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The purpose of this study was to model the visual ergonomic factors affecting performance in human-computer interaction. A cross-sectional study using structural equation modelling was performed with a sample of 200 participants. The measuring instruments included the office lighting survey questionnaire, performance assessment questionnaires, visual ergonomics assessment and an eye discomfort assessment. The hypothetical model evaluated workplace lighting status and visual ergonomics as precursors, performance as the output and eye discomfort as a mediator. The results showed that eye discomfort directly affected performance. Visual ergonomics also had a significant direct effect on eye discomfort. The final model suggested a significant new path between the quality of lighting and visual ergonomics. Also, the quality of lighting had an indirect effect on eye discomfort and performance, and the effect of visual ergonomics on performance was the same. Improving the lighting quality and visual ergonomics can reduce eye discomfort and increase performance.

Background: Workers engaged in dairy farming are exposed to awkward and poor postures that may result in work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs)., Objective: This study carried out ergonomic interventions in order to eliminate and reduce awkward postures in dairy farming., Methods: This quasi-experimental study applied rapid entire body assessments (REBA) to evaluate the risks associated with each posture while performing the assigned tasks on a dairy farm in Iran to identify high and very high-risk tasks. A participatory ergonomics model was used that incorporated suggestions by dairy workers to design the used interventions., Results: In the first intervention, by using an automatic transmission system for pouring milk, one high and one very high-risk task- pouring milk into a bucket and pouring milk from a bucket into a tank, respectively- were eliminated. In the second intervention, two high-risk tasks- filling corn containers and pouring corn into the milling machine- were eliminated by using a material conveying vacuum pump to transfer corn from the ground to the opening of the milling machine. In the third intervention, a simple and cheap holding device for the bag was designed to reduce the posture risk score from very high to medium. The fourth intervention involved the use of a shovel with a handle appropriate to the anthropometric characteristics of the workers that reduced the posture risk from very high to medium., Conclusions: The results indicated that applying participatory ergonomic principles along with low cost and simple designs with high performance resulted in significant reductions in postural risks pertaining to of musculoskeletal disorders on Iran dairy farms.

The present study, an expert review, aimed to discuss the emerging challenges of overcoming COVID-19 from the perspective of human factors and the importance of cognitive ergonomics in helping to cope with the epidemic. Identifying these challenges and the use of cognitive ergonomics to optimize human well-being and system performance can be effective in managing COVID-19. Generally, two main preventive approaches such as social distancing and patient care or treatment approaches are being utilized in response to COVID-19. In this paper, human factors challenges that could emerge from covid-19 preventive approaches were discussed. Social distancing forces presence and increases automated systems that lead to increases in cognitive needs, mental workload, stress, etc. Challenges of treatment and health care include the increased workload of healthcare personnel, stress, changing work systems and task allocation that led to fatigue and stress, threats to patient safety, and disruption of interpersonal interactions from a cognitive ergonomic perspective. It is concluded that the challenges of coping with COVID-19 were numerous and important from the perspective of human factors and the role of cognitive ergonomics is important in controlling the disease; hence, it should be taken into consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A variety of human factors/ergonomics (HFE) problems have been studied by researchers and developers in VR environments. This systematic review aimed to summarize important HFE issues and classify the validated instruments used to quantify them in virtual reality environments. The most representative electronic databases for this review (2013–2022) were searched for original articles. The results showed that aspects, such as cybersickness, visual fatigue, mental workload, performance, spatial presence, and usability were the most relevant HFE issues assessed, whereas some aspects, such as physical workload, posture, stress, and discomfort, were consider less often. Previous studies have neglected some human factors and ergonomic issues, such as physical ergonomics, stress, and aftereffects, such as fatigue and human error. In virtual environments, presence was an emerging human factor compared to real environments. Most techniques were unidimensional and subjective. Future studies should focus on more factors and risks associated with HFE by emphasizing objective techniques and multidimensional subjective methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study sought to examine the effects of helmet weight on cognitive performance and mental workload. Twenty participants were studied in 3 one-hour sessions. Methods: The study participants were requested to read and work with computers under the following 3 conditions: wearing no helmets, wearing a helmet that weighed 800 g (A), and a helmet weighing 1500 g (B). "N-back" task and Continuous Performance Test (CPT) were employed to assess cognitive performance. At the same time, NASA-TLX and Thermal Comfort and Fatigue Perception Scale were used to evaluate mental workload and comfort. At the end of the intervention sessions, perceived mental workload, thermal comfort, and fatigue in the head were measured. Moreover, the research participants' cognitive performance was gauged before and after the sessions. Results: The present study findings revealed that helmet weight significantly impacted cognitive performance (P<0.001). However, no significant difference was detected in the participants' mental workload before and after the intervention. Conclusion: Helmet weight could affect cognitive performance. Therefore, in designing helmets, the helmet's weight should be considered an essential factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nurse stations are one of the primary units for supporting effective functioning of any hospital. They are important working environments that demand adherence to known ergonomic principles for the well-being of both staff and patients. The aim of this study was to develop a psychometrically tested tool for the assessment of the ergonomic conditions of nurse workstations in hospitals. Methods: Ten hospitals, with a total of 133 nurse stations participated in this mixed-methods research. The domains and items of the tool were developed based on a literature review, an experts' panel, and interviews with nurses. Results: The final nurse station ergonomic assessment (NSEA) tool has good psychometric properties. Validity was assessed by face validity and content validity. Reliability was evaluated using inter-rater agreement and test-retest reliability analyses with a four-week interval between assessments. The NSEA is comprised of 64 items across eight domains: layout and location (7 items), workspace (11 items), security-safety (5 items), environmental conditions (8 items), counter (8 items), chair (13 items), desk (9 items), and monitor (3 items). Conclusions: The NSEA adds to the literature a tool for managers to ensure they comply with legal requirements and support best practice for those working on hospital wards. The NSEA can be used to identify challenges for healthcare professionals who use nurse stations and support the execution of targeted interventions to improve human-environment interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: A most widely used tool for measuring the workload is the NASA-task load index (TLX) questionnaire, in which various studies have reported numerous problems. The present study aimed to improve the NSAS-TLX mental workload questionnaire using the fuzzy linguistic variables instead of the virtual rating scale, and multicriteria decision-making Fuzzy Best-Worst method (FBWM) instead of pair-wise comparison. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out among students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. In order to compare the traditional NASA-TLX and FBWM NASA-TLX questionnaire, participants performed a standard N-Back task with three low, medium, and high workload, subsequently, they completed the two questionnaires. Finally, results were examined using the researcher-made software and SPSS 16. Results: With regard to the reaction time to response the N-Back test, the mean of correct responses were 107.43 and 85.86 responses at levels 1 and 3, respectively. The mean score of the subscales and the final score in the two questionnaires at different levels of the N-Back test were independent as follows: the two questionnaires had a significant difference on mental demand at level 3 with a mean (standard deviation [SD]) of 18.09 (6.39) in the FBWM-NASA-TLX questionnaire and mean (SD) of 22.64 (8.15) in the NASA-TLX questionnaire (P < 0.05). Conclusion: In this study, the FBWM-NASA-TLX questionnaire was designed and studied with regard to the problems and limitations of the NASA-TLX questionnaire. Results of this study showed that the FBWM-NASA-TLX questionnaire can estimate more realistic scores and decisions of workload in the studied task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]