Working conditions in the engine department – A qualitative study among engine room personnel on board Swedish merchant ships

The specific problems associated with the work on board within the merchant fleet are well known and have over the years been a topic of discussion. The work conditions in the engine room (ER) are demanding due to, e.g. the thermal climate, noise and awkward working postures. The work in the engine control room (ECR) has over recent years undergone major changes, mainly due to the introduction of computers on board. In order to capture the impact these changes had implied, and also to investigate how the work situation has developed, a total of 20 engine officers and engine ratings were interviewed. The interviews were semi-structured and Grounded Theory was used for the data analysis. The aim of the present study was to describe how the engine crew perceive their work situation and working environment on board. Further, the aim was to identify areas for improvements which the engine crew consider especially important for a safe and effective work environment. The result of the study shows that the design of the ECR and ER is crucial for how different tasks are performed. Design which does not support operational procedures and how tasks are performed risk inducing inappropriate behaviour as the crew members’ are compelled to find alternative ways to perform their tasks in order to get the job done. These types of behaviour can induce an increased risk of exposure to hazardous substances and the engine crew members becoming injured.     

The interaction between skill, postures, forces and back pain in wool handling

Wool handling is an important rural occupation where workers process 200 or more fleeces daily, separating them into various quality components. Loads and postures they experience carry substantial risk of low back pain (LBP). Although a formal skill training structure exists, interaction with loads and LBP is unknown. We examined whether skill and LBP influenced trunk postures and loads of 60 wool handlers representing 3 skill levels. LBP prevalence ranged from 20% for junior (lowest skill) to 45% for open class (highest skill) wool handlers. Open class wool handlers demonstrated increased lateral bend and more axially twisted postures, generating greater medio-lateral shear forces and lateral bend and axial twist moments. LBP was associated with open class wool handlers spending more time in severe axially twisted postures. These findings suggest that skill-based training needs to be reviewed to reduce the quantity of axially twisted posture which may help reduce the prevalence of LBP in this workforce.     

Evaluation of the effect of a paver’s trolley on productivity, task demands, workload and local discomfort

The objective of this study was to determine the differences in the number of paving stones laid (productivity), task demands, energetic workload, body region discomfort and preference when laying paving stones with or without use of a paver’s trolley (n = 8) in a within-subject controlled study of pavers. The number of paving stones laid and the task demands were measured by means of systematic observations at the workplace. The energetic workload was determined using the percentage of heart rate reserve (%HRR). Body region discomfort was measured using visual analog scales, and the workers’ preference was ascertained via interview. The use of a paver’s trolley had no effect on productivity, %HRR or body region discomfort compared to working without a paver’s trolley. The duration of knee-straining activities did not differ between working with (141 min) and without (146 min) the paver’s trolley. However, six of the eight pavers indicated that, given suitable circumstances, they wanted to use the paver’s trolley.

Relevance to industry

To reduce the chance of work-related low back and knee complaints among pavers, the duration, frequency and intensity of lower back and knee-straining activities should be limited by means of technical measures such as mechanical paving. The paver’s trolley does not appear to reduce knee-straining activities and therefore does not appear useful in reducing the risk of knee complaints and disorders.     

变频器工作原理以及应用中的注意问题

近年来变频器在电气传动控制方面得到了越来越广泛的应用,但如何使用各种不同种类的变频是很多电气工程师面临的问题。本文通过对变频器的发展历史、分类和工作原理的介绍以及对实际应用中应注意的问题作出了总结归纳,对选择和安装、调试变频器时有一定的借鉴意义。     

基于工作过程的高职信息安全课程体系构建

高职院校课程体系构建应该紧紧围绕＂工学结合＂的指导方针,培养真正面向工作岗位的高职毕业生。本文分析了目前信息安全的岗位群需求,确立了基于工作过程的课程建设指导思想,以提高学生的实践能力为培养主线,从而构建具有高职特色的信息安全课程体系。     

光纤通道适配器基本原理及其实现的研究

本文在分析光纤通道协议结构的基础上,研究了光纤通道主机适配器的体系结构和电路原理,以ISP2200A为核心芯片探讨了其电路实现和作业流程。所获得的结论对于光纤通道接口的设计和构建SAN系统具有普遍的意义。     

MIS系统建设的一个新的切入点

ＣＳＣＷ和ＷＦＭＳ是计算机领域一个新的研究方向,用ＣＳＣＷ和ＷＦＭＳ方法去扩充ＭＩＳ系统,是ＭＩＳ系统建设的新的切入点。本语文探讨了用ＣＳＣＷ和ＷＦＭＳ方法扩充ＭＩＳ系统的可能性和实施策略。     

A generalized Petri net modeling approach for the control of re-entrant flow semiconductor wafer fabrication

Re-entrant flow manufacturing lines, such as occur in semiconductor wafer fabrication, are characterized by a product routing that consists of multiple visits to a workstation or group of workstations during the manufacturing process. In this paper, a modeling approach is based on the use of generalized Petri nets for a re-entrant flow manufacturing line is presented. Specifically, three Petri net models representing a re-entrant flow line with three work centers and six machines are modeled. How these models may be used to represent a variety of queuing disciplines and work release policies is discussed.     

远程测试系统的设计探讨

介绍了测试系统的支持环境并重点探讨了测试的设计原则和系统结构的设计。     

Guidelines for energetic load in three methods of refuse collecting

The energetic load and guidelines were formulated for energetic load in three methods of refuse collecting. These methods were collecting refuse in polythene bags (in a city area and in a suburb), in two-wheeled mini-containers and in large four-wheeled containers. To determine the energetic load of the collecting methods, these collecting methods were simulated in the laboratory. The simulation protocols were based on data such as weight of the handled materials, and the frequency and duration of the most prominent refuse collecting activities as found in the preliminary field study. During the execution of the protocols the heart rate and oxygen uptake were continuously recorded. The maximal oxygen uptake was determined during a continuous running protocol on a treadmill. The energetic load was expressed in terms of percentage of the maximal oxygen uptake. As the limit for the energetic load a value of 30% of the maximal oxygen uptake during an 8-h working day was chosen. The limit for energetic overload was exceeded for the maximal oxygen uptake for refuse collecting with polythene bags in a city area (44·5%), collecting with bags in a suburb (37·2%) and with mini-containers. The percentage of the maximal oxygen uptake for collecting with large containers was 28·4%, which was below the limit for the energetic load of 30%. Guidelines were formulated for the relevant occupational field terms: maximal amount of collecting hours and maximal amount of collected refuse per collector per hour. The guidelines were formulated in percentiles (P₉₀ and P₇₅). This means that 90 and 75% of the refuse collecting population in The Netherlands will be prevented from having an energetic overload above the limit of 30% of the maximal oxygen uptake.