Ergonomics in Work Organisations
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| MMME4080 | Mechanical, Materials & Manufacturing Engineering | 4 | 30 | Full Year UK |
- Code
- MMME4080
- School
- Mechanical, Materials & Manufacturing Engineering
- Level
- 4
- Credits
- 30
- Semesters
- Full Year UK
Summary
The topics covered by the module include: the work people do, worker-centred ergonomics, work as a sociotechnical system, physical environment (visual, auditory, thermal and vibration), psychosocial environment (motivation, stress and shiftwork pattern), job design and local control, selection and training, performance and appraisal, participatory ergonomics, team work, effects on performance and health, health and safety requirements and legislation, epidemiology, causes of accidents, reactive and proactive approaches to prevention, measuring and evaluating human reliability, management of change, management of risks in manual materials handling, management of risks of work-related
upper limb disorders. Throughout the module these topics are considered in a number of
case studies, including work conducted at Nottingham and published case examples.
Re-assessment
Students who fail this module overall and are required to complete a re-assessment will be re-assessed in all failed assessment components. The re-assessment mark for the module will be a combination of the marks from components passed first time and the components which have been re-assessed.
Target Students
Students registered on MSc Applied Ergonomics (by Distance Learning)
Classes
The module is delivered by distance learning
Assessment
- 33% Coursework 1: Survey and report 3000 word
- 34% Coursework 2: Essay 3000 word
- 33% Coursework 3: Essay 3000 word
Assessed by end of designated period
Educational Aims
This module is designed to equip you with the knowledge and techniques necessary for the practice of ergonomics within an organisation. It will build on what you have already earned from the earlier modules that you have studied and integrate all this within the wider scope of working within and managing a complex system – whether the system is an office, a product design team, a manufacturing production line, a company, or a transport system. You will already appreciate that work can be regarded as a sociotechnical system, considering the best relationship between humans and the technology used. In your first module, you will have become familiar with the onion-skin model of interactions within such a system, which is the core of our concept of ergonomics. The present module will help you to appreciate the many issues which have to be considered when dealing with the outer two layers of the model: the physical environment and the work organisation and job design (which includes the psychosocial environment).Learning Outcomes
It is expected that successful completion of this module will equip you with the following skills (mapping onto the overall course learning outcomes). Knowledge and understanding:
- scientific literature from disciplines relevant to ergonomics of the physical and psychosocial environments, management in organisations, and health and safety
- relevant techniques of critical analysis, testing and evaluation
Intellectual skills:
- analyse and design ergonomic aspects of environments and management systems to suit the needs, capabilities and limitations of people
- select and apply measurement techniques and analytical methods for evaluating designs and interventions
- select and apply appropriate strategies and techniques for solving human factors questions
Professional practical skills:
- use a range of analytical approaches to deal with relevant issues in organisations
- apply ergonomics standards in a range of work contexts
- research and review scientific and industrial literature and standards
Transferable (key) skills:
- use a range of data gathering and analytical methods for solving problems
- obtain information from scientific and industrial literature and from the internet
- prepare written reports and topic reviews
- undertake self-directed study, including information acquisition and analysis to enable continued learning during a professional career
- exhibit innovation and creativity in problem solving