Ergonomic evaluation of a wheelchair for transfer of disabled passengers at a large airport.
Transferring disabled passengers to the aircraft, both arriving and departing, is one passenger service at a big airport. We use different ergonomic research methods (registration of heart rate, AET job analysis as well as a standardized questionnaire) to evaluate the present wheelchair design. Due to e.g. the high wheelchair backrest, the forces needed to handle the chair and other facts, the current wheelchair causes a strain bottleneck. The results of the AET analysis and the rating of the perceived exertion confirm this finding. A redesigned wheelchair based on ergonomic principles, which reduces stress on the employees and offers more comfort to disabled passengers, is presented.
Rohmert
W
W
Institut für Arbeitswissenschaft de Technischen Hochschule, Darnstadt, Federal Republic of Germany.
Löwenthal
I
I
Rückert
A
A
D001359:Aviation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D004867:Equipment Design; D004869:Equipment Safety; D006804:Ergonomics; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014187:Transportation of Patients / Q000379:methods*; D014910:Wheelchairs / Q000592:standards*