towards the professional engineering team

KDN PP 18194/08/2013(033606)
Issue 31
September- October 2015
TOWARDS THE
PROFESSIONAL
ENGINEERING TEAM
Highlights ................. 03
Opinion .................... 04
Feature I................... 08
Feature II .................. 13
Feature III ................. 16
KDN PP 18194/08/2013(033606)
Issue 31
September- October 2015
Editor’s Note
TOWARDS THE
PROFESSIONAL
ENGINEERING TEAM
Highlights ................. 03
Opinion .................... 04
Feature I................... 08
Feature II .................. 13
Feature III ................. 16
Dear MySET members,
Welcome to the Sept-Oct 2015 issue of ET Magazine.
Editorial Board
Advisor
Prof. Dato’ Abang Abdullah Abang Ali
Chief Editor
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suraya Abdul Rashid
Council Members
President
Prof. Dato' Abang Abdullah Bin Abang Ali
Deputy President
Prof. Ir. Megat Johari Bin Megat Mohd Noor
Vice Presidents
Ir. Asst. Prof. Ahmad Bin Tamby Kadir
Prof. Dr. Wan Mohammad Bin Wan Abdullah
Hj. Zaharuddin Bin Saidon
Prof. Dr. Wan Mansor Bin Wan Muhamad
Assoc. Prof. Ir. Dr. Abd. Rahim Bin Abu Talib
Secretary General
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tinia Idaty Binti Mohd Ghazi
Treasurer
Mr. Rahman Bin Wagiran
Ordinary Council Members
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suraya Binti Abdul Rashid
Ir. Rocky Wong Hon Thang
Ir. Abdul Aziz Bin Omar
Prof. Dr. Ishkandar Baharin
Ir. Azlan Abdul Aziz
Ir. Hj. Wan Ahmad Nizar Bin Zakaria
Prof. Dato' Dr. Abdul Hakim Juri
Dato' Dr. Ir. Hj. Abdul Rashid Maidin
Hj. Mohd Ghaus Ab Kadir
Mr. Samuel Devadasan
Contact Us
MySET Secretariat
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Disclaimer
Views expressed are not necessarily those of MySET. MySET
takes no responsibility for the consequences of any action
taken based on any information published in ET and neither
shall it be held liable for any product or service advertised in
the same. No part of this publication may be reproduced
without the permission of the publisher.
ET
September- 0ctober 2015
In this issue we feature four interesting articles contributed by our
MySET members. Firstly, we feature an opinion column entitled
“Towards the Professional Engineering Team”, written by Prof Ir.
Megat Johari Megat Mohd Noor, the Deputy President of MySET. In
this column he writes about the coexistence of engineering and
engineering technology or the lack thereof in the current market and
industries. He makes some comparison between how the two
disciplines coexist in other countries without the dilemma of
differentiation. It is hoped that a pathway to professional engineering
technologists and engineering technicians will fulfill the aspiration
towards the professional engineering team.
The second article is a continuation or Part II of the article written
by Assoc. Prof. Ir. Dr. Abd. Rahim Abu Talib, who is currently the
Senior General Manager (Technical) at MIGHT-METEOR Advanced
Manufacturing Sdn Bhd. Part I of the article entitled “The Key to
Innovation Success” was featured in the previous July-Aug 2015 issue
of ET Magazine.
The third article entitled “Ergonomics: Addressing the Comfort,
Safety and Well-Being of Humans”, is written by Prof. Dr. Rosnah who
served as MySET’s council member for the term 2012-2015 and is still
chairing MySET’s Ergonomics Interest Group. Discover the true
definition of ergonomics; it is neither economics nor agronomy and is
much more than ‘the chair design’
Finally, the fourth article is written by Ms Sharifah Allyana from the
Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) entitled “Impact
of Automated Speed Enforcement on Road Users”. Do you maintain
the designated speed limit or slow down when approaching fixed AES
speed cameras? Read the findings of the study which summarises the
observation of road user’s attitude towards the posted speed limit.
I hope you find all of the articles featured interesting and useful.
We very much welcome MySET members to contribute articles for ET
Magazine.
