PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A Mital

Publications and source records attributed to A Mital.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

An ergonomic evaluation of dexterity and tactility with increase in examination/surgical glove thickness.

Latex gloves of five different thicknesses (0.21 mm, 0.51 mm, 0.65 mm, 0.76 mm, and 0.83 mm) were manufactured in-house and tested for dexterity and tactility; dexterity and tactility measures with the bare hand were used as control values. Fifteen adult males (mean age = 22.8 years, mean stature = 179 cm, mean body weight = 75.4 kg, mean palm width = 9.9 cm, mean palm depth = 10.9 cm, and mean middle finger length = 9 cm) and five adult females (mean age = 21.2 years, mean stature = 168 cm, mean body weight = 53.6 kg, mean palm width = 8 cm, mean palm depth = 8 cm, and mean middle finger length = 8.3 cm) voluntarily participated. The gloves also were tested for punctures resulting from impact forces encountered during routine hand movements. The results indicated that the latex glove with 0.83 mm thickness successfully resisted routine impact forces and at the same time provided dexterity and tactility comparable to the bare hand. Thinner gloves failed the impact test and punctured. This indicates that it is possible to greatly reduce the incidence of exposure to contaminated body fluids through accidental needlesticks without compromising the preferred hand's capabilities.

Blood-Borne Pathogens↗
PubMed1992

Noise in multiple-workstation open-plan computer rooms: measurements and annoyance.

Computers in the workplace have become very prevalent. As with the introduction of any new technology, unanticipated problems often develop. Noise in open-plan computer rooms and annoyance and perceived deterioration in performance associated with it also appears to be a problem that may be similarly categorized. An experimental investigation was undertaken as a result of frequent user complaints about the difficulty of concentrating and performing their work in the computer rooms of a large service organization. Two typical computer rooms were investigated. Noise levels were measured at random times during the working hours. The noise spectrum was found to be almost similar in both facilities. The 10-second A-weighted noise level for all frequencies ranged between 53 and 62 dB. Most noise energy was either in the high-frequency bands (above 2,000 Hz) or low-frequency bands (below 500 Hz). The highest noise energy levels were recorded at 8,000 Hz (between 64 and 73 dB). Least noise energy levels were recorded between 500 and 2,000 Hz (between 35 and 44 dB). The noise spectrum, thus, was substantially different from those of open-plan offices. Eighty-nine percent of the users questioned indicated their tasks required concentration. Fifty percent of all respondents rated the noise level between extremely annoying and unbearable and intolerable (scale values between 22 and 25 on a 25-point scale; 1 being noticeable but not objectionable and 25 being unbearable and intolerable); 10% of the respondents considered the noise very annoying; 20% of the respondents considered the noise levels moderately annoying; the remaining respondents did not seem to have a major problem. Conversational sound and computer-printer beeping sounds were reported to be most annoying by 90% of the respondents who considered the noise levels annoying. Constant arrival and departure of users, sound from keyboards, and ventilation equipment also appeared to be major contributing factors.

Computer Terminals↗
PubMed1991

A lighting evaluation of a facility for the elderly.

A residential facility for the aged was evaluated for their illumination needs. Only the shared facility and grounds immediately surrounding it were considered. The facility evaluated is one of the most modern and the lighting design is considered its best feature. The age of residents occupying the facility ranges from 60 to 85 years. The lighting evaluation included administering a lighting adequacy/inadequacy questionnaire and measurement of actual light levels in the various parts of the facility during the day and after dark hours. The results indicated that lighting in approximately half the areas surveyed was substandard. An attempt to develop recommendations for the lighting needs of the elderly was unsuccessful. It was concluded that realistic illumination level recommendations need to be developed for the elderly.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Effects on load handling of restricted and unrestricted shelf opening clearances.

Changes in psychophysical lifting capacity with reductions in shelf opening clearances were experimentally determined. Three levels of shelf opening clearances were studied: unrestricted shelf opening clearance, loose shelf opening clearance (a clearance of 15 mm between the box width and the shelf opening), and tight shelf opening clearance (a clearance of 3 mm between the box width and the shelf opening). Two levels of lifting frequency (1 and 4 lifts/min.) and two lifting heights (floor to 0.81 m and 0.81 m to 1.52 m) were included. The metabolic energy expenditure rates and heart rates of the subjects (8 males and 8 females) at psychophysically acceptable weights of lift were also recorded to assess the physiological burden. The results indicated a decline in the psychophysical lifting capacity of the subjects as the shelf opening clearance became narrower. The decline in psychophysical capacity, compared to unrestricted shelf opening clearance for males was 9% when the shelf opening clearance was 15 mm. A further decline of almost 4% was recorded when the shelf opening clearance narrowed down to 3 mm. For females, the corresponding declines were approximately 10% and 4%. The effects of lifting frequency and height of lift were found to be consistent with previous findings.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

An endurance training programme for frequent manual carrying tasks.

