• IE interfaces
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.46-55
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• 2004

Various characteristics of the object being lifted are known to affect the biomechanical, physiological, and psychophysical stresses. The object characteristics to be considered in the design process of lifting tasks are weight, shape, stiffness, and availability of handles and similar coupling devices. In this study, a prototype Polypropylene laminated bag with carrying handles was designed to decrease the physical stress of people who handle these bags. Physiological and psychophysical approaches as well as subjective ratings were applied to evaluate the effects of handles provided on the designed PP laminated bag. Statistical analysis showed that the VO2, heart rate, blood pressure, and Borg-RPE score for PP laminated fertilizer bag with carrying handles were significantly lower than those bags without handles. Moreover, Maximum Acceptable Lifting Endurance Time(MALET) measure, newly developed in this study, for bags with handles was significantly higher than those for bags without handles. It is thus recommended that the various types of bags and boxes be equipped with handles to reduce the musculoskeletal, physiological, psychophysical, and subjective perceived stresses.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.49-56
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• 2007

Handles on objects are very important to increase the safety and efficiency of manual handling of people who use them. In this study, four different prototype cartons combined with auxiliary handles were designed to determine the optimal handle position of cartons through the evaluation of user preferences. Twenty male students are participated in the experiment. Likert-5 point summated rating method was applied to evaluate the user preferences for provided handles of the carton among upper, middle, and lower position under the four different sizes and materials handling conditions(carrying positions). The results show that the subjects preferred upper part of the handle on the small cartons regardless of the carrying positions while upper and middle parts of the handle on the big cartons for handling above the waist height were preferred. An optimal handle position depending on the different sizes of carton and the different carrying positions were recommended based on the results of evaluation. It is thus recommended that the cartons provide handles on its relevant position depending on the size and materials handling condition to reduce the musculoskeletal stress and in turn to increase the user satisfaction.

• IE interfaces
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.515-525
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• 2003

In this study, a prototype liquid container combined with auxiliary handles was designed to increase the safety of manual handling and protect from contamination of hands of people who use these containers. Likert summated rating method as well as pairwise ranking test was applied to evaluate the user preferences for provided handles of the container under the conditions of different shapes and positions. The results show that the subjects preferred perpendicular orientation of the handle on the top of the liquid container while carrying the containers and the crosswise position of the handle at the side of the container while pouring the liquid were preferred. A prototype liquid container with provided auxiliary handles was developed based on the results of evaluation. It is thus recommended that the liquid container provide extra handles to reduce the musculoskeletal stress and in turn to increase the user satisfaction.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2015

Objective: The purpose of this paper is to evaluate old and newly designed ammunition boxes from an ergonomic point of view. Background: The ammunition boxes made of wood, which are currently used by the military, have some difficulties such as corrosion and damage of ammunition, environmental pollution, and stock management. Also, damages to the wooden ammunition boxes take place frequently, because soldiers carry them manually. Method: Sixteen participants volunteered to randomly perform lifting, carrying, and side-by-side moving tasks with 4 different old and new boxes, respectively for the ammunitions of 5.56mm, 60mm, 81mm, and 105mm in diameter. The old boxes are made of wood and are currently used in the military, while the new boxes are made of plastics. The joint moments of the elbow, shoulder, back, and knee were measured by using a motion analysis system and force platforms. In addition, an electromyographic system was used to measure the forces of hand and wrist muscles. Results: In most tasks, new boxes caused less joint moments at the elbow and shoulder than old boxes, because the new boxes were lighter and smaller than the old boxes. New boxes also derived less hand and wrist muscle forces due to the provision of fixed hard handles rather than string handles. Conclusion: The ergonomically designed new boxes could reduce the physical stresses of soldiers manually handling ammunitions and be helpful for storage and reuse. Application: This study shows an ergonomic application example for product development and evaluation.