BACK TO THE FUTURE

Anecdotal and published reports of cabs which do not enable drivers to attain and maintain healthy postures have resulted in a variety of misunderstandings, knee-jerk responses and best-guess control measures. Inadequate... [ view full abstract ]

Anecdotal and published reports of cabs which do not enable drivers to attain and maintain healthy postures have resulted in a variety of misunderstandings, knee-jerk responses and best-guess control measures. Inadequate evidence, difficulties in investigation and differing agendas of those involved all exacerbate the problem.

Using ergonomics as the underlying discipline, Southern Railway adopted a triangulated approach of observation, consultation and measurement to explore the issues of anthropometric fit, the role of driver training, addressing driver perceptions and the provision of equipment to enable justified cab improvements to be made.

Over a period of four years, the project deliberately adopted a back-to-basics programme of ergonomics techniques to gather information, inform the recommendations and monitor improvement measures. These included driver surveys, fitting trials, usability trials and stakeholder engagement throughout.

This poster presents the process, the methods involved, the pragmatic strengths and weaknesses and the outcomes of an improvement programme for existing cabs and a specification for future cabs evaluation.