Tag: French Speaking Ergonomics Society

Conciliation between Performance and Health in the evolution of production systems: which actions and stakes for ergonomics?

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SELF50

Conciliation between Performance and Health in the evolution of production systems: which actions and stakes for ergonomics?
September 23-24-25th, 2015, Paris.
Co-organization: PSA, PACTE.

The definition of performance remains enigmatic and subject to controversies in our models in ergonomics, just as much as the association in the human activity of the double objective of health and efficiency. The stake of this congress is to question the contents of performance and health and their links front the point of view of research and practices of ergonomic intervention.

For ergonomics, performance is not only economic constraints supported by de the management: the operator performs an activity with objectives of relevance, efficiency and effectiveness. It is necessary to identify the different stand about performance, that of the stakeholders and that of te organizations. This questioning is made all the more necessary by the evolution of economic models: customer logic in production systems, changes value chain, design of lean manufacturing, working in networks, technological transformation in a context of uncertainty and market instability.

A similar way of thinking can be used regarding health. For ergonomics, the health is at the same time a resource to achieve performance and a goal of the activity – preserving oneself. The quality of work is not only the quality of working life, which relates to a comfortable environment. It depends on the quality expected by the company stakeholders and on the efficiency of the work for the operator according to his/her operational leeway to develop his/her activity (efficiency, relevance).

Could we discuss the logics of performance and health as being intertwined in the activity rather than separating them from the start or opposing them? Which is the link between the development of health and the possibility of “making a good job”, feeling efficient, in the models of productivity in organizations? How does the ergonomic intervention favors this link in modern contexts of production which co-exist with traditional models of organization and performance?

The evolution of activity theory in ergonomics towards a constructive approach invites to redefine the concepts of performance, health and their articulation. It should integrate such questions as organizational design, the construction of health, the principles which guide the innovations, the collectives of work, the expression of employees on their activity, the spaces of debate between various stakeholders of the company, a diachronic approach of the transformations, etc.

According to this approach, ergonomic interventions aim at producing knowledge about new forms of expression and actions for the workers, new possibilities of individual and collective action, the setting of new spaces of negotiation about work organization, which constitute additional goals to the traditional “understanding work to change it”.

This discussion takes place in a multidisciplinary approach with management, sciences, economics, sociology, work psychology, labour law, political sciences, engineering sciences, etc. All these disciplines which investigate work are invited to give new perspectives on performance and health. This congress is also an invitation to all stakeholders to express their viewpoint on the links between performance and health: top and middle management, employee representatives, health and safety committees, human resource managers, decision makers, organizers, etc.

This congress will especially focus on three fields:

  • The evolution of work organization and the building of new economic models
  • The top or middle managers’ activity and the role of human resource development
  • The effects of technological transformation on the link between performance and health

Jump to the congress site: <href=”http: www.ergonomie-self.org=”” heading=”” heading49289.html”=””>http://www.ergonomie-self.org/heading/heading49289.html</href=”http:>

Future of ergonomics in Europe

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Future of ergonomics in Europe: from health and safety managment to sustainability development

FEES Session at the 50th Anniversary Congress of the SELF Ergonomics: Meeting society’s challenges
August 28-30, 2013
Paris1 University Panthéon – Sorbonne, Paris, France

Presentations

Future of ergonomics in Europe: from health and safety managment to sustainability development

FEES Session at the 50th Anniversary Congress of the SELF Ergonomics: Meeting society’s challenges
August 28-30, 2013
Paris1 University Panthéon – Sorbonne, Paris, France

Presentations

L’avenir de l’ergonomie en Europe : de la prise en charge de la santé sécurité au travail à l’implication dans une problématique de développement durable

Chair(s): Sylvain LEDUC (Aix-Marseille Université), Pascal ETIENNE (Ministère du Travail)