This study was conducted with the aim of testing whether the endurance time of new employees engaged in frequent industrial carrying tasks can be significantly increased through a short training programme (2.5 weeks). Endurance time was here defined as the maximum length of time during which an individual can continuously carry a 20 kg load over a 4 m distance 8 times/min. The results showed that (1) endurance time increased by almost 100% over an 8-session training programme; (2) for a fixed workload, endurance time increased without changing job demand perception; and (3) overall body fatigue may be the limiting factor in frequent carrying tasks.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

The moderating effects of production feedback and standards on the relationship between worker job attitudes and productivity.

An experimental study was performed to investigate the impact of production feedback and standards, singly as well as jointly, as moderators of the worker job attitudes-productivity relationship in a repetitive production task. There was no substantial or consistent correlation between worker job attitudes and productivity and the correlation coefficient values in general were not statistically significant. The provision of production feedback and standards affected worker job attitudes and productivity differently and this in turn had an effect on the job attitudes-productivity relationship.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Physiological guidelines for the design of manual lifting and lowering tasks: the state of the art.

The goal of many researchers and practitioners of occupational health and safety has been to design manual materials handling (MMH) tasks so as to reduce the frequency and severity of overexertion injuries usually associated with these types of tasks. Physiological limits with respect to the manual lifting and lowering aspects of MMH have been reviewed and evaluated. The information provided by different researchers has been presented in a concise manner that is easily accessed by designers and practitioners of MMH. Recommendations for future research in determining physiological limits of individuals engaged in manual lifting and lowering tasks and other aspects of MMH activities have been provided.

Energy Metabolism↗
PubMed1987

Maximum weights of asymmetrical loads acceptable to industrial workers for symmetrical manual lifting.

This paper presents 'maximum acceptable weight of lift' design databases for lifting asymmetrical loads by industrial male and female workers. These databases were developed by first collecting experimental data on experienced and inexperienced workers under identical conditions (Study A) and then applying the trends developed, as a result of data comparison, to the data collected on inexperienced workers in a separate independent study (Study B) dealing with lifting asymmetrical loads. Several different task variables are accounted for in the data. These include the following: lifting height (floor to knuckle, knuckle to shoulder, and shoulder to reach); frequency of lift (2, 4, and 6 lifts/min; box-size (30.48, 45.72, and 60.96 cm long in the sagittal plane); and load asymmetry (indicated by the offset of the center of gravity in the frontal plane: 0, 12.7, and 25.4 cm from the mid-sagittal plane; the 0 cm center of gravity (c.g.) offset indicates symmetrical load).

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Biomechanical analysis of manual lifting tasks.

This paper presents the findings of a study conducted to determine peak forces generated in the human spine while the individual is engaged in lifting maximum acceptable weight. Calculations of forces and moments, acting on each body segment, were based on film data collected on four individuals for twelve variations of the manual lifting task. The variations were defined by: box-size (three different boxes were used), presence or absence of handles, and symmetry and asymmetry of the lifting task (sagittal and nonsagittal lifting). In general, lower loads were accepted for lift when lifting asymmetrically or when lifting boxes without handles or when lifting bigger boxes. However, peak forces (compressive and shear forces in the spine and ground reaction forces) for these situations were not always lower than those generated when handling either compact boxes or boxes with handles or when lifting boxes symmetrically in the sagittal plane. On the basis of these results, it was concluded that lifting loads asymmetrically or in boxes without handles or in bulky boxes is relatively much more stressful than lifting the same load symmetrically or in boxes with handles or in compact boxes.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Prediction of maximum acceptable weight of lift in the horizontal and vertical planes using simulated job dynamic strengths.

An investigation was undertaken to determine the feasibility of predicting maximum weights of lift that are acceptable to individuals by measuring the individuals' simulated job dynamic strengths. Since almost all manual materials handling jobs are dynamic in nature, it was hypothesized that correlations between maximum weights acceptable for lifting and the dynamic strengths measured under similar conditions would be high compared to isometric strengths. If so, then a relatively simple procedure can be developed to estimate what people are willing to lift safely. With the use of a specially designed and constructed three-dimensional dynamic strength simulator, 19 males and 6 females lifted loads in two vertical and two horizontal planes. Their dynamic strengths also were measured under identical conditions. The correlations between simulated job dynamic strengths and acceptable weights of lift were much higher (0.52 to 0.67) compared to correlations between isometric strengths and acceptable weights of lift (0.29 to 0.38). This also confirmed earlier findings that dynamic strengths are more suitable predictors of the maximum weights people are willing to handle. Simple equations are presented between simulated job dynamic strengths and maximum acceptable weights of lift in the horizontal and vertical planes. These equations demonstrate that dynamic strength can be used reliably when matching jobs with individuals.

Adult↗