Use of value analysis to increasing the value of ergonomic design of workplace.

Goerner, Tomas ; Broum, Tomas ; Simon, Michal 等

1. INTRODUCTION

In order to be able to describe the reason for the application of value analysis and ergonomics in workplace design, it is first necessary to define some terms.

Ergonomics:

* is an interdisciplinary scientific discipline system, which comprehensively addresses the human activity and its link with technology and environment, in order to optimize the psychophysical burden and ensuring the development of his personality (Chundela, 2005).

* is the scientific discipline to optimize interaction between humans and other elements of the system, using the theory, knowledge, principles, methods and data to optimize well-being and human performance system ( IEA, 2001). Value Analysis(VA):

* is an organized and creative approach, that concentrates on finding the non-contributing costs. The non-contributing costs are costs that do not increase quality, durability, appearance and other characteristics desired by the customer (Miles, 1971).

* is an organized and creative process using the process of economic and functional design, the purpose is to increase the value of the subject of value analysis.(CSN EN 1325-1, 1997).

In this paper we start from the definition of ergonomics according to IEA and of VA by Miles.

2. ERGONOMIC DESIGN OF WORKPLACE

The classical approach of the ergonomic industrial engineer to designing a workplace can be divided into two basic procedures:

* design of a new workplace,

* evaluation of an existing workplace.

When designing a workplace compliance to legislative and safety regulations must be adhered to. Then the following operations must be performed:

* determine specification of ergonomic task,

* identify the population group,

* analyze the labor act (the act of distribution of elements)

* provide required ergonomic data (as will be examined),

* provide the required accompanying documentation,

* establish training requirements and training service,

* choose the method of evaluation (according to observed phenomena),

* assess the development of the project (if specified ergonomic data has been achieved),

* evaluate the results of the analysis (comparing the technical and ergonomic requirements),

* evaluate project manned (practical test),

* evaluate the test results with the service and make changes (assessed by testing the service and adjusting in real life), (CSN EN 614-1, 1997).

When evaluating an existing workplace, the ergonomist is limited by many factors:

* technical characteristics of the production system,,

* environment,

* technology

* material flow--arrangement of the layout of production,

* financial resources and so on.

If the arrangement of production and individual links between workplace are not respected, this can lead to errors. A localized modification to the design of a workplace may only shift the problem to another site. It is therefore necessary to understand the whole system as a process with inputs and outputs.

3. VALUE ANALYSIS

VA primarily concentrates on value of product--the output of the process. Ergonomic design can be seen as the process. The output of this process is the product--a new workplace.

The main purpose of VA is to obtain the same functions of a product at reduced costs. (Miles, 1971)

First the concept of value must be explained. In use in ergonomics is customer (owner of process--company), producer (ergonomist--workplace creator) and consumer (worker). For all of them the same product can have different values depending on the time, place and use.

The value of product is understood (Dostal et al., 2009) as:

V = F/C (1)

F--degree of fulfillment of the required functions

C--costs required to achieve these functions

Function is the effect of product or one of its components. (CSN EN1325-1, 1997)

The main purpose of VA is to obtain the same functions of the product at reduced costs. (Miles, 1971) It can be used for reducing the financial costs of ergonomic workplace adjustments. Costs have a relation to functions.

The basic steps of VA are (Miles, 1971):

* finding the functions,

* function evaluating by comparing,

* defending the need to develop alternatives.

VA approach concentrates on finding the answers to the following five questions (Miles, 1971):

* What is the item or service?

* What does it cost?

* What does it do?

* What else would do the job?

* What would that alternative cost?

Answering the questions above leads to the job plan of VA.

The steps of the plan follow (Miles, 1971):

* Orientation (what is needed to be achieved)

* Information (basic information--for example: technology)

* Creative thinking (searching for alternatives)

* Analysis (evaluating by effects, costs assignment)

* Planning (plan for the development of most promising proposals)

* Realization (realization of plans)

* Summary (creating of VA suggestion sheet for managers).

4. COMPARISON OF APPROACHES

According to the Tab. 1, there are some points of VA contained in an ergonomic design and vice versa. It is essential to consider and to correctly interpret the following:

* the population group cannot be neglected,

* respect the labor act,

* identification of training requirements may be to ensure good working practices,

* evaluation of project with manned workplaces can reveal hidden problems.

The absence of an equivalent approach to working with VA for ergonomic design, including creative thinking is also apparent.

5. RESULTS--NEW APPLICATIONS

When applying VA to ergonomic design it is appropriate to include the VA process and to provide answers to 5 basic questions. This part can be described as the value phase.

This approach is included in the modification of the procedure of ergonomic design, in terms of the job plan of VA. The result is a new job plan--Tab. 2.

6. CONCLUSION

The main benefits of merging what, at first glance are two different approaches, is the creation of a comprehensive tool for enhancing the value of ergonomics projects. The approach should generate more possible solutions. Furthermore, it should contribute to evaluation and lower financial demands of ergonomic projects. In the future it will be necessary to develop further the influence of the extent of fulfillment of the ergonomic and technical requirements on the value of the workplace and the links between them. The next task should be to establish the importance of individual (technical and ergonomic) requirements. In the future, we would like to develop this approach to production system design in more detail and to try to apply it in practice

7. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This paper was created with the subsidy of the project 402/08/H051 under the Grant Academy of the Czech Republic. The name of this project is "Optimization of multidisciplinary design and modelling of virtual firm's production systems".

8. REFERENCE

Dostal, V.; Loubal, J. & Bartes, F. (2009). Hodnotove inzenyrstvi, KEY Publishing s.r.o., ISBN 978-80-7418-0033, Ostrava, Czech Republic

Chundela, L. (2005)Ergonomie, Vydavatelstvi CVUT, ISBN 80-01-02301-X, Prague, Czech Republic

Miles, L.D. (1971). Hodnotovd analyza, ALFA n.p., ISBN 63045-71, Bratislava,Czechoslovakia

*** (1997) Czech national technical standard, CSN EN 1325-1, CNI, Prague, Czech Republic

*** (1997) Czech national technical standard, CSN EN 614-1, CNI, Prague, Czech Republic

*** (2001) http://www.iea.cc--The International Ergonomics Association, Accessed on: 2010-05-01

Tab. 1. Comparison of approaches

Value Analysis Ergonomic design

 Equivalent step
Step of VA of ergonomic design

1 Orientation 1 Identify specification
 ergonomic task

2 Information * Identify the population
 group

3 Creative * Analysis of the work task
 Thinking

4 Analysis 1 Determination of the
 desired ergonomic data

5 Planning 2 Provide the required
 documentation

6 Realization * Establish training
 requirements

7 Summary 5 Select evaluation method

 4 Evaluate the project

 5 Review the results of the
 analysis

 * Evaluate the project with
 the worker

 6,7 Evaluate the test results
 with the worker--change

Tab. 2. New job plan of ergonomic design

Phase The job plan of ergonomic design

Preparatory 1 Identify specification
 ergonomic task

 2 Determination of the desired
 ergonomic data

 3 Identify the population group

 4 Analysis of the work task

 5 Provide the required
 documentation

Value 6 Determine the answers to 5
 questions

Project 7 Select evaluation method

 8 Evaluate the project

 9 Review the results of the
 analysis

Test 10 Evaluate the project with the
 worker

 11 Evaluate the project with the
 worker--changes

Final 12 Establish training requirements

 13 Realization

 14 Summary and conclusions