Dans le champ de la santé et de sécurité au travail, les principales contributions des ergonomes se sont focalisées sur la conception de systèmes de travail sûrs, avec des apports le plus souvent sous formes de normes techniques (formalisées dans le cadre du Comité Européen de normalisation – CEN, par exemple) et de guides pratiques d’aide à la conception de machines ou de lieux de travail. Ces contributions répondent à une demande sociale, le plus souvent médiatisée par des institutions européennes dans le cadre de campagnes de communication ou répondant à une exigence de régulation (p. ex. sur la question des troubles musculo-squelettiques ou bien des risques psycho-sociaux). Aujourd’hui, de nouvelles perspectives de recherche et d’intervention se font jour en ergonomie à partir des notions de prévention durable (notamment des troubles musculo-squelettiques), d’éco-design, d’intégration des préoccupations environnementales dans tout le cycle de vie d’un produit. L’ergonomie, qui est riche de concepts éprouvés permettant la conception de système de travail sûrs, est de plus en plus sollicitée pour contribuer à l’émergence de systèmes de travail et de vie permettant un usage responsable et respectueux de l’environnement. Dans ce cadre, de nombreuses interrogations apparaissent:

  • Comment passe-t-on d’une ergonomie de la prévention ciblée à ergonomie de la gestion anticipée des externalités du travail sur le facteur humain ?
  • Dans quelles conditions les concepts de base de l’ergonomie peuvent-ils contribuer –directement ou au prix de quelles adaptations – au développement durable?
  • Peut- on avoir comme perspective l’émergence d’une ergonomie du développement durable ou «éco – ergonomie»?

Presentations of the Symposium 

An analysis of the work-sustainability relationship and the contributions of activity ergonomics

Claudio Marcelo BRUNORO (Production Engineering Department of Universidade de São Paulo), Ivan BOLIS (Production Engineering Department of Universidade de São Paulo), Laerte Idal SZNELWAR (Production Engineering Department of Universidade de São Paulo), Natalia MANZONI (Production Engineering Department of Universidade de São Paulo), Bruno de Paula VICENTE (Production Engineering Department of Universidade de São Paulo), Luciano de FREITAS (Production Engineering Department of Universidade de São Paulo)

The aims of this exploratory study are 1) to identify work-sustainability relationship categories based on an analyzes of corporate sustainability reports, sustainability guidelines that consider work as a key issue (e.g. GRI, ISO, UN Global Compact, SA8000 and Ethos), and relevant documents from the United Nations and the International Labor Organization and 2) to highlight the contributions that the activity ergonomics approach can provide. As a result, under a activity ergonomics perspective, there are two major work-sustainability relationship categories: the work for sustainability and the sustainability of the work(er). In both categories activity ergonomics approach has significant contributions.
 

Usability for Sustainability: case study of a product-system for the tourist fruition of the cities of art

Emilio ROSSI (Università degli Studi ‘G. d’Annunzio’ Chieti e Pescara), Giuseppe DI BUCCHIANICO (Ergonomics for Sustainability Research Unit), Antonio MARANO (Ergonomics for Sustainability Research Unit)

Resuming the strategies and arguments of ergonomic design for Sustainability developed by the Ergonomics and Design for Sustainability Research Unit of the University of Chieti-Pescara, the paper reaffirms its applicative potentialities through the exposure of a recent experience of design research.
 

Ergonomic Development and Research in Hungary

Gyula SZABO (Hongrie)

Ergonomics is not blooming in Hungary regarding the recognition and attractiveness of the profession or the position of the professional organisations, such as the Hungarian Ergonomics Society.
This paper describes the past and present of the Hungarian ergonomics profession. Campaigns “Let’s drink (water) Judith’s health”, “The Office Chair of the Year” and “E2O – Solicitation of Ideas in Ergonomics” are presented. Among the activities of MET some regular events, promotional and communication materials, international and national responsibilities are described.
The paper ends with the summary of some ergonomic research projects in Hungary including cognitive, workplace rehabilitation research projects.
 

