Ergonomics Oriented to Processes Becomes a Tool for Continuous Improvement

Abstract

A holistic view is essential for quality initiatives such as Total Quality Management (TQM), Standard No. ISO 9001:1994 (International Organization for Standardization [ISO], 1994), Concurrent Engineering, Business Reengineering, and Business Process Improvement. The challenge is knowing how to transition from this theoretical concept to implementation. The relationship between quality interest and anergonomics program will be the focus of this discussion. An ergonomics oriented improvement program includes (a) ergonomics or fitting the job to the person; (b) integration of operations management, safety engineering, medical management, and employees as co-owners of the process; (c) the emphasis of ergonomic precepts in the engineering of new processes and improvement of current processes; and (d) the emphasis of employees taking responsibility for their own well being and the improvement of their work environment. The parallel between the continuous improvement process delineated by the quality-system requirements in Standard No. ISO 9001:1994 (ISO, 1994) and the improvement contributions of ergonomics are very revealing (Getty, Abbott, & Getty, 1995). It is the contention of this approach that if the precepts of ergonomics were applied to the work environment, it would support the objective of world class quality and productivity, resulting in improved global competitiveness of businesses.     

The Application of A Tiered Testing Approach to the Management of Dredged Sediments for Disposal at Sea in Canada

Canada, and other signatories to the London Convention 1972 on the prevention of marine pollution by dumping, are preparing to ratify a 1996 Protocol to this convention. Among the improvements to this international agreement, is a new process for the Assessment of Waste and Other Matter, which is to be adopted by signatory parties. the process includes a step in which material considered potentially acceptable for sea disposal must be characterized by chemical, physical and biological properties. Canada's interpretation and intended implementation of this characterization step is presented for the assessment of dredged sediments. This tiered testing approach involves using chemical screening limits for contaminants, and biological testing when screening levels are exceeded. Dredged material containing specified substances (e.g., cadmium, mercury, PAHs, PCBs, etc.) below or at screening levels would generally be considered of little environmental concern for disposal at sea. Wastes above the screening levels would require more detailed assessment before their suitability for disposal at sea could be determined.     

The bean method as a tool to measure sensitive behavior

Conservationists need to measure human behavior to guide decisions and evaluate their impact. However, activities can be misreported and reporting accuracy may change following conservation interventions, making it hard to verify any apparent changes. Techniques for asking sensitive questions are increasingly integrated into survey designs to improve data quality, but some can be costly or hard for nonexperts to implement. We demonstrate a straightforward, low-cost approach, the bean method in which respondents give anonymous answers by adding a colored bean to a jar to denote a yes or no response. We applied the bean method to measure wild-meat hunting and trading over 2 years at a conservation-project (hunting reduction) site in Gola Forest, Liberia. We extended the technique to accommodate questions about hunting and meat-selling frequency. We compared responses given using the bean method and direct questioning for groups that did and did not participate in conservation interventions. Results from the bean method corresponded to those from direct questioning, and there was no indication of change in question sensitivity following conservation interventions. Estimates from both methods indicated that wild-meat trading decreased in project and nonproject households (from 36% to 20%) and that hunting decreased in 1 project group (38–28%). Where inconsistent answers were given (2–6% of respondents), differences were in both directions and were most likely attributable to measurement error. The bean method was quick and straightforward to administer in a low-literacy setting. We showed how it can be modified for answers of more than 2 categories and consider it a valuable tool that could be adapted for a wide range of conservation settings.     

Isolated Spring Wetlands in the Great Basin and Mojave Deserts,USA: Potential Response of Vegetation to Groundwater Withdrawal

Desert springs, often the sole sources of water for wildlife and cattle, support wetland and wetland/upland transition ecosystems including rare and endemic species. In the basin and range province in Nevada, USA, springs in the Great Basin and Mojave deserts are sustained by interconnected deep carbonate and shallow basin-fill aquifers which are threatened by proposed groundwater withdrawal to sustain rapidly expanding urban areas, a common problem in arid regions worldwide. This paper draws on historic groundwater data, groundwater modeling, and studies of environmental controls of spring ecosystems to speculate on the potential effects of groundwater withdrawal and water table decline on spring-supported vegetation. The focus is on springs in the Great Basin and Mojave deserts representative of those that may be affected by future, planned groundwater withdrawal. Groundwater withdrawal is expected to reduce spring discharge directly through reduced flows from the shallow basin-fill aquifer or through reduction of the hydraulic head of the deep carbonate aquifer. This flow reduction will truncate the outflow stream, reducing the areal cover of wetland and wetland/upland transition vegetation. Lowering the local water table may also reduce the amount of upland phreatophytic vegetation by causing water levels to drop below plant rooting depths. Percolation of salts to surface soils may be reduced, eventually altering desert shrub cover from halophytes to nonhalophytes. The extent of these effects will vary among springs, based on their distance from extraction sites and location relative to regional groundwater flow paths. On-site monitoring of biotic variables (including cover of selected hygrophytes and phreatophytes) should be a necessary complement to the planned monitoring of local hydrologic conditions.     

Do Contingent Valuation Estimates Pass a “Scope” Test? A Meta-analysis

This paper considers the scope test proposed to judge the internal consistency of contingent valuation estimates. The test is shown to be quite sensitive to the maintained hypotheses required to derive fairly precise expectations for the properties of WTP functions, and, therefore, a different approach may be needed in gauging the reliability of CV. This paper describes an approach that relies on a weight-of-the-evidence criterion and uses meta-analysis to develop a systematic appraisal of what the economic values of changes in amenity resources are. The approach is illustrated for the case of estimating people's willingness to pay for improving (or maintaining) visibility at the national parks.     

Potentially preventable prehospital deaths from motor vehicle collisions

Background: In 2011, about 30,000 people died in motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) in the United States. We sought to evaluate the causes of prehospital deaths related to MVCs and to assess whether these deaths were potentially preventable.

Methods: Miami–Dade Medical Examiner records for 2011 were reviewed for all prehospital deaths of occupants of 4-wheeled motor vehicle collisions. Injuries were categorized by affected organ and anatomic location of the body. Cases were reviewed by a panel of 2 trauma surgeons to determine cause of death and whether the death was potentially preventable. Time to death and hospital arrival times were determined using the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data from 2002 to 2012, which allowed comparison of our local data to national prevalence estimates.

Results: Local data revealed that 39% of the 98 deaths reviewed were potentially preventable (PPD). Significantly more patients with PPD had neurotrauma as a cause of death compared to those with a nonpreventable death (NPD) (44.7% vs. 25.0%, P =.049). NPDs were significantly more likely to have combined neurotrauma and hemorrhage as cause of death compared to PPDs (45.0% vs. 10.5%, P <.001). NPDs were significantly more likely to have injuries to the chest, pelvis, or spine. NPDs also had significantly more injuries to the following organ systems: lung, cardiac, and vascular chest (all P <.05). In the nationally representative FARS data from 2002 to 2012, 30% of deaths occurred on scene and another 32% occurred within 1 h of injury. When comparing the 2011 FARS data for Miami–Dade to the remainder of the United States in that year, percentage of deaths when reported on scene (25 vs. 23%, respectively) and within 1 h of injury (35 vs. 32%, respectively) were similar.

Conclusions: Nationally, FARS data demonstrated that two thirds of all MVC deaths occurred within 1 h of injury. Over a third of prehospital MVC deaths were potentially preventable in our local sample. By examining injury patterns in PPDs, targeted intervention may be initiated.