Ergonomic design of a Barber's workstation

Abstract

Long hours of work while standing have been known to cause health problems for humans. Such professions include that of the barber. A survey was conducted in barber shops in the Dhahran area to determine the discomfort level of barbers. A workstation was then designed and constructed in which the barber sits and performs work. The workstation was tested by experiments by ten barbers in the Systems engineering dept. at K.F.U.P.M. These barbers were among those surveyed earlier in their shops. Their discomfort level was again taken and an experiment was conducted to find the shape of the footrest. The barbers also evaluated the barbers chair through a questionnaire. The discomfort levels obtained while standing and sitting were statistically analysed. From the results, it was concluded that the mean of the discomfort level while standing tends to be higher. A survey of five commercially available customer chairs was also conducted and analysed as a case study in Saudi Arabia.