Building Sustainable Human-Centered Complex Systems

Waldemar KARWOWSKI (1 Institute for Advanced Systems Engineering), Tareq AHRAM (1 Institute for Advanced Systems Engineering), Ben AMABA (IBM Complex Systems – Rational Software)

Given the most competitive nature of global business environment, effective engineering innovation and leadership is a critical requirement for all levels of product or systems lifecycle development. Sustainability of workforce and engineering competence skills are extremely important due to a general shortage of engineering talent and the need for mobility of highly trained professionals.  This paper provides a motivation and quest for sustainable human factors and ergonomics (HF/E) approach in complex systems design and development.  The considerable advancements achieved in complex systems engineering indicate that the adaptation of sustainable HF/E can lead to highly sophisticated yet widely useable collaborative applications in order to ensure sustainability of limited resources such as energy and clean water. The sustainable HF/E in complex systems design proves critical in maintaining skills needed in future capable workforce.
 

Human Factors and Sustainable Development: a German Perspective

Klaus J. ZINK (Institut für Technologie und Arbeit)

The anthropocentric definition of sustainable development by the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) in 1987 leads to joint objectives between Human Factors/Ergonomics (HF/E) and sustainable development. 
From a German perspective one has to differentiate between developments in science especially in human factors/ergonomics and related disciplines and the situation in German companies. As one example respective activities of the German Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (Gesellschaft für Arbeitswissenschaft, GfA)) and its members, but also publications of non-members have to be considered. 
The analysis of the development in German companies is focused on their corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports and their development during the last years. Of course, the social dimension described in these reports is of specific importance. In addition recent studies regarding working conditions in Germany have to be discussed. As sustainable working conditions are also referred to (international) supply chains this aspect will be included.
The paper ends with a summarizing evaluation of the situation in Germany.

SELF press release on arduousness at work

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The French Language Ergonomics Society (SELF) welcomes that the Act dated 9th November 2010, regarding pensions reform, arduousness at work is now recognized by the French Labour Code and, therefore, employers are required to ensure its prevention.

The French Language Ergonomics Society (SELF) welcomes that the Act dated 9th November 2010, regarding pensions reform, arduousness at work is now recognized by the French Labour Code and, therefore, employers are required to ensure its prevention.
This new Act is a real opportunity to strengthen or even broaden the scope for the improvement of conditions for work performance by taking into account this reality, which has often been identified and analysed in ergonomics, in order to help reduce it more efficiently.

However, SELF is concerned by the orientations brought about in the definition to which arduousness 
has been attributed in the Act and by the conditions for its prevention included in the decrees that 
followed its publication. Having been considered in a very restrictive way, these orientations can lead 
to the weakening of prevention models and practices and, more specifically, of those adopting the 
ergonomics approach which places the actual work activity at the centre of its preoccupations.
Emerging in the context of pensions reform, arduousness at work first appears within the Social 
Security Code with compensation as the objective point, allowing employees who would have
performed strenuous work during their career to retire early. Such departure due to strenuousness is 
granted to workers with permanent disability rate (PD) of higher than or equal to 20%. For PDs below 
10% no compensation is envisaged. For PD rates of between 10% and 20%, this right is open to those 
workers who would have been exposed to certain types of occupational risk factors for a period of 17 
years and, if their disability is related to the exposure in question. In order to determine the level of 
such exposure, the Act provides for the employer to ensure the monitoring of workers “exposed to one 
or more occupational risk factors determined by the decree and linked to dramatic physical constraints,
an aggressive physical environment or some work routines which may leave lasting, identifiable and 
irreversible traces on their health” (CT-L4121 3-1). This latter statement is now systematically
repeated, in a number of publications, to define arduousness at work. It tends, in fact, to direct the 
analysis of arduous situations toward the identification of ten risk factors, which have since been 
specified by the decree, (1) and to act, in terms of prevention, on these factors. Yet, as seen above, this 
definition is determined by compensation terms and not by prevention issues.
SELF warns about an approach on arduousness at work which, by directing action towards these risk 
factors alone, is designed to prevent only those PD risks ranging between 10 and 20%, thereby 
excluding any other form of damage to health, either by its nature or severity, related to the exercise of 
strenuous activities. This would, in effect, imply addressing the risk for early retirement and not the 
risk of harm to health. It would mean a serious drifting away from the right interpretation of the text.
The apparent lack of reference to the “psycho-social” dimension of the arduousness of working 
conditions in this Act may also lead to a drift in the interpretation of the text. Indeed, this shortcoming
is, once again, applicable only to conditions for early retirement provided for in the case of PD rates of 
between 10 and 20%. Yet, in the case of disability rates of over 20%, a wide range of diseases or 
injuries resulting from work related accidents could be eligible for an early retirement on arduousness 
grounds, including “psychiatric injury (2)” (cognitive impairment , anxiety disorders, depression, etc..). 
In other words, though psycho-social risks are not taken into consideration in exposure records, they 
are, nonetheless, likely to cause lasting, identifiable and irreversible traces on worker’s health which,
accordingly, would rate them similar to arduousness.
Finally, by assigning a direct causal relationship between exposure to certain factors of arduousness 
and the onset of long-term effects on health, the Act tends to exclude any reference to the actual work 
activity. Yet, arduousness of work cannot be understood without reference to work activity which it 
affects. In ignoring this dimension, the Act could encourage expert analysis which is strictly technical 
and normative or even legal, regarding factors of stress and associated thresholds. This approach can 
be justified within the scope of negotiated compensation, but is highly restrictive in the field of 
prevention.
In this context of reinforcing the legislation regarding the arduousness of work, which tends to 
increasingly identify and recognize occupational hazards rather than anticipating them in order to 
better protect the health of workers, SELF reaffirms the need to act upon work and its organization.

