| Following principles of cognitive work analysis, an Industrial process was observed and key points were identified for improvement. Physical work flow was examined from the perspective of Cognitive Work Analysis. Work flow was reorganized following principles or reach, Fitts' law, etc. Workload was examined and individual loading factors were considered for the operator and the machine. Consideration was also given to human and machine performance parameters to enhance the quantity and quality of the task output. Results indicate that following the philosophy of cognitive work analysis and physical ergonomics yield an improvement in perceived employee comfort of the work task, overall production increased and reported employee satisfaction improved. The importance of direct application of ergonomic principles in a variety of settings is essential to the practitioner of Human Factors. This thesis examines a successful application of a variety of principles, and demonstrates the aspects of an intervention that can have a readily measurable financial benefit on an organization. |