Warm regards
Suraya
Suraya
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suraya
Abdul Rashid
Chief Editor
Highlights
3
MySET’s Humanitarian Interest
Group: Malaysian Relief (MyRe)
ySET is trying to ramp up its humanitarian interest group, known as Malaysian Relief (MyRe), by using the Commission
for Reconstruction of Gaza initiative as the anchor. These initiatives are being led by Ir. Ahmad Tambi Kadir, the
chairperson of MyRe. The team also consists of representatives from Humanitarian Care Malaysia Berhad (MyCARE).
Looking at the world now with so many natural and man-made disasters, we strongly believe this is an area that MySET should
contribute in. But this effort requires a lot of funds and volunteers. We have submitted amendments to our rules to enable us
to collect donations. The purpose of MyRe is to oversee the management of Charitable Funds that are received, and to report
to the MySET Council.
M
The Commission for Reconstruction of Gaza has proposed that we set up office in Malaysia to cater for our region. They have
allocated around RM200,000 for two years. On 16th September 2015, MyRe agreed to:
1. Set up the Commission office in Kuala Lumpur to represent the Commission’s interests in Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei,
Pakistan and other countries around the area.
2. Jointly organise the 2nd One Billion Dollar Donation Campaign Conference with the Commission European Office tentatively
in London during March 2016. MyCARE will be the principal Malaysian partner.
Engineering Technologists and
Inspector of Works: Call for
Registration
ll graduates from Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) accredited Bachelor of Engineering Technology (BET)
programs can now register with the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) as Engineering Technologists. The details and
registration forms can be downloaded from BEM website (http://www.bem.org.my/v3/pdf/REA2015/EngTech.pdf).
Furthermore, a graduate who holds any Engineering Diploma qualification which is recognised by the Board shall be entitled
to be registered as Inspector of Works. The details and registration forms for Inspector of Workscan be downloaded from
BEM website (http://www.bem.org.my/v3/pdf/REA2015/IOW1.pdf).
A
September-October 2015
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4
Opinion
TOWARDS THE
PROFESSIONAL
ENGINEERING TEAM
Prof. Ir. Megat Johari Megat Mohd Noor
Deputy President of MySET
ngineering has grown very much, from a “trial-and-error” practice
oriented on problem solving, to a more theoretical oriented
approach with lesser emphasis on practical and technology based.
This can be seen from today’s engineering curricula. The twentieth century
saw a stronger emphasis on mathematics, engineering sciences and
research, which led to a subtle separation into engineering and
engineering technology disciplines. Despite both disciplines having been
in existence as separate entities in most part of the century, where
E
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September- 0ctober 2015
Opinion
5
education is concerned, the market and industry in general are
still unclear of their differentiated roles. This is equally true even
in the leading developed countries, the champions in
differentiating the disciplines.
Market and industry are more concerned on the end outcomes,
and are not able to differentiate the capacity of the engaged
engineers or engineering technologists. Those industry that are
concerned with the supervision and maintenance work will
continue to engage engineers, although engineering technologists
are more suited. Engineering technologists on the other hand
would like to be treated equally as engineers and get involved in
research and development, and complex engineering design.
Market and industry, and even the masses understand clearly the
differentiation with the technician group, despite it is part of the
“engineering team”, as technicians are known for solving well
defined problems. Efforts have been made by the champions of
“differentiation” to make both disciplines, engineering and
engineering technology, as explicit in their characteristics;
engineering is about solving complex problem and engineering
technology is about solving broadly defined problem.
In Europe, the two disciplines coexist, with their education
pathways; theoretical and practical oriented, without being
judgmental as to their differentiation. This is possible as
engineering is unregulated in Europe and dependent on the
market demand. Engineering education in Europe is however
“accredited” under the government or delegated nongovernmental authorities. Both disciplines and pathways continue
to flourish, as there is no regulation preventing graduates of
engineering technologists to compete with engineering graduates.
