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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Assessment of Potential Ergonomic Injury Risk in the Nuclear Material Processing Glovebox Environment [Capstone Project]

Gloveboxes are isolation barriers that are used within many different industries such as pharmaceuticals, electronic parts fabrication, nuclear, and biological. The research on glovebox ergonomics is currently limited with few ergonomic professionals that focusing exclusively on glovebox working environments. There is existing documentation on occupational injuries, such as musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), sustained as a direct result of working in gloveboxes. The main elements that pose ergonomic risks to glovebox workers are operational repetition, duration, force, vibration, lifting heavy (more than 15lbs with two hands) objects, and awkward postures. This paper examines a small sample of the potential causal or risk factors that lead to the ergonomic injuries. A meta-analysis utilizing a random effect model is used to examine data from several studies which focus on, dexterity and strength changes as result of glove thickness, and robotic assistive technology as a means to improve postural mechanics. With the meta-analysis technique, similar data sets from different research studies can be coalesced into a single weighted, statistically significant result for subsequent consideration. The results from the analysis show that increased glove thickness results in decreased dexterity for operators thus increasing ergonomic risk factors such as task duration. It is also shown that glove thickness decreases grip strength but a similar decrease in pinch strength is not definitively demonstrated. With decreased grip strength, operators will need to exert more force (a known ergonomic risk factor) on processing tools, etc. during operations thus increasing the risk of ergonomic injury. The use of robotic assistive technology as a means to improve operator posture (risk factor) was also examined. Although it may be intuitively assumed that human-robotic collaboration would be beneficial in reducing risk factors, the result from this study’s analysis was not statistically significant. It is inferred that with additional directed research on this topic another study/analysis could be statistically significant demonstrating the benefits of the technology.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Develop and Manufacture an Ergonomically Sound Glovebox Glove Report

Ergonomic injury and radiation exposure are two safety concerns for the Plutonium Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). This facility employs the largest number of gloveboxes (GB) at LANL with approximately 6000 gloves installed. The current GB glove design dates back to the 1960’s and is not based on true hand anatomy, revealing several issues: short fingers, inappropriate length from the wrist to finger webbing, nonexistent joint angles and incorrect thumb placement. These design flaws are directly related to elbow (lateral epicondylitis) and thumb (DeQuervain’s tenosynovitis) injuries. The current design also contributes to increased wear on the glove, causing unplanned glove openings (failures) which places workers at risk of exposure. An improved glovebox glove design has three significant benefits: 1) it will reduce the risk of injury, 2) it will improve comfort and productivity, and 3) it will reduce the risk of a glovebox failures. The combination of these three benefits has estimated savings of several million dollars. The new glove design incorporated the varied physical attributes of workers ranging from the 5 th percentile female to the 95th percentile male. Anthropometric hand dimensions along with current GB worker dimensions were used to develop the most comprehensive design specifications for the new glove. Collaboration with orthopedic hand surgeons also provided major contributtions to the design. The new glovebox glove was developed and manufactured incorporating over forty dimensions producing the most comprehensive ergonomically sound design. The new design received a LANL patent (patent attorney docket No: LANS 36USD1 “Protective Glove”, one of 20 highest patents awarded by the Richard P. Feynman Center for Innovation. The glove dimensions were inputed into a solid works model which was used to produce molds. The molds were then shipped to a glove manufacturer for production of the new glovebox gloves. The new glovebox gloves were tested against the presently used glovebox gloves for design validity. The testing included a subjective survey and four dexterity tests. The prototype was statistically significant in 3 dexterity tests and favorable on 8 out of 10 survey questions. The more ergonomically sound glovebox glove will improve worker comfort, mitigate glovebox worker injuries, and reduce glove breaches.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2018

Ergonomic Safety and Health Activities to Support Commercial Nuclear Power Plant Control Room Modernization in the United States

Affordable, abundant, and reliable electricity generation is essential to fueling a nation’s robust and globally competitive economy. In the United States (U.S.), commercial nuclear power plants (NPPs) account for approximately 19% of reliable and cost-competitive baseload electricity generation. Other technologies that reduce reliance on fossil fuels and provide baseload electricity cost-competitively at a national scale are still under development. Thus, without suitable replacements for nuclear power, the generating capacity of nuclear energy in the U.S. must be continued through the safe and efficient operation of commercial NPPs. The U.S. De-partment of Energy’s (DOE) Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) research and development (R&D) program provides the technical bases for the long-term, safe, and economical operation of NPPs. One area in the LWRS program is the Plant Modernization pathway, which includes human factors R&D, human factors engineering (HFE), and ergonomics to enable the modernization of the instrumentation and control (I&C) technologies in NPP main control rooms (MCRs). DOE researchers, including ergonomics specialists at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) have collaborated with nu-merous commercial NPP utilities over the last few years on control room modernization. This paper summarizes recent ergonomics safety and health R&D and HFE performed in collaboration with a U.S. commercial utility to modernize their NPP MCRs.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Glovebox Ergonomics Basics for Ergonomists Course #50606 [Slides]

