Lia Buarque de Macedo Guimarães

Safety and production: an integrated planning and control model

A safety planning and control model (SPC) has been integrated into the production planning and control process. The model integrates safety into three hierarchical levels of production control. Safety long‐term planning starts with the preliminary hazard analysis (PHA) of construction processes. These plans are detailed and updated at both medium‐ and short‐term planning levels. The main performance measure adopted for safety evaluation at the short‐term level is the Percentage of Safe Work Packages (PSW). It monitors the degree in which work packages are safely carried out. The model also proposes a participatory mechanism that allows workers to point out existing risks as well as to evaluate risk controls. This paper discusses two empirical studies in which the model was implemented in industrial construction projects.

Analyzing Resilience of an Oil Distribution Plant

This article presents the opportunities and challenges for improving resilience in an oil distribution plant. The plant is situated in the southernmost state of Brazil, and it distributes fuel products by truck and train. Based on observations and interviews with the people who handle the transfer and distribution process, this paper provides an analysis of how the system is resilient in some ways and brittle in other ways. The research focused on understanding how the system adapts to variations and disrupting events relative to expected conditions. The areas of brittleness are pointers to possible accident scenarios. The resilience analysis identified opportunities to improve how the system adapts to situations that challenge plans and procedures

Segurança e produção: um modelo para o planejamento e controle integrado

This paper presents a safety planning and control model (SPC) that has been integrated to the production planning and control process. The model was developed through two action research empirical studies in industrial construction projects. Safety requirements are integrated into three hierarchical levels of planning and control process. At the long-term level, safety planning is featured by preliminary hazard analysis of construction processes. These plans are updated and detailed through its integration into both medium-term and short-term planning levels.

Sociotechnical design for a sustainable world

This article presents the sociotechnical design method for conceiving innovative sustainable products and/or systems. It is a participatory approach to design that focuses on meeting the basic needs of people at the base of the social pyramid using waste as raw material for developing products/systems with high added value. The method has three stages: (1) a matrix that cross-matches basic needs and the available forms of waste and thereby induces, by brainstorming, the development of design opportunities; (2) four matrices for identifying the ergonomic demands of the three human users (the primary, the intermediate and end users) and the environment and (3) a matrix that evaluates the design alternatives in terms of sustainability, quality and cost. The method is aligned with the worldwide adopted sustainability definition, with the cradle-to-cradle approach to design and consistent with the Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives chain production system approach.This article presents the sociotechnical design method for conceiving innovative sustainable products and/or systems. It is a participatory approach to design that focuses on meeting the basic needs of people at the base of the social pyramid using waste as raw material for developing products/systems with high added value. The method has three stages: (1) a matrix that cross-matches basic needs and the available forms of waste and thereby induces, by brainstorming, the development of design opportunities; (2) four matrices for identifying the ergonomic demands of the three human users (the primary, the intermediate and end users) and the environment and (3) a matrix that evaluates the design alternatives in terms of sustainability, quality and cost. The method is aligned with the worldwide adopted sustainability definition, with the cradle-to-cradle approach to design and consistent with the Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives chain production system approach.

A study of material composition disclosure practices in green footwear products.

This work is based on the study of pioneering sustainable product development initiatives, and the analysis was guided by the cradle-to-cradle concept, which sees the waste of a given process as raw material for another, just like it happens in nature. Several studies on human factors have focused on factory conditions and workers dealing with product assembly. This research, however, relates more to consumer behavior, product use and end-of-life. The purchase of more environmentally- friendly products, in particular, is heavily influenced by the information made available by the companies. In this scenario, this article discusses three early but notable efforts on green product development, focusing on the disclosure practices adopted by the companies regarding the composition of their products. Research and data collection has focused on the footwear industry, whose products satisfy a basic human need and are ubiquitous worldwide. The use of hazardous materials and chemicals in shoe manufacturing, particularly the use of chromium - a highly toxic element - in addition to toxic solvents and adhesives and non-recyclable synthetic materials can pose serious risks to human health and the environment, even though the consumer usually is not aware of all the relevant characteristics of this kind of product.