In countries where engineering is regulated, they are plagued with
the dilemma of the differentiation. The question is on whether
engineering technologists should be allowed to practice
engineering, despite their differentiated capacity. Proponents of
the x“unity” of the engineering team or “under the same roof”
concept believe that articulation into engineering is possible. The
Nay-Sayers are however adamant that fundamental engineering
education is essential and non-compromised, and engineering
technologists are equated as having an inferior fundamentals.
In the early years, Malaysia, which emulated the United Kingdom
model, has the pathway for those who were unfortunate to get a
full time engineering education, by undertaking an assessment,
after a period of work experience in engineering. It was open to
abuse where candidates could be coached to answer the
questions and yet without having the fundamentals. As most
countries’ education systems were more liberalised, greater
opportunities were made available for aspiring candidates to
undertake full-time engineering education. In Malaysia alone there
are now over 30 universities offering engineering programmes.
The assessment programme pathway has also ceased in
Malaysia, as with the country of origin, the United Kingdom.
Postgraduate engineering taught programmes at Master level,
which are readily available, have now become the basis for
qualifying unrecognised engineering degree. Sound fundamentals
In Europe, the two disciplines
coexist, with their education
pathways; theoretical and
practical oriented, without
being judgmental
September-October 2015
ET
6
Opinion
is expected in order to be able to solve complex applied
problem, at the Master level. These postgraduate
programmes could also be used for the said articulation
for engineering technologists.
The coming of another tier in Malaysia, the Competent
Engineer or Professional Engineer with Practice Certificate,
should ease further with using postgraduate engineering
education at the Master level as the articulation pathway
to Professional Engineer status. In the United States where
engineering practice is regulated, some of the states allow
the articulation without requiring any bridging for the
engineering technologists, but requiring fulfilling the extra
period of engineering training, such as doubling of the
training period. By virtue that engineering technology
education leads to practical oriented professional vocation,
and its closeness to the engineering discipline (acting as a
complement to engineering under the “engineering team”),
its articulation into engineering should be easier.
ET
September- 0ctober 2015
For now in Malaysia, we have to wait for the dust to settle
with the amendment to the Engineer Act and the approval
to form the Malaysian Board of Technology that caters for
engineering technology. Either, both Boards will be
responsible for engineering technology or only one of
them. A likely scenario is that both may register graduates
of engineering technology and a coordinated body is to be
formed between the two to conduct accreditation, which
is presently undertaken by the Malaysian Qualification
Agency. The Board of Engineers Malaysia has already
open up to graduates of engineering technology,
accredited by the Malaysian Qualifying Agency, to register
with them. Similarly the registration of Inspector of Works
(technicians) is also open. A pathway to professional
engineering technologists and engineering technicians is
indeed the next step, and thus fulfilling the aspiration
towards the professional engineering team.
8
Feature I
The Key to
Innovation
Success:
Part II
Assoc. Prof. Ir. Dr. Abd. Rahim Abu Talib
B.Eng, D.Phil, P.Eng
Senior General Manager (Technical),
MIGHT-METEOR Advanced Manufacturing
Sdn. Bhd. and Department of Aerospace
Engineering, Faculty of Engineering,
Universiti Putra Malaysia.
HOW TO MAKE A SUCCESSFUL
INNOVATION?
The innovation process involves a sequence of stages that
unfold over time. These stages occur at different levels of
abstraction or generalisation with numerous iterative elements
within each stage and between stages. These iterative and
generalisation components are an inherent part of the process
and the methods employed in the innovation process.
The methods employed in the innovation process are as follows:
a) Iterative Deepening: This is a method to search the unknown
for the unknown, and involves iterative development and
refinement of knowledge.
b) Searching and Exploration: Effective exploration methods
combine the elements shown in with individual and group
activities. This method is basically evidence-based search
and discovery.
c) Knowledge Synthesis: This method involves pattern
recognition and inductive reasoning.
Mastering abstraction and iteration allows the innovator to gain
the necessary knowledge, and to use it in the right ways, to
discover those new things that are unknown and valuable.
The steps involved in developing an innovative product are
summarised illustrated in Figures 2 and 3.
