Baba Md Deros’s research while affiliated with Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia and other places

Fatigue has been strongly linked to posture comfort, and it has contributed to 15.7% of the total road accidents in Malaysia. This study aimed to develop a linear model to illustrate the relationship between the perception of driving comfort (subjective assessment) and muscle contraction (objective measurement) of the most comfortable and optimal driving posture angle for drivers. The sEMG tool was used to conduct the objective measurement on 14 respondents for assessing the upper muscle activity of the body, that are the Biceps Brachii (BB), Anterior Deltoid (AD), and Upper Trapezius (UT) which involved in controlling the car steering wheel. The measurement observed three driving posture parameters according to the angle of the elbow. Multiple linear regression (stepwise) was used to develop the linear model. Three linear models were developed for each of the postures involved and results showed that posture B with an angle at 134° is considered as the most comfortable posture position for driving with the lowest muscle contraction value at 15.67 μV (BB), 19.31 μV (AD), and 12.36 μV (UT) compared to the other two measured postures. A linear regression model was developed to show the cause and effect between subjective evaluation for the comfort level and the objective measurement for the muscle RMS value while driving. The linear regression is 55.858 + 1.384 (Muscle RMS) mm in μV. The regression model showed that only AD muscle is significant in influencing the respondent’s comfort level. This linear regression model will help researchers and vehicle manufacturers to develop a more comfortable and suitable driver seating area.KeywordsErgonomicDriving postureSurface electromyographyLinear regression

The occurrence of musculoskeletal diseases (MSDs) among oil palm harvesters has been studied extensively, but there is a lack of published studies on the evaluation of the range of harvesting movements. This information is important to design the ergonomic tools needed in the manual harvesting of oil palm. We examined the upper limb motion of oil palm harvesters to determine the effects of age and initial shoulder postures on their range of harvesting movements. Twenty male harvesters performed a manual push-pull-cutting technique (≥3 m fresh fruit branches (FFBs) height). The study was conducted by capturing the 1-D push-pull cutting technique harvesting movement via the Quintic system at the sagittal plane. The active range of harvesting movements during the harvesting phases and the range of the harvesting movement of the initial and maximum postures of their upper arms were calculated based on the kinematic data generated with the Quintic Biomechanics system (Version 29). Participants were divided into three groups based on their age, and two groups based on their initial support shoulder position, and dominant shoulder position. Data were analysed using the ANOVA and t-test. The joint movement angle pattern of the harvesters was classified into three phases: preparation, execution, and ending. The age-related variances for the initial and maximum support shoulder postures were determined. The range of harvesting movements and the active range of harvesting movements during the preparation phase at the support shoulder and wrist region were also observed. The initial support shoulder posture displayed a statistical variance in the maximum support and dominant range of harvesting movements of the shoulder. It was also linked to a reduced active range of harvesting movements for the support shoulder flexion and dominant wrist ulnar deviation at the preparation phase. Furthermore, the initial dominant shoulder exhibited a statistically significant difference for the dominant arm and a reduced active range of harvesting movements in the dominant wrist ulnar deviation at the preparation phase. This study produced important evidence about factors to be considered for the ergonomic design of harvesting tools and workplaces, especially within the oil palm industry.

The oil palm industry is one of the important sectors in Malaysia. The growth and development of this industry shows that Malaysia is the world second-largest oil palm producers. However, in the fresh fruit bunch (FFB) harvesting process, the harvesters are exposed to many types of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). The FFB harvesters tend to develop WMSDs especially the shoulders and trunk. Hence, it is important to identify the exposure levels, awkward postures and the reaction forces of muscle activity based on the posture and movement of the harvesters when using pole, chisel and loading spike during the harvesting process. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of the design of oil palm FFB harvesting tools on WMSDs of the upper body. Rapid Upper Limb Analysis (RULA) was used to investigate and assess the exposure level on the harvester body during the harvesting process. The assessment showed that the shoulders and trunk have high exposure level and undergo awkward posture. Human Musculoskeletal Model Analysis (HMMA) was used to identify the reaction force exerted on the muscle during the FFB harvesting process. In this study, 4 muscles were analysed including Triceps, Biceps, Erector Spinae and Psoas Major. The highest reaction force of 16.36 N was found on the left triceps when handling a loading spike. In conclusion, it is important to address the risks by reviewing all possible aspects that contribute to the WMSDs and interventions on the tool design, task and working shifts may be required.

Vehicle maintenance personnel maintain, install, dismantle and repair as well as use hand tools in the nature of their job. A study in this domain has its complexities as there are not many research regarding the vehicle maintenance industry. The purpose of this paper was to identify the factors and their relationships towards the development of musculoskeletal disorder (MSDs) among vehicle maintenance workers. Using a self-reported questionnaire, 150 participants from workshops in Malaysia were involved in this study. They consisted of 50 workers maintain cars, 50 workers maintain four-wheel vehicles, and 50 workers maintain buses. The exclusion criterion was the participant has not been involved in accidents that caused injuries such as bone fractures as well as tears in joints, ligaments, and muscles for the past 12 months. Statistical analysis was performed to assess the impact of risk factors on MSD prevalence. Through regression analysis, it was revealed that psychosocial, temperature, and posture factors were associated with symptoms of MSD prevalence with p < 0.05. Age, working hours, type of vehicle repair and body mass index also showed a significant relationship with MSD prevalence. Concerning the sources of risk, related factors, mechanism of injury, and potential intervention strategies to reduce the risk, this paper will focus on the causes, nature, severity, and degree of work-relatedness of MSDs. This identification of risk factors among vehicle maintenance workers can be used to better characterise the magnitude of the problem and formulate targeted prevention strategies with improved surveillance and more accurate data collection.

