Aidé Aracely Maldonado-Macías

1. Working From Home (WFH), with its full or hybrid modalities, has remained an option for workers and employers worldwide. Senior executives from approximately 500 businesses across various indust...

While the discipline of Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE) has expanded globally, the specific sociotechnical realities of developing nations have long remained

In today’s world, mental workload (MWL) is one of the main reasons that university faculty members leave their profession. They are exposed to conditions that favour MWL, such as teaching 20 or more hours per week, attending five or more students per semester, leading research projects, and performing administrative activities. All this favours the increase in MWL levels, causing adverse effects on their well-being and performance. A hypothetical model was proposed to determine the MWL level to which university faculty members are exposed to. Subsequently, a questionnaire containing the items and scales of the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) method was administered via e-mail to 44 university faculty members. The data were captured in Excel® and subsequently in SPSS Statistics® 25. A mediation analysis of Andrew Hayes’ model 4 was performed for hypothesis testing. As a result, it was observed that MWL only directly affected the variables Stress and Mental Fatigue of 0.0154 and 0.0117, respectively. However, Stress had direct effects on Headache (0.5225), Mental Fatigue (0.6822), Irritability (0.5286), Depression (0.3132), Anxiety (0.6582), and Weight Gain (0.7459). In conclusion, university faculty members are exposed to working conditions that can generate a high MWL, affecting their performance and well-being.

This research applies conjoint analysis to identify ergonomists’ preferences for range of motion (ROM) categories and associated ergonomic risk levels in posture evaluation. Ergonomists play a vital role in assessing postures, but limited data exist on their priorities in defining ROM categories and risk levels. Conjoint analysis provides a method to quantify these preferences, potentially informing ergonomic guidelines. Ergonomists evaluated proposals with varied ROM ranges for different postures, selecting range categories that allowed for quantifying their preferences relative to ergonomic risk levels. Conjoint analysis (significance level of 0.05) findings show a strong preference for wider ROM categories for body segments with greater mobility, such as the upper arm (utility value: +1.894) and lower arm (utility value: +2.261), compared to segments with lower mobility, such as the neck (utility value: +1.147). This suggests ergonomists prioritize broader ROM ranges when assessing segments with extensive movement capacity. By quantifying these preferences, this research contributes to more targeted ergonomic interventions, supporting safer workplace designs that align with expert evaluations of posture-related risks.

The COVID-19 pandemic imposed a shift to telework, and psychosocial risk factors (PRFs) became increasingly relevant in the teaching context. This study aims to compare the levels of psychosocial risk across the categories of working time organization and the organizational environment, as well as the domain of lack of control over work during the pandemic and post-pandemic periods, according to the NOM-035 Mexican standard Reference Guide III. Two samples from the pandemic and post-pandemic periods were compared with 202 (58%) and 119 (34%) university teachers, respectively. The prevalence of the risk level was compared using a two-proportion difference test. Spearman’s correlation analysis was used to examine relationships between total scores across categories and domains. The results show that during the pandemic, 62.37% of teachers reported a high level of risk due to the organization of working time, compared to 37.81% post-pandemic. Significant differences in proportions (prevalences) between the two samples are reported for the null (p = 0.013) and very-high-risk (p = 0.000) categories. The working-time category organization posed a high level of risk during the pandemic. The difference in the two-proportion test indicates that the prevalence of the very high-risk level was higher during the pandemic. On the contrary, the prevalences for the null and low-risk levels are lower than those reported during the post-pandemic period.