Figure 2: Steps in development of an innovative product
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September- 0ctober 2015
Feature I
9
Figure 3: Innovation process – from idea to innovation
September-October 2015
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10
Feature I
Evaluation Of Competitors’ Products
When it comes to starting a new business venture, it becomes
important for the entrepreneur to identify the following critical factors:
a) Opportunity: This refers to identifying business prospects and
involves determining the size, trend and growth of the current
market, as well as identifying the customers, their needs and
affordability for a potential product. It is crucial to identify the
competitors of the product in the existing market.
b) People: This refers to the human resources who will be involved in
the business venture, such as venture capitalists, marketing
consultants, accountants, project administrators, product
developers, et cetera. The people need to know why they will be
involved in the project, their roles and responsibilities, as well as
potential pitfalls associated with the project.
What Are Product Competitors?
Product competitors are business rivals who compete in the
same product class but offer different benefits, features and
prices. Hence, determining the performance of competitors’
products is a critical step in achieving customer satisfaction and
higher market share.
The Need for Competitor Analysis
a) Customer or market surveys are required in order to
understand customers’ needs. It is therefore impossible for
one to improve on his or her products and services without
these surveys.
b) It is imperative to determine which market analysis to be
worked on in order to attain higher market share, and market
share is not possible without an increase in customer
satisfaction with respect to performance of product, price or
delivery.
Competitor Analysis
a) Competitor analysis is performed by first doing a customer
satisfaction survey. Results of the survey provide us with a
gap analysis.
b) The customer satisfaction survey reveals the customers’
perception on our products and services versus our
competitors.
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September- 0ctober 2015
c) Context: This refers to the circumstances that form the setting
for the business venture. It is crucial to identify the goals and
objectives of the business venture (goals should be specific,
achievable and measurable), nature of the business, viability of
the venture in a designated market, that includes marketing
(segmenting, targeting and positioning), finance (list of all
possible expenditures, demand forecast, revenue) and
production (location, manufacturing operations, raw materials,
labour skills, space facility, overhead).
d) Risks and Rewards: This refers to all the risks and potential
threats that can prevent the business venture from reaching its
goals, as well as the rewards (revenues, profit) that will be
gained if the business succeeds.
c) It shall be highlighted that offering the best price for goods and
services does not guarantee that we will attain higher market
share. It is insufficient to merely improve on our products and
services; rather, we must understand what the customers are
thinking and how our competitors are performing relative to
this thinking.
d) The customer satisfaction survey results will reveal the
appropriate product and service quality characteristics which
are critical and important to the customers.
e) Upon knowing the customer requirements, we need to perform
two assessments. It is wise to segment our market place and
conduct these assessments across segments.
Process control assessment.
Process capability assessment of each competitor for each
product quality characteristic and service attribute.
f)
Process control assessment: We need to purchase or obtain
the product and/or measure the services being provided by
the competitors. It is crucial to understand how the product
will be sampled (e.g. batches, lots, etc.). The sampling scheme
is paramount to correct interpretation of the control chart and
results. We also need to assess our measurement system to
ensure reliable results.
g) Process capability assessment: This refers to a product
analysis on how well our competitors are meeting the
customers’ requirements. Assessment of capability is much
more tentative if the process is unstable.
Feature I
11
h) Finally, conduct process control and process capability
assessments for our own products, followed by a
comparative competitor analysis that compares our process
with those of our competitors. This analysis should include
analytical evaluation of the mean and variability.
The competitor analysis process is shown in Figure 4.
Conclusion
The best measure of innovation is market success. Engineers
and technologist have to ensure that in order to have a
successful innovation on new products and services, they need
to deliver the highest customer value at the minimum possible
cost in the shortest possible time.
REFERENCE
A.R Abu Talib and N. Abdullah, Innovation Methodology, Universiti Putra
Malaysia Press, Serdang, 2013.
Aerospace Malaysia Innovation Centre, www.amic.my.
C.R. Carlson and W.W. Wilmot, Innovation: The Five Disciplines for Creating
what Customers Want”, Random House, 2006.
