Browsing by Author "Parker, Richard John"

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    An ergonomic analysis of a closed circuit television rear vision system for forestry machine operators : a thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Ergonomics at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2003) Parker, Richard John
    The Bell Logger is a fast highly mobile forestry machine used in close proximity to workers on foot. It can, along with other machines, inadvertently collide with workers, other machines or logs which subsequently hit workers. To date the only successful way to prevent injury to workers on foot is to completely remove them from the work area of the Bell Logger. This is often operationally difficult and does not prevent collisions between machines or other objects. One potential solution is to improve the rear vision of the machine operator. A literature search was carried out to review information on human vision, issues of driver vision from vehicles, epidemiology of forestry injury related to mobile machines, methods of assessing vision from vehicles and existing rear-view aids for vehicle drivers. A questionnaire was used to gather information from Bell Logger operators on their opinion of the rear view camera system. Video records of Bell Logger movements and operator head glance direction were analysed to characterise the operating environment and style without and with the rear view camera system. Mobile machine related injuries on the skid site are a significant problem resulting in 1304 lost work days in the period 1995 to 2002. The normal operational environment of the Bell logger operator is characterised by frequent machine changes in direction (eight to 10 per minute) and frequent head movements (four to five per minute) to see if the way is clear. Results indicate that the rear vision camera system appears to have potential as a valuable addition to the Bell Logger operating under typical New Zealand forestry conditions, and it resulted in a 20% increase in Bell Logger activity.
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    Technological advances in the analysis of work in dangerous environments : tree felling and rural fire fighting : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Management and Ergonomics at Massey University, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2010) Parker, Richard John
    Ergonomists have always been interested in studying work and especially the safety aspects of work. Studying work in dangerous situations is an area that presents particular challenges to the researcher and potentially to the worker. The objective of this study was to explore the use of new technologies in facilitating the field study of people engaged in dangerous work situations without disrupting the work or adding to the danger. This was achieved through the investigation of work activity in dangerous environments: tree felling and rural fire fighting. The two case studies formed the basis for an investigation into three aspects of work: first, to record, measure and understand the work (including physiological workload) of people engaged in dangerous occupations; second, to understand how hazards were identified and dealt with by individuals working in extreme conditions and third, to gain insight into hazardous work environments for the purpose of enhancing training for personnel working in dangerous conditions. An innovative suite of equipment was developed for the study, enabling data collection that did not disturb or inhibit the individual working in dangerous, and sometimes extreme, conditions. The results of the study have shown that, through triangulation of novel combinations of recording instrumentation and video-cued reflective interview, we can gain rich interpretative insights into the working world of the tree faller and rural fire fighter and understand how they manage the hazards they confront in their work. This in turn enables us to develop practices designed to minimise or avoid physical risk to the worker, Furthermore, the annotated video collected in the forests and at fires can be utilised as an authentic resource for training of both workers and trainers. My study has highlighted the value of, and need for, research that is situated in real work environments, and that captures the multidimensionality of workers’ activities without impeding or altering their behaviour.