Upon completion of this course participants will: Have an understanding of common topics and terms associated with glovebox basics. Be able to identify common types of musculoskeletal disorders. Be able to identify high risk activities associated with glovebox activities. Be able to demonstrate knowledge of glovebox ergonomic controls and best practices. Be able to demonstrate knowledge of glovebox ergonomic design/usage guidance and best practices. Be able to demonstrate knowledge of preventable exercises for glovebox ergonomic injuries.

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗
DOE OSTI2016

Determination of an Ergonomically Sound Glovebox Glove Port Center Line

Determine an ergonomic glovebox glove port center line location which will be used for standardization in new designs, thus allowing for predictable human work performance, reduced worker exposure to radiation and musculoskeletal injury risks, and improved worker comfort, efficiency, health, and safety.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2017

Ergonomic Assessment of Countertop Height for the Design of a New Temperature Chamber (Final Report)

Units Under Tests (UUTs) will be serviced from a "countertop" that's located on the uppermost side of a new temperature chamber. An ergonomic assessment was performed to determine a working height that ensures the technicians will be able to reach the components inside the UUT in a safe and reliable manner. A review of the anthropometric data relative to elbow height was used to make this determination. Nominal work height was 41.89 inches for the population of interest, ranging from 5th to 95th percentile. After adjusting for the height and centerline dimensions of the UUT, the "countertop" was defined to be ~26.0 inches. Next, a range of working heights was defined to accommodate the tasks involved with servicing the UUTs: from 38.0 to 45.8 inches. These values were compared with design guidelines from the general literature. The results were found to converge relatively well with the external references.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2017

Dexterity and Worker Comfort in an Ergonomically Designed Glovebox Glove

Gloveboxes are prolifically used in nuclear facilities as the primary means of separation between the hazardous material and operators. Due to extended duration and high repetition of hand tasks in glovebox gloves, improperly fitting gloves can be uncomfortable and increase injury risks. Poor fit can increase time necessary to perform work tasks and stress the glove itself. The Plutonium Facility has the largest inventory of glovebox gloves at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) with approximately 6000 gloves installed. The current glove mold dates back to the 1960's and is not based on the true anatomy of the hand. Design flaws (poor anatomical fit and biomechanics) are directly related to injuries of the elbow (lateral epicondylitis) and thumb (DeQuervain's tenosynovitis) injuries. The current design also contributes to 30% of unplanned glove openings. A new glovebox glove was developed and manufactured, incorporating over forty dimensions to produce the most comprehensive ergonomically sound design. The new design received a LANL patent (patent attorney docket No: LANS 36USD1 'Protective Glove'), one of 20 highest patents awarded by the Richard P. Feynman Center for Innovation. A SolidWorks model was given to the manufacturer for production of the glove mold.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Industrial Ergonomics And Safe Lifting Practices: Food Depot [Slides]

Injuries happen when we go beyond what tissues can handle. It's repeated loading and subsequent failure of soft tissue that seem to account for most low back pain. This presentation discusses some common causes of workplace injuries and ways to reduce the likelihood of them happening.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2018

User Requirements Specification for the Universal Real Time Controller: Ergonomic Design for Placement of Three NI 9157/9159 Chassis

The Air Delivered Weapons Tester Development Group (2256) is currently designing a new type of test system, the Universal Real Time Controller (URTCON). The URTCON will provide the surveillance community with technologies that advance the state of knowledge in stockpile stewardship. Success for its implementation depends on whether the components comprising the URTCON can be reliably and accurately maintained in the field. A system is maintainable when the worker has visual and physical access to the components that need to be serviced. To address this need, a layout was determined that best facilitates the worker's ability to easily see and reach components. A list of user-system requirements was initially prepared to guide decisions affecting the layout. Then, five design options depicting various ways to lay out the components were evaluated. Based on this effort, a best design option was identified for implementation. It is expected that the design recommended herein will provide the workers with a workplace that permits unhindered access to the components requiring their attention.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗
DOE OSTI2018

Ergonomic glovebox workspace layout tool and associated method of use

The present invention provides an elongate tool that aides in the placement of objects and machinery within a glovebox, such that the objects and machinery can be safely handled by a user. The tool includes a plurality of visual markings (in English units, metric units, other units, grooves, ridges, varying widths, etc.) that indicate distance from the user within the glovebox, optionally broken into placement preference zones that are color coded, grayscale coded, or the like.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