A study of the use of the laptop XO in Brazilian pilot schools

This article presents a study on the perception of 63 students and 15 teachers of two Brazilian public school, which took part in the pilot test of the OLPC educational laptop XO. For the students, the XO turned classes more attractive mainly because they changed from individual learning to collective research. The internet, the games and the learning aid are the most important XOs functionalities but gender and age impacted the results. Boys value the laptop for its recreation attribute while girls use the computer for interaction with people and to improve learning at school. Younger students like mostly the games while the older ones value the social interaction and research. The XO design is suitable for students under 6 years old but considered too toyful by the older ones. Rather than an educational tool, the students recognize the XO as a means of communication/entertainment. Despite an initial resistance to the OLPC project, the teachers understand that the introduction of a laptop as a pedagogical tool was worthy, because it enhanced learning, communication and social skills. Technical problems should be override and a sustainability plan should be promoted before the educational project is implemented countrywide.

The perception of fear when using urban furniture

This article presents a study on the perception of fear related to the use of three different types of urban furniture, qualitatively evaluated based on interviews while people were using them in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil: the bus shelter, the playground, and the gymnastic equipment. The fear related to the lack of safety of the urban space was associated with the use of the three types of products. The fear experienced by the use of the playground and the bus shelter was related to the occurrence of accidents, since both products are often unsafe and do not fulfill ergonomic parameters. The fear experienced from the use of the gymnastic equipment is related to the possibility of incorrect use of the product and the occurrence of harassment. Both ergonomics and emotion are important aspects to be considered in design, in order to make the use of social/ collective products a pleasant experience.

The perception of pleasantness in a product of collective use: the bus shelter

This article presents a study on the identification of a setting whose arrangement of attributes could lead to the perception of pleasantness of a bus shelter: a product that should welcome people while waiting for the bus. Two different bus shelters typologies in the city of Porto Alegre, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, were evaluated, where four attributes were under consideration. The relation between the shelters subject of the study and the surroundings was significant for defining the attributes. The setting with curve shaped cover, bench, rear wall, and surrounding vegetation was considered the most pleasant one. The seats and the rear wall were associated with the practical function of the product while the curve shaped cover and the surrounding vegetation were associated with the aesthetical function according to the participant users.

Avaliação da carga de trabalho dos operadores de uma empresa distribuidora de derivados de petróleo

The aim of this study was to evaluate workloads as perceived by the operators of an oil distribution company in Southern Brazil. Workload levels were measured by a questionnaire adapted from the NASA-TLX, and the factors that impact on the workload were identified by interviews and questionnaire. The results showed that the workload level is high, mainly due to technical constraints (such as equipment and computational problems). Performance is the component which most influences workload. According to the results, it is necessary to improve the technical and organizational subsystems of the oil distribution company in order to improve human performance as well as the health and safety of the operators.

Circadian Rhythms as a Basis for Work Organization: A Study With Live Line Electricians

Objective: With the assumption that circadian rhythms influence human performance, the work of live line electricians was reorganized and evaluated. The hypothesis was that in highly physical and attention-demanding work, the organization of tasks, according to the ideal period of day and day of week, should diminish stress and consequent work risks. Background: There are only a few studies reporting the work of electricians and even fewer approaching work organization. Moreover, these investigations often do not consider human physiological limitations and capabilities as well as task demands. Method: A new work system was proposed with consideration of (a) the circadian cycles and homeostatic processes; (b) the effect of heat, which is a zeitgeber (synchronizer) for the biological clocks; and (c) the degree of physical and mental demands of the different performed tasks, which was assessed on the basis of opinions of the electricians and physiological markers of stress that are controlled by circadian rhythms. The traditional and new systems were compared on the basis of two cognitive indices (the arrangement of matchsticks and the perception of a minute) and three physiological markers of mental-to-physical loads (heart frequency and the level of adrenaline and noradrenaline). Results: Both physical and mental loads were reduced in the new system. Conclusion: Work organization should include consideration of human circadian rhythms, mainly when stressful and high-risk tasks are involved. Application: The findings can be applied in any work design, but they are especially suited for highly demanding work carried out outdoors.