French Speaking Ergonomics Society

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The French Speaking Ergonomics Society was founded in 1963.

SELF is an affiliate member of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA), a federation of the world’s ergonomics societies.

Chair: Véronique POETE
Secretary General: Gabin GINDRO
Treasurer – internet delegate: Eric LIEHRMANN
Vice President (Internal affairs): Fabrice BOURGEOIS
Vice President (International affairs): Julien NELSON

Adress web: http://www.ergonomie-self.org

Active FEES membership

About SELF, French Speaking Ergonomics Society
The Society’s mission is to promote the practice of, research in and teaching of ergonomics in France and at an international level (in francophone countries). It argues for the use of ergonomics in order to design usable and efficient products and interactive systems, to ensure occupational safety and health, and to optimize overall system reliability and performance.

Structure
Currently, the society has 2 standing committees:
The History Committee purpose is to foster preservation and interpretation of the history of ergonomics in francophone countries. Its work consists mainly in collecting historical information.
The Work-Risk Prevention committee focuses on the role of ergonomics in the prevention of occupational risks and promotes the exchange and dissemination of information concerning this topic.

Members
The society has 657 members in France and other Francophone countries (282 full members, 265 affiliate members, 82 student affiliate members, 21 honour members, 7 sustaining members). Its members include ergonomists, occupational health physicians, psychologists, engineers, designers, and scientists, all of whom have a common interest in designing systems and equipment to be safe and effective for the people who operate and maintain them.
Members are employed in industries, universities and colleges, government agencies, consulting firms, public utilities, and other settings.
SELF has different categories of membership:
Full Member
Any person who fulfils two of the following criteria shall be eligible to become a full member of the Society: the person has a degree in ergonomics from an accredited college or university, he/she has a number of full-time years of applicable experience in human factors work or in teaching, she/she has contributed to the development of ergonomics. Full membership requires two endorsers that are already full members. Full Members may vote and hold office in the SELF’s board.
Affiliate Member
Any person who is interested in ergonomics, but who does not qualify for Full Member shall be eligible to become an Affiliate of the Society. Affiliate Members cannot vote, hold office, or represent themselves as full Members of the Society.
Student Affiliate Member
Any person who is enrolled as a full-time undergraduate or graduate student at an accredited college or university shall be eligible to become a Student Affiliate of the Society. Student Affiliate membership requires an endorser: a faculty member from the student’s institution.
Honour member
Those who had significantly contributed to the development of ergonomics.
Sustaining Member
Corporate sustaining membership is available to companies and institutions interested in supporting the profession and the Society.