Program Presentation
The assessment of a position at a workplace should allow one to identify conditions that could possibly affect the worker´s health. Such conditions should include the consideration of excessive mental stress.
Ergonomics based on a broad concept of health, proposes to improve those aspects of the work environment that affect the whole person. The ultimate goal is to reach comfortable working conditions that do not physically, mentally, or socially harm the worker, while at the same time allowing for enhanced personal development through job performance.
In order to deal with the problems of mental workload in an efficient manner, as with any other problem, it is essential to base the solutions on systematic knowledge of the situation obtained through inquiry, a process known as "risk assessment" and in this particular case, "psychosocial risk assessment."
For effective preventive measures, it is important to have an accurate understanding of the problems in the work environment. This is why the specialization in Ergonomics and Psychology takes into account information provided by all participants from the technical specialists knowledgeable about different risks, to the affected workers themselves.
Who is the programme for?
The proposed training methodology coupled with the clarity, scope and the teachings of content design, enables to direct the Program on Ergonomics and Applied Psychosociology to all those prevention technicians carrying out research on physical and psychical, emotional conditions and behavior that affect workers.
For its specificity and technical character, it is highly recommended for people who want to carry out this program to have a basis in Science and have prior knowledge in the field of Ergonomics and Applied Psychosociology.
Diploma
Successful completion of the Program will enable you to be awarded the degree in Experto Universitario en ERGONOMÍA Y PSICOSOCIOLOGÍA APLICADA.
After successfully completing the Program, the student will receive the degree as awarded by the University where they have enrolled.
Program Structure
The credit structure of the Ergonomics and Applied Psychosociology program is shown in the following table. It should be noted that the duration is merely indicative, as the methodology followed integrates the knowledge and skills to be acquired in each part through integrative exercises of knowledge acquisition and internalization of project practices:
| CREDITSa | |
|---|---|
| Subjects | 15 |
a. The equivalence in credits may vary according to the university where he/she has enrolled. One (1) ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) credit is equivalent to 10 + 15 hours. If the student is enrolled in a university that does not belong to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), the relation between credits - hours may vary.
Duration
The program in Ergonomics and Applied Psychosociology has 15 credits.
The duration of the program in Ergonomics and Applied Psychosociology varies between 6 and 9 months, depending on the student's dedication. In this period of time, the student must have successfully passed all the evaluated activities and approved the Final Project, if any.
Objectives
General Objective:
- The main objective of the Ergonomics and Applied Psychosociology Program is to train competent professionals in carrying out prevention plans, with respect to working conditions which may affect the health of the people who occupy a particular position.
Specific Objectives:
At the end of the Program, the student will be able to:
- Analyze the factors that must be taken into account to carry out an ergonomic study and its application to the workplace.
- Create suitable working conditions from the standpoint of lighting.
- Identify the problems and main elements of workstations with PVDs that must be ergonomically positioned as well as becoming familiar with the requisite conditions under which the elements must be arranged.
- Identify risk factors, carry out assessments, and implement corrective measures for manual handling of loads with unacceptable risk.
- Establish a questionnaire-based methodology of evaluation of psychosocial factors.
- Intervene in workplace organization, management styles and individual workers.
- Present results based on evaluative and descriptive profiles and recommendations to improve the psychosocial situation based on the obtained assessment.
At the end of the Program, the student will have knowledge of:
- The importance of good lighting in work zones to prevent or minimize accidents.
- The design process of workspaces and the corrective measures of any deficiencies observed in the places already in service.
- The concept of physical workload and the main muscular-skeletal disorders resulting from working postures.
- The various psychosocial factors relating to the individual, both organizational and task-based, that can have an impact on health.
- The purpose and methodology for evaluating psychosocial factors as well as the steps to take for improvement.
- The various forms of psychosocial intervention affecting the management, organization of the workplace and individuals, as the result of a diagnosis of working conditions.
Career Opportunities
Some Career Opportunities in the Program in Ergonomics and Applied Psychosociology are:
- Independent Consultant in Labor Risks Prevention.
- Adviser in Organizational Prevention
- Audit Agencies.
- Training Technician.
Study Plan
The Ergonomics and Applied Psychosociology Program is composed of one subject, that teaches, first, the historical, conceptual and theoretical principles involved in prevention management and, second, their organizational, social, and technological implementation.
The goal is for students to acquire a global vision of prevention plans that every company should follow, in order to have a better understanding of the real extent of the risks arising from working environments of and their influence on people. It seeks to attain comfortable working conditions, so that workers are not adversely affected physically, mentally, or socially allowing individuals to advance through their respective jobs.
The subject is structured according to a coherent pedagogical sequence. Each chapter is divided into basic thematic units or chapters, the contents of which should be studied to successfully answer the assessment activities.
The chapters that comprise the Program are shown in the following table:
| CAPÍTULOS | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Models and Methods in Ergonomics |
| 2 | Annex I: Statistical Methods applied to Ergonomics and Psychosociology |
| 3 | Annex II: Research Techniques in Ergonomics |
| 4 | Annex III: Anthropometry |
| 5 | Assessment, Prevention and Quality Control Indoor Environment |
| 6 | Annex I: Evaluation of Thermal Well-being using the PMV and PPD Indexes |
| 7 | Annex II: Evaluation of the Physical Work Environment |
| 8 | Display Screens |
| 9 | Annex I: Lighting in Workplaces |
| 10 | Annex II: Controls and Signals |
| 11 | Manual Handling of Loads |
| 12 | Evaluation of the risk derived from Working Postures |
| 13 | Measurement of Physical Load Factors: Observation Methods |
| 14 | Annex I: Evaluation of Dynamic Physical Workload |
| 15 | Mental Workload |
| 16 | Methods for the evaluation of Mental Workload |
| 17 | Attitude Scale |
| 18 | Strategies for the Implementation of a Psycho-social Action Plan |
| 19 | Appendix I: Change as a Decisive Aspect of the Strategic Management of Human Resources |
| 20 | Work Stress |
| 21 | Psychological Harassment: Mobbing |
Management
- Dr. Eduardo García Villena. Doctor in Project Engineering: Environment, Safety, Quality and Communications from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. Academic Director for the Environment Area at the Ibero-american University Foundation.
- Dr. (c) Lina Pulgarín Osorio. Doctor in Projects from the Ibero-american International University (in process). Master in Comprehensive Management Prevention, Environment and Quality from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. Academic Coordinator for the Master in Occupational Risk Prevention and associated Specializations.
FUNIBER Training Scholarships
The Ibero-American University Foundation (FUNIBER) periodically delivers an economic baseline with extraordinary character for scholarships in FUNIBER Training.
To apply for it, you only need to send your application for a scholarship on the website’s main page with the required data, and the evaluation committee will examine the suitability of your candidature to be granted economic aid, in the form of a scholarship in FUNIBER Training.