric data of male and female university students showed that data for males and females were significantly different, except for buttock-popliteal length, sitting elbow height and thigh clearance. The primary aim of this study was to develop an anthropometric database that could be used as a primary reference in designing products, devices and equipment for ergonomic learning environments.
  11. The effects of perceived organizational support, perceived supervisor support and perceived co-worker support on safety and health compliance
    Puah LN, Ong LD, Chong WY
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2016 Sep;22(3):333-9.
    PMID: 27049935 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2016.1159390
    Although knowledge is cumulating, very little is known about the effects of various sources of support on safety and health compliance. This study goes beyond previous research by investigating the relationships among perceived support from organizations, supervisors and co-workers, and employees' safety and health compliance behaviour at chemical and petroleum process plants. The results of this study show that the support from organizations, supervisors and co-workers was significantly related to employees' safety and health compliance. Also, the findings reveal that perceived supervisor support has the strongest influence in ensuring employees' safety and health compliance behaviour.
  12. Hand-arm vibration disorder among grass-cutter workers in Malaysia
    Azmir NA, Ghazali MI, Yahya MN, Ali MH
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2016 Apr 6.
    PMID: 27050159
    Prolonged exposure to hand-transmitted vibration from grass-cutting machines has been associated with increasing occurrences of symptoms and signs of occupational diseases related to hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS).
  13. Development of statistical models for predicting muscle and mental activities during repetitive precision tasks
    Zadry HR, Dawal SZ, Taha Z
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2016 Sep;22(3):374-83.
    PMID: 27053140 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2016.1150094
    This study was conducted to develop muscle and mental activities on repetitive precision tasks. A laboratory experiment was used to address the objectives. Surface electromyography was used to measure muscle activities from eight upper limb muscles, while electroencephalography recorded mental activities from six channels. Fourteen university students participated in the study. The results show that muscle and mental activities increase for all tasks, indicating the occurrence of muscle and mental fatigue. A linear relationship between muscle activity, mental activity and time was found while subjects were performing the task. Thus, models were developed using those variables. The models were found valid after validation using other students' and workers' data. Findings from this study can contribute as a reference for future studies investigating muscle and mental activity and can be applied in industry as guidelines to manage muscle and mental fatigue, especially to manage job schedules and rotation.
  14. Postural assessment in pen-and-paper-based observational methods and their associated health effects: a review
    Sukadarin EH, Deros BM, Ghani JA, Mohd Nawi NS, Ismail AR
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2016 Sep;22(3):389-98.
    PMID: 27173135 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2016.1156924
    INTRODUCTION: This review describes standardized ergonomics assessment based on pen-and-paper observational methods for assessing ergonomics risk factors.

    OBJECTIVE: The three main objectives are to analyze published pen-and-paper observational methods, to extract and understand the risk levels of each method and to identify their associated health effects.

    METHODOLOGY: The authors searched scientific databases and the Internet for materials from 1970 to 2013 using the following keywords: ergo, posture, method, observational, postural angle, health effects, pain and diseases. Postural assessments of upper arms, lower arms, wrists, neck, back and legs in six pen-and-paper-based observational methods are highlighted, extracted in groups and linked with associated adverse health effects.

    RESULTS: The literature reviewed showed strengths and limitations of published pen-and-paper-based observational methods in determining the work activities, risk levels and related postural angles to adverse health effects. This provided a better understanding of unsafe work postures and how to improve these postures.

    CONCLUSION: Many pen-and-paper-based observational methods have been developed. However, there are still many limitations of these methods. There is, therefore, a need to develop a new pen-and-paper-based observational method for assessing postural problems.