In the supply chain (SC), cost reduction always becomes the main aspect for the success of the competitive market. Minimizing costs in SC can be obtained through various methods. One of the methods is to coordinate decisions among members in SC. In the recent competitive, cost reduction is not only the main objective but also carbon emission reduction has become serious problems in SC. To achieve that, coordination in SC should cover both performances to achieve green SC. Therefore, this paper proposes a framework for developing a green coordinated decision model (GCDM) under costs and carbon emissions consideration. The model considers the decision-making process for solving inventory replenishment problem in SC to solve the economic and environmental problem. The developed framework is based on reviewing the past literature on the SC decision model. There are four major steps of the proposed framework: 1) defining actors and operations involved in supply chain, 2) defining parameters, variables, and performance of the model, 3) defining the modeling process, and 4) verification and validation of the model. This framework contributes to the knowledge where the modeler can provide an insight in generating an accurate decision model and its solution to improve the environmental performance.  Â

This study aims to determine the job satisfaction (JS) level among professional driving instructors (PDIs) in the driver training and licensing system in Malaysia. Specifically, it looks at the influence of income level and remuneration scheme on PDI's satisfaction. The average income of PDI is relatively low with three remuneration schemes: fixed income; fixed income plus commission; and commission only. The study adopted the cross-sectional survey using the 20-item Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) (short-form) with end-specified 10-point scale. Analysis of the data revealed that PDIs with higher income are more satisfied with their job, t (179) =-3.248, p = 0.001. Similarly, three level One-way ANOVA of JS scores with three remuneration schemes revealed a significant difference of JS across these schemes, F (2,178) = 3.51, p ≤ 0.032. Researchers' further exploration found a significant interaction between these two variables (income level vs. remuneration scheme), F (5,175) = 4.88, p = 0.001. In general, PDIs with higher income are more satisfied with their job only if they received it as a fixed income (regardless of having commission or not). This insightful finding can be a basis for relevant stakeholders in understanding the influence of income and remuneration scheme towards JS among PDIs in Malaysia.

Lane Change Assistance (LCA) system in cars can potentially mitigate blind spot related crashes; but its effectiveness largely depends on driver acceptance and proper use. Although still in early stages, the volume of cars equipped with LCA system is expected torise in the near future as the technology has been considered in the New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN NCAP) 2017 Rating Scheme. Therefore, this study is initiated to assess user acceptance of and experience with LCA-equipped cars. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to owners of LCA-equipped cars at selected service centres in the Klang Valley from November 2016 to February 2017. From a total of 276 valid responses, results revealed that most owners greatly considered LCA system when purchasing their cars and agreed that the systems had positively altered their driving behaviours i.e. regularly using the turn signal and checking the side mirrors. Nevertheless, about 20% of the respondents stated theirannoyance and distraction by the LCA systems due to unnecessary warnings from various sources, aside from getting too many warnings during traffic congestion. The study findings provide some practical implications that can aid the industry and relevant stakeholders in gauging the issue and actual situations concerning the use of LCA system in Malaysia.

The palm oil industry is the backbone of Malaysian commodities market that contributed to the nation economic stability. In order to sustain and stay competitive, this industry needs to continuously improve its productivity and process efficiency. Benchmarking techniques can be used to identify and investigate palm oil industry best practices adopted by palm oil planters and millers. Past studies showed that the success of benchmarking initiative is very much dependent on top management's commitment and leadership. This paper aims to discuss managers' perception on the importance and actual practice of eight attributes of top management's commitment and leadership in palm oil mills benchmarking implementation and the relationship of attribute's actual practice with company age. A survey questionnaire was sent to 350palm oil mill's middle managers in Malaysia. The survey response rate was 51%. Analysis of the survey results shows significant differences between respondents' perception on the importance and actual practice of the eight attributes of top management's commitment and leadership. In other words, they have high perception of importance for the eight attributes; however, in reality the practice of attributes is still low.The actual practice of each attributes decreased as the company age increased. In conclusion, to ensure benchmarking implementation success, top management need to practice these attributes systematically.

This review article aimed to analyse existing literature regarding the roles and performance of professional driving instructors (PDIs) in novice driver education (DE). A systematic classification scheme was adopted to analyse identified articles to determine the study context of PDIs in novice DE, the competency level of PDIs in relation to experienced and learner drivers and the contributions of PDIs to the novice driver learning process. A total of 14 original research articles were identified, with no systematic reviews or meta-analyses available. Overall, all of the articles were found to be inadequate in providing an in-depth understanding of the roles and performance of PDIs in novice DE. There is an urgent need to improve current understanding of the roles of PDIs in novice DE and to work towards an internationally recognised PDI management approach.