Ergonomic tool specification guidelines

The need for tools designed with ergonomics and body mechanics intentions is not a new issue, but awareness of it is. The highest risks are encountered when a job or tool requiring a combination of force: and precision is used repeatedly without sufficient rest for the body to recover. This project attempts to integrate hand tool information, applications of manufacturing assembly operations and ergonomic tool specification guidelines into an expert system. These guidelines were then elaborated on, in order to develop a prototype expert system that would select a generic tool based on job requirements and specifications. In addition, an expert system was developed to diagnosis existing injuries and cumulative trauma disorders based on symptoms of this disorder. The diagnosis was followed by injury causes and methods to avoid injuries with hand tools as the key ergonomic improvement.