From the ergonomic guidelines to the configuration of use in the offshore platforms design context

Abstract

The possibility of using pre-defined ergonomic recommendations for projects offshore is related to several factors that encompass the hiring of a specialized ergonomic team to the design phase in which this team is involved in the context of the project. The main objective of this article is to test the usage and discuss the applicability of the Ergonomic Technical Recommendations (TRs), developed using the Ergonomic Work Analysis methodology. Although the TR files were considered overly long to read/become familiarised, the contextualization of the TRs through the configurations of use and the ergonomic study, or the "specialists", were fundamental in leading the ergonomic directives to being considered and implemented.

A six-step model to transform an ergonomic work analysis into design guidelines for engineering projects

“…preventing their use from becoming both demanding and time-consuming [18][19][20][21][22], and identifying the respective needs of the designers in relation to language, communication style, and methods of engagement [23]. Such ergonomic tools should avoid recommendations that are too general, and avoid design criteria that increase the documentation [6,24,25].…”

“…The architects found it interesting to have complete information about the actual work activities through the settings of usage, as well as several examples and explanations. Furthermore, Cordeiro et al [19] and Oggioni et al [36] simulated use of the guidelines during the detailed design of two new rig projects, indicating that their applicability is high. The designers participating in these two projects recognized the importance of meeting ergonomic and other technical requirements from other disciplines.…”