This research explores key factors for implementing ergonomics programs in Mexico’s manufacturing industry from the perspective of middle and senior management. Data were collected from 36 companies in six sectors in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, which has 320 manufacturing industries employing over 318,000 people. A validated survey with 105 items on a five-point Likert scale assessed factors during five implementation stages: planning, start-up, work improvement, long-term development, and benefits. A total of 248 participants, including technical and management staff, contributed to the study. The analysis involved data collection, database cleaning, and the interpretation of median values. Findings emphasize the importance of addressing employee disabilities, accidents, and illnesses during the planning process. Sharing real case studies at the start can enhance the understanding, and engaging employees is vital for work improvement. Long-term program development involves tracking records and evaluating medical care costs post-implementation. By addressing these factors, companies can enhance employee skills and corporate image while reducing accidents and illnesses, ultimately leading to a healthier and more productive work environment. Longitudinal studies provide valuable insights into the development of these relationships. By monitoring changes in employee perceptions and administrative policies over time, researchers can identify patterns that inform effective practices.

This chapter presents a comparative analysis of the main laws and regulations related to ergonomics and human factors (HFE) in Latin American countries that are members of the Latin American Union of Ergonomics and Human Factors (ULAERGO). In addition, international standards and tools, such as those from the Internacional Organization for Standardization (ISO) are also considered. Several strategies were employed to collect data, including the developed of an electronic questionnaire distributed to the presidents of the Latin American Ergonomics Associations, and at least one representative from each country. In addition, a series of remote interviews were conducted with the presidents, and two specialists from non-associated countries also participated. Supplementary information was gathered through the official websites and digital libraries of standards published by each government. As a result, 293 regulations from 17 countries were compiled. The analysis compares the number of laws, decrees and ISO standards approved by each country and presents the proportion of regulations by HFE discipline are examined and discussed, including a comparative summary of the regulations governing the different load limits in Latin America, as well as the scope of the corporate management and the verification methods used. Finally, key recommendations are proposed to harmonize practices and improve the implementation of regional legislation.

Usability, a key concept in product ergonomics, enhances human-centered interaction in product development, making it crucial for competitive innovation. This chapter outlines a structured review and classification of the existing literature on usability in product design, examining its application, evaluation, and academic presence. Through a descriptive, analytical methodology, the study identifies 42 theoretical contributions and categorizes 14 critical usability factors into four main classifications: validation, interaction, initial design factors, and qualitative attributes. Analysis shows the United States as a leading region in usability research (51%), with Latin America contributing only 7%, indicating potential for broader global studies. Findings reveal a consistent rise in usability-related publications since the 1980s, underscoring the enduring relevance and expanding academic focus on this topic, showing that the subject remains prevalent in academic publications.

The design of wave soldering pallets (WSPs) for Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) used in electronic devices is a laborious process for humans. This study aims to analyze mental workload and human error to recommend interventions that improve the design process. A hierarchical task analysis (HTA) decomposed the tasks, and the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) evaluated the mental workload. The systematic human error reduction and prediction approach (SHERPA) and the Human Error Calculator (HEC) were also applied. The creation of blueprint drawings has the highest probability of human error. Recommendations, such as modifying and standardizing information for drawings, were provided.

Background: This research focuses on designing a structural equation model to estimate the effect of mobbing and burnout on performance (job and personal) among administrative staff in a state government office in Mexico. The model proposes the existence of two predictor variables (mobbing and burnout), which influence the level of employee performance. Objective: The present study aims to develop a structural equation model to identify the relationships and effects between burnout syndrome, mobbing, and performance in administrative personnel. Methods: This is a non-experimental, descriptive, and correlational study. The sample size was 188 participants. The following questionnaires were administered: the Inventory of Violence and Psychological Harassment at the Workplace (IVAPT), the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) General Survey, a job performance evaluation, and a general data sheet that included informed consent. For data analysis and processing, the statistical software SPSS 20 and SPSS Amos 23.0 were used. Results: The instruments demonstrated validity and reliability, with an overall Cronbach's alpha of α = 0.899. The results briefly indicated that burnout has a significant negative effect on job performance (−0.642), while mobbing has a significant positive effect on burnout (.646). In contrast, the direct effect of mobbing on job performance was found to be non-significant (0.248) in the investigation. Conclusions: It is concluded that an inverse relationship exists between burnout and job performance, where burnout increases and job performance decreases.