ABSTRACT
Poor design for ergonomics has been shown to negatively impact worker health (Broberg, 1997) and workplace performance (Wang and Lau, 2013). As a result the integration of human factors (HF) into the planning process of product development has been identified as a major strategy for mitigating work related injuries and illness (Broberg, 1997). Despite the availability of ergonomic guidelines for engineers (Lehto, Landry and Buck, 2008), ergonomic methods and tools have historically not been available in accessible formats for design engineers, hampering the integration of HF into the design process (Broberg, 1997). The integration of digital human modelling (DHM) and human activity analysis suites into computer aided design (CAD), has given designers access to HF methods and tools (Broberg, 1997). This has led to CAD human modelling tools becoming a common technique for predicting and preventing ergonomic risk within manufacturing (Lockett, Fletcher and Luquet, 2014).
