Ergonomics in india: A case study on workspace design for an alphacomp phototypesetting machine

Ergonomics in India is a newly emerging discipline-having made inroads to the people of India very recently. Most of the Indians are absolutely unaware of using ergonomics to achieve an efficient man-machine-environment system for better productivity with less human cost. The present case study on workspace design for a phototypesetting machine in India indicates that people from the printing sector are ready to spend money importing modern machinery to achieve twofold objectives; (i) improvement of printing quality and (ii) faster publication. However, lack of ergonomic awareness hinders the design of a proper work environment, without which they cannot reach their goals. The present study is aimed at designing a proper workspace for an Alphacomp model K-II phototypesetting machine, which is going to be imported by several organizations in Bombay in the near future. The equipment consists of a printer, a floppy-disc drive, a keyboard and a power-supply unit. Only a single set-up out of three existing set-ups in Bombay was studied. As well as the existing workspace arrangement, three other concepts of arranging the equipment were generated and evaluated through mock-up studies. Evaluations were based on time-movement analysis, postural problems and anthropometric requirements by using video technique, questionnaires and personal observations. Strains imposed on thighs, lumbar and shoulder regions in existing conditions were eliminated by redesigning the workspace. The time required to complete the same task in different reorganized workspace arrangements was about 14-20 min less than that of the existing condition. Considering the existing machine design as constrained and based on concept 1, a prototype for a working table has been fabricated from the viewpoint of industrial design which will be patented in near the future. © 1984 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.