  15. Ergonomic study on the manual component insertion lines for occupational health and safety improvements
    Sen RN, Yeow PH
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2003;9(1):57-74.
    PMID: 12636892
    The study aimed at reducing the occupational health and safety problems faced by the manual component insertion operators. Subjective and objective assessments, and direct observations were made in the printed circuit assembly factory. Simple and low-cost ergonomic interventions were implemented, that is, repairing chairs, reducing high workloads, assigning operators to a maximum of 2 workstations, confining machines that emitted bad smell and much noise, and providing finger work aids. The results of the interventions were reductions in operators' work discomforts, that is, chair discomfort (by 90%), high work stress, and discomfort due to profound change in their workstations. Their health hazards were also eliminated, that is, inhalation of toxic fumes, exposure to too much noise, and pain due to pressing sharp components.
  16. Physical ergonomics awareness in an offshore processing platform among Malaysian oil and gas workers
    M Noor MHH, Raja Ghazilla RA
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2020 Sep;26(3):521-537.
    PMID: 29792568 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2018.1480341
    Introduction. The reliability of offshore oil and gas (O&G) facilities depends on the operation and maintenance activities, where human physical intervention is involved. Workers are often exposed to ergonomics hazards due to inefficient workplace design. Ergonomics awareness among workers is a crucial factor in mitigating such hazards. Objectives. This study intends to evaluate the state of physical ergonomics awareness among Malaysian O&G workers and to assess their perception toward the criticality of physical ergonomics issues within an offshore processing facility. Methods. Data were collected through online questionnaire distribution. The respondents were required to evaluate three sections of the questionnaire to reflect their state of physical ergonomics awareness: design criteria in an offshore workplace that are related to physical ergonomics; effects of physical ergonomics implementation in design; criticality of physical ergonomics issues. Results. The results showed a good level of physical ergonomics awareness among respondents without them being influenced by dissimilar experiences (engineering design and operation/maintenance) and the range of experience in an offshore workplace. Conclusion. This study provides an overview of Malaysian O&G workers' outlook toward the physical ergonomics issues in an offshore workplace. These data could be further analyzed in future as relevant aspects of designing an offshore facility.
  17. Facilitating Mindful Safety Practices among First Line Workers in Chinese Petroleum Industry through Safety Management Practices and Safety Motivation
    Shi H, Mohamed Zainal SR
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2021 Mar 11.
    PMID: 33704011 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2021.1902672
    Petroleum Industry belongs to the high-risk industry and operates under the social technical system. Therefore, safety behavior of employees need to be paid high attention. Thus, six dimensions of safety management practices are identified as independent variables to predict a special component of common safety behavior-mindful safety practices in Chinese Petroleum Industry. HRO (High Reliability Organization) theory is adopted as the underpinning theory. 255 first line workers from a Chinese petroleum company participated in this survey. The results reveal that safety training and safety communication and feedbacks are positively related to safety motivation. Moreover, workers' involvement and safety promotion policy have direct and positive impacts on mindful safety practices. Further, safety motivation is found to play a mediating role in the prediction of mindful safety practices in Chinese Petroleum Industry. These findings give new insights for petroleum companies on how to promote mindful safety practices in the workplace.
  18. Effects of using a document holder when typing on head excursion and neck muscle activity among computer users with and without neck pain
    Subramaniam A, Singh DKA
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2021 Mar;27(1):48-54.
    PMID: 30465482 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2018.1543101
    Purpose. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of using a document holder while typing on head excursion and neck muscle activity among computer users with and without neck pain. Method. An experimental study including 52 individuals with (n = 26) and without (n = 26) neck pain was conducted. Head excursion and neck muscle activity were measured using an accelerometer and surface electromyography, respectively. Two-way analysis of variance was conducted to examine the effects of using a document holder between computer users with and without neck pain. Results. The results demonstrated a decrease in head excursion (p 
  19. Lifetime vibration dose correlates with severity of the neurological component of hand-arm vibration syndrome among tyre shop workers in Kelantan, Malaysia
    Qamruddin AA, Husain NRN, Sidek MY, Hanafi MH, Ripin ZM, Ali N
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2021 Jun;27(2):410-415.
    PMID: 30940001 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2019.1600872
    Introduction. Cumulative lifetime exposure to vibration is believed to contribute to more severe complications of hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). Objectives. To determine prevalence of the neurological component of HAVS and the correlation between lifetime vibration dose (LVD) and neurological severity of HAVS among tyre shop workers in Kelantan. Methods. The cross-sectional study involved 200 tyre shop workers from two districts in Kelantan. Part one data were collected in the field using a questionnaire and hand-arm vibration was measured. Part two involved a set of hand clinical examinations (Purdue pegboard, Semmes-Weinstein monofilament and two-point discrimination tests) carried out for neurological component severity staging. LVD for each worker was calculated from data gathered in part one. For workers who had neurological symptoms, staging according to Stockholm workshop scales was done according to part two data. The strength of correlation between LVD and neurological stages was then determined using Spearman correlation. Results. Prevalence of neurological component was 37%. Spearman correlation between LVD and the neurological stages showed a moderate positive correlation. Conclusion. Cumulative lifetime exposure to hand-transmitted vibration is likely to be related to neurological severity of HAVS and therefore must be considered when assessing workers' exposure to hand-arm vibration.
  20. Evaluation of safety climate differences among employees' demographic variables: a cross-sectional study in two different-sized manufacturing industries in Malaysia
    Saedi AM, Majid AA, Isa Z
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2021 Sep;27(3):714-727.
    PMID: 31131712 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2019.1623454
    Introduction. Demographic information is one of the key parameters that organizations utilize to modify their practices in order to respond to the existing risk within work environments. The present article aims to assess the level of safety climate factors as well as to evaluate the influence of personal factors on safety climate in two different-sized industries. Methods. A total of 216 employees in two large and three small and medium-sized chemical manufacturing industries responded to a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to measure the safety climate level; a two-independent-sample Mann-Whitney U test and a Kruskal-Wallis test were run to compare the difference in safety climate scores among different demographic variables. Results. The lower level of safety climate in small and medium-sized industries revealed lower understanding and performance of management and non-management with regard to safety climate compared to the large industries. Additionally, significant mean differences on some safety climate factors among demographic variables were detected in both sizes of industries, emphasizing the important role of the employees' demographic variables on the plants' safety climate. Conclusion. Improving organization-level and group-level safety climates is recommended to improve employees' level of safety climate and control their personal factors.
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