KANBrief 2/21
Under its KANPraxis brand, KAN provides occupational safety and health experts with the best possible support: the brand encompasses ergonomics tuition modules, and tools for searching for standards, applying anthropometric data and designing machinery ergonomically.
The functions of the NoRA OSH standards search tool have been enhanced. The database, which is updated monthly and contains bibliographic data and information on over 10,000 standards relevant to occupational safety and health, has been redesigned and now meets the requirements for accessible website design.
NoRA offers functions for conducting searches of standards according to hazards or areas of applications (subjects). The hit list also contains the tables of contents and abstracts of the standards. ErgoNora provides additional support specifically for searches for standards in the sphere of ergonomics. Subscribe (free of charge) to the NoRA ticker to receive a monthly overview of standards that have recently been published, revised or withdrawn or that are at the public inquiry stage. The overview is customized to your particular areas of work. In the course of the revision, the ticker has now also been made available in English.
Standards governing ergonomics can assist in the design of work equipment and organization of safe workplaces. However, in order for standards to be applied from the design process onwards, comprehensive information on their content must be imparted during the training of designers. In order to improve training in the field of ergonomics, KAN offers lecture materials, focusing on mechanical and plant engineering. The eight modules, which are available free of charge and contain over 500 slides with video sequences, cost-benefit analyses and case studies, communicate the principles of ergonomics and in-depth knowledge of special application cases. Test questions with model answers are also available for teaching staff.
Ergonomic design of machinery is expedient if work on machinery is to be optimized for the workers concerned. The KANPraxis resource provides a catalogue of good-practice examples from the spheres of machine tools and in-plant transport equipment. Selective searches for machines, issues and detailed solutions enable the factors determining a well-designed machine to be identified and the relevant aspects to be considered during the design process. The catalogue of examples is useful for the standardization and design of machines and for manufacturing and purchasing.
The portal was discontinued in June 2023.
Taking anthropometric data into account during the design of work equipment is a part of adapting products to the needs of the human body. This free online guide provides support to engineers and members of standards committees in selecting and applying anthropometric data during product development and the drafting of standards. With its user-friendly format, the guide provides information for example on where up-to-date data can be found and how they can be evaluated and best applied in practice.
Valentina Rössel
roessel@kan.de