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Ergonomics in Metro passengers’ car

Ahmed Gaber Niazy Gaber

Eslam Adel Abd-Elnaeam Abd-Elrehem

1600048

1300267

Ergonomics MPD428

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What is Ergonomics ?

Ergonomics is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance.
Ergonomics is concerned with the ‘fit’ between people and their technological tools and environments.
Ergonomics is employed to fulfill the two goals of health and productivity. It is relevant in the design of such things as safe furniture and easy-to-use interfaces to machines.

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Types of Ergonomics

Physical ergonomics:

Physical ergonomics is concerned with human anatomical, anthropometric, physiological, and biomechanical characteristics.

Cognitive ergonomics:

Cognitive ergonomics is concerned with mental processes ('brain work'). Such as perception, memory, reasoning

Organizational ergonomics:

Organizational ergonomics is concerned with the optimization of sociotechnical systems, including their organizational structures, policies, and processes.

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Hong Kong MTR

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Why MTR ?

Hong Kong's subway system (Mass Transit Railway / MTR) is generally considered to be the best in the world. Passengers can enjoy all the benefits of high technology, safety, cleanliness, and fine planning. Tourists can use the system to enjoy all the excellent highlights and best shopping places in this unique city.
Hong Kong’s subway is also easy to use for foreigners because the signs, announcements, and calls are all in English, and there are helpful English-speaking staff. The cost for the service is quite low compared to the rest of the world.
At present, there are 11 subway lines in Hong Kong, and the following lines are the most used by locals and travelers.

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Displays in Hong Kong MTR passengers’ car

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1. The Route map

It gives many information, such as the entire route map and the name of each station, also it informs the next or the current station that the train is in by a lighting LED, and it guides you if you will exit from this door or from the opposite side also by LED.
Classification:

The route map is Representational display.

The LED is Qualitative display.

Good or Bad	Why ?
Bad	The viewing distance are not suitable with the fonts and the lines size.
Suggestions	There is no need to put all the lines, we can just put the current line and the points of intersections and make the map bigger.

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2. The caution tapes around the doors

It warns the passengers from being to close from some areas, and these areas are where the door slide to keep them away from the danger.
Classification:

Qualitative display.

Good or Bad	Why ?
Good	It’s compatible with the door, you see it you can know which area you should not put your body or hands on.
Suggestions	-

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3. The speaker

This display also informs the passengers what is the next or the current station and that is very useful to whom who can not see. Another important function is that it is an alarm for the emergency situations or to inform some important news.
Classification:

Auditory display.

Good or Bad	Why ?
Good	It helps when the people are sitting down and can’t see the map. And it’s a way of communication with the staff in any situation.
Suggestions	-

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4. Mind the gap sign

It is on the doors and warn the passengers to take care when they get out from the carriage, because of the difference levels of the carriage and the platform.
Classification:

Qualitative display.

Good or Bad	Why ?
Bad	People stand in the front of the door directly so the will able only to rotate their eyes with 40° max from the normal line of sight (25° with the horizontal).
Suggestions	Make the sign lower.

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5. Not allowed signs

These signs show what is not allowed to do inside the carriage, such as smoking or drinking and eating.
Classification:

Qualitative display.

Good or Bad	Why ?
Good	It’s not for emergency or something important, it's just to keep the place clear. So, no need to make it bigger or with different angle of view.
Suggestions	-

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6. Emergency situations instructions signs

There are some signs guide the passengers where they can find the fire extinguishers and how to use it, how to talk to the driver and ask for help, how they can open the door manually and how to evacuate the cars.
Classification:

Qualitative display.

Good or Bad	Why ?
Bad	The fonts are small, and in some situations, there is no enough light or there is a smoke.
Suggestions	Make the signs bigger with self illuminations.

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Controls in Hong Kong MTR passengers’ car

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1. Emergency call handle

It’s a handle used to allow you to talk to the MTR staff at the emergency situations.
Classification:

Discrete.

Good or Bad	Why ?
Good	It’s easy to be used and accessible, required small force to be operated and the label describe how to use it well.
Suggestions	-

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2. Ventilation windows lug

This lug is used to open the car windows to refresh the air inside the car in case of any smoke or if the passengers locked inside.
Classification:

Discrete.

Good or Bad	Why ?
Bad	Yes it require a small force that a normal woman can exert, but it need the both hands to be operated, and in the rush hours that could be difficult to act like the photo.
Suggestions	Make it opened with one hand.

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3. Open doors in emergency

The doors in MTR opens automatically but in the emergency situations there is a lever used to open the door by the passengers.
To get that lever you should first pull a hand to get access to it.
Classification:

Discrete.