Innovation Management, www.innovationmanagement.se/2011/09/16/howto-innovate-the-innovation-process/
K. Thiruchelvam, V.G.R Chandran, N. Boon-Kwee and W. Chan-Yuan,
Malaysia’s Quest for Innovation: Progress and Lessons Learned, Strategic
Information and Research Development Centre, Petaling Jaya, 2013.
Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre, www.impact.magic.my.
Malaysian Innovation Foundation, www.yim.my.
National Innovation Agency Malaysia, www.innovation.my.
O. Abdul Rahman, The Essentials of Science, Technology and Innovation
Policy, Academy of Sciences Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, 2013.
SRI International, The Five Disciplines of Innovation: An SRI Innovation
Partnership Program, 5 DOI Workshop, 2011.
V. Kumar, 101 Design Methods: A Structured Approach for Driving
Innovation in Your Organization, New Jersey: Wiley, 2013.
Figure 4: Competitor analysis
September-October 2015
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Feature II
13
Ergonomics: Addressing
the Comfort, Safety and
Well-being of Humans
Prof. Dr. Rosnah Mohd Yusuff
Chairperson for MySET's Ergonomics
Interest Group
Introduction
t is not surprising when ergonomics is mentioned, the
frequent response is ‘is it economics or is it related to
agronomy?’ or to those who had probably heard
something about it would say, ‘hmm… the chair design’.
It seems that ergonomics or human factors engineering
still receives this kind of reactions among novices not
familiar with the field. Though ergonomics was
popularised in the fifties in US and Britain, it is relatively
new in Malaysia. Only in 2011, the Human Factors and
Ergonomics Society of Malaysia (HFEM) was formed. A
very positive development in the field of ergonomics in
Malaysia is the setting up of the Ergonomics Excellent
Centre (EEC) by the National Institute on Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH), Malaysia in 2013 in view of
the rising number of occupational illnesses such as
musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).
I
How often when we use a product, objects or facilities,
instinctively we feel that the product should be better
designed and less complex; when we manoeuvre through
systems or websites, we sigh, feel exasperated and give
up? Or when we go through instructions, view displays,
or reach for objects we feel uncomfortable and wished
that the instructions are clearer, displays are easily
understood and seen, and that objects are placed within
our reach without the need to bend, extend our arms and
twisting our body. When we have to make decisions, are
we able to comprehend and process all the information
before us? How do we remember numbers, places and
names? Are the products, systems, jobs and tasks
comfortable, healthy and safe, easy to use and does not
cause us undue stress, physically, mentally and psychologically?
When systems, products, jobs and workplaces are not designed
within the capabilities and abilities of the human being, fatigue,
stress and strain, injuries and errors prevail.
So what is ergonomics? The word ‘ergonomics’ is derived from
two Greek words, ‘ergon’ meaning a unit of work, and ‘nomos’
meaning laws which when coined together refers to ‘the laws of
work’ or the science of work [1, 3]. In USA and some other
countries, it is called ‘human engineering or human factors
engineering’. The International Labour Organization (ILO) defines
human engineering as, “The application of human biological
sciences along with engineering sciences to achieve optimum
September-October 2015
ET
14
Feature II
mutual adjustment of men and his work, the
benefits being measured in terms of human
efficiency and well-being.” It focuses on
human beings and their interaction with
products,
equipment
facilities
and
environments used in the work and seeks to
change the things people use and the
environment in which they use the things to
match in a better way the capabilities,
limitations and needs of people [1, 2].
Thus, ergonomics or human factors
engineering emphasises on the need to
understand and gain information on the
limitations of human abilities and
characteristics which have an effect on the
design of equipment, systems, objects,
facilities and environment. Optimisation and
establishing
compatibility
between
technology and human is achieved through
considering of the human’s physical,
physiological,
biomechanical,
and
psychological capabilities. With ergonomics
design, efficiency and effectiveness with
which work is carried out is enhanced and
certain desirable human values at work such
as increase safety, comfort, user
satisfaction, decrease fatigue are achieved.
Ergonomics is ‘fitting the job to the worker’
rather than ‘fitting the worker to the job’.
