From normative compliance to operational reality: An ergonomic study of valve design for offshore platforms.
Background: The design of valves in continuous process industries, such as on Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) platforms, often shows a significant gap between regulatory standards and the practical needs of operators and maintainers. While integrating ergonomics in the early proj...
| Published in: | Work Vol. 85; no. 1; pp. 17 - 28 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | pictorial research tables/charts Journal Article |
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Sage Publications Inc.
Sep2026
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=196818291&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 196818291 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 10519815 3RC jtl: Work issn: 10519815 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Sep2026 vid: 85 iid: 1 pid: 344 pub: Sage Publications Inc. place: Thousand Oaks, California artinfo: ui: 196818291 191692073 196818291 196818291 10.1177/10519815261421562 196818291 ppf: 17 ppct: 11 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: P tig: atl: From normative compliance to operational reality: An ergonomic study of valve design for offshore platforms. aug: au: Silva Medeiros Correa, Sarah Marins, Camila Pinheiro Bittencourt, João Marcos Duarte, Francisco Jose de Castro Moura affil: Production Engineering Program, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro RJ 21941-853, BRA sug: subj: Manufacturing Industry Brazil Oils Gases Ergonomics Blue Collar Workers Psychosocial Factors Professional Compliance Equipment Design Organizational Efficiency Occupational Safety Brazil Qualitative Studies Descriptive Research Case Studies Document Analysis Seminars and Workshops Interviews Content Analysis Thematic Analysis Occupational Health ab: Background: The design of valves in continuous process industries, such as on Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) platforms, often shows a significant gap between regulatory standards and the practical needs of operators and maintainers. While integrating ergonomics in the early project stages can improve efficiency and safety, a disconnect persists between a design's formal compliance and its usability. Objective: This study aims to analyze the ergonomic challenges and systemic barriers that limit the integration of operational knowledge in the valve design process on FPSO platforms. Methods: A qualitative, descriptive case study was conducted on two FPSO platforms operating on the Brazilian coast between September 2022 and March 2024. Data were collected from multiple sources, including technical document analysis, interviews, participatory observation, and valve design review sessions. Activity ergonomics guided the research to integrate user knowledge into design specifications. Results: The research identified that the rigid application of valve categorization criteria and a lack of adaptation to local anthropometric data lead to a design that does not fully meet user needs. Case studies show that compliance with standards fails to guarantee usability, resulting in design decisions that prioritize one component at the expense of another's accessibility. Conclusion: The effective integration of ergonomics and operator knowledge in early stages is essential for safer and more efficient design, but participation alone is insufficient. This study concludes that project processes and tools must be enhanced to systematically transfer operational knowledge to engineering, aligning normative requirements with actual work demands. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: pictorial research tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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