Good or Bad	Why ?
Bad	The control that open the door need another one to be opened to get to it. That make it hard to be accessible and could consume much time that we don’t have in some situations. Also, the constructions to open the doors are a lot and there is a waring of fining in case of improper use may make the user afraid to use it.
Suggestions	The door should be opened with one control.

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Anthropometry in Hong Kong MTR passengers’ car

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1. Doors

The passengers’ car doors target 100% of people in width but only 97.5% in height as very tall people can’t get in without bow.
Also, it can pass too many passenger at the same time.

Good or Bad	Why ?

Suggestions

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2. Chairs

The chairs are made not to serve 100% of the passengers, but the most important was to make it compatible to the small space of the car. Its height is good and the strength, but the width is not and its material not soft.

Good or Bad	Why ?
Bad	Doesn’t serve all the passengers because it have a specific shape that countian the body.
Suggestions	To be benches more than it’s chairs so it can fit more people.

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3. Hanged rests

The hanged rests help the people to make them more stable while standing. The rests are made of soft materials and good finished.

Good or Bad	Why ?
Good	It fits the hand palm and the people length.
Suggestions	-

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4. Fixed rests

The fixed rests as the hanged rests help people to be stable, also have another function as it is a support for the hanged rests.

Good or Bad	Why ?
Good	It fits the hand palm and doesn’t matter the people length.
Suggestions	-

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Equipment layout in Hong Kong MTR passengers’ car

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1. The Route map

The route map placed in a high place with an angle. So, all the people in the car can see it and no one cover the sight of someone else because the height of the car is already small.
Also have an integrated light to make it visible.

Good or Bad	Why ?
Good	The orientation is good and near the door, the user is comfort with using it that there is no hard activates to bs done.
Suggestions	-

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2. The caution tapes around the doors

The caution tapes warns the people not to lean on the doors, especially the grooves that the doors go in while opening and not to put their hand there.

Good or Bad	Why ?
Good	The used color(Yellow) is good for warning, and easy to be identified.
Suggestions	-

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3. The Emergency controls and the displays

All the controls in the passengers’ car are for the emergency situations.
Each control has a sticker near it describe how to use that control.

Good or Bad	Why ?
Bad	Discrimination of controls is bad, as each control for the emergency has a different color, Will not be fast in the emergency situations, not all the controllers compatible with the displays.
Suggestions	Choose better colors to identify that they all a controllers for emergency and make it easier to be used.

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Biomechanics in Hong Kong MTR passengers’ car

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1. Lifting the fire extinguisher.

Recommended Weight Limit

RWL=LC x HM x VM x DM x AM x FM x CM

= 23 x 1 x 0.78 x 0.87 x 1 x 1 x 0.95

= 13.63 kg

The fire extinguisher = 5 kg

Good or Bad	Why ?
Good	Based on the recommended weight limit equation the normal passenger can carry a fire extinguisher up to 13.63 kg, and the used one is
Suggestions	We can use a bigger fire extinguisher.

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Environment in Hong Kong MTR passengers’ car

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1. light & Illumination

The light source in the car is artificial if the road is under the ground, and a mix between the natural and the artificial light.

Good or Bad	Why ?
Good	There is no important tasks to be done in the passengers' car, just the proper light to see the signs and that amount of lux is easy to be afforded.
Suggestions	-

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2. Temperature & humidity

The temperature and the humidity are easy to be controlled to suit the weather and make it in the comfort zone by the air conditioning system.
Generally, in Hong Kong:

Max Temp = 31.67 °C

Average Humidity = 77.0%

Good or Bad	Why ?
Good	Based on the comfort zone chart and the max. temp. and the average humidity it’s a good weather even without the air conditioning system
Suggestions	-

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3. Vibration

When something oscillates about a static position it can be said to vibrate. The vibration of a speaker diaphragm produces sound, but usually vibration is undesirable.
The average ride time is 24 min

Good or Bad	Why ?
Good	Based on the chart, for less than 30min the vibrations will not be harmless.
Suggestions	-

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4. Noise

Noise is any annoying, disturbing or unwanted sound.
The average noise is 64.33 dB
The average ride time is 24 min

Good or Bad	Why ?
Good	65 dB for 24 min will not be harmful.
Suggestions	-

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5. Ventilation

The ventilation in the passengers’ car is too important, as there too many people in the area and it’s too small to.
There are two ways for ventilation, the first one is by the air conditioning system and the other one is by the windows.

Good or Bad	Why ?
Bad	Average Passengers per car equal 312, and it’s a small enclosure(less than 4.25 m3/person) they need a minimum of 0.85 m3/ person. And that small windows can’t afford it.
Suggestions	Make the windows bigger to get a minimum of 0.85 m3/ person ventilation.