We are always interacting with something on
a daily basis, be it at work or non-work
environment. This interaction, no matter how
simple or complex, must meet users’
expectations and needs in a safe, efficient
and pleasurable way. Although this
principle is basic, interaction between
humans and the product/machine does
not always occur [4]. According to
Karwowski et al. [5] the application of
ergonomic principles and knowledge to
the design process helps meet these
users’ expectations, thus reducing the risk
of malfunction or failures and the potential
for accidents, and contributes to the
product being more readily acceptable.
Work Related
Musculoskeletal Diseases
The main concern of ergonomics is workrelated musculoskeletal diseases. Recent
trends have shown that work related
musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and
compensation costs for this type of
disease are increasing in many industries.
Manual material handling that involves
lifting, bending, and twisting motion of the
torso is one of the major causes of back
pain. However, the frequencies of doing
these activities, the force required, the
temperature, vibration and duration of
doing this work may aggravate the
situation further. Since the 1970s and
1980s, there has been growing evidence in
the scientific literature of a link between
manual material handling (MMH) especially
lifting task and lumbar spine problem.
Improper manual material handling can
increase the likelihood of musculoskeletal
Figure 1: WRMD Cases from 1995-2014 (Source: Socso Annual Report,2014)[6]
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September- 0ctober 2015
injuries that might affect the performance of
the workers such as productivity and
quality may decrease.
Malaysia is also experiencing the same
problems as it moves towards becoming an
industrialised nation. Reports from SOCSO
indicated that the number of cases has
risen from three in 2003 to 675 in 2014. It is
believed that many cases have not been
Feature II
reported due to lack of understanding and awareness on
ergonomics. The number of cases as reported to SOCSO from
1995-2014 is shown in figure 1.
15
References
1.
Kumar, S. A. and Suresh, N., Production and Operations Management, 2 ed.
New Delhi: New Age International (P) Ltd., Publishers, 2008.
Anthropometry, Ergonomics and Design
Anthropometrics is an important branch of ergonomics which deals
with the measurement of body dimensions, its capacity and limits
of human ability. Anthropometric side of ergonomics aim to match
the physical form and dimensions of living or working environments
or products to those of its user. It has been considered as the very
basic core of ergonomics in an attempt to resolve the dilemma of
'fitting people to machines' 3[7]. Novak regards anthropometry as
a branch of anthropology which deals with physical characteristics
of the man in time and space, particularly with individual variation,
ontogenesis and generic development [8]. Knowledge about man
from the point of view of physical anthropometry is very useful for
the purpose of ergonomics and design.
Anthropometric data is important not only for product design but
also for various other applications. Studies have indicated that
body dimensions differ for various populations [9], depending on
countries [10]0], communities [11], ethnic group [12], gender [13,
14] and age [13, 14, 15].
2.
Kumar, S. A. and Suresh, N., Operations Management. New Delhi: New Age
International (P) Ltd., Publishers, 2009.
3.
James, R. L., "Human Factors Engineering," in Encyclopedia of Software
Engineering. vol. null, ed: Taylor & Francis, (2011), pp. 383-394.
4.
Soares, M. M. and Rebelo, F., "Ergonomics in design: solutions and
proposals for a better interface with the user," Theoretical Issues in
Ergonomics Science, vol. 13, pp. 1-3, 2012/01/01 2012.
5.
Karwowski, W., Soares, M. M., & Stanton, N. A., Human Factors and
Ergonomics in Consumer Product Design - Methods and Techniques. (2011).
Florida: CRC Press - Taylor & Francis Group.
6.
7.
Social Security Organisation. (2012) Annual report.
Wang, E.M., Wang, M.J., Yeh, W.Y., Shih, Y.C., Development of
anthropometric work environment for Taiwanese workers, Int. J. of Industrial
Ergonomics. 23 (1999) 3-8.
8.
Novak, E., The role of anthropometry in design of work and life environments
of the disabled population, Int. J. of industrial ergonomics. 17 (1996) 113-121.
The measurement of physical characteristics and abilities of people
provides information that is essential for the appropriate design of
occupational and non- occupational environments, as well as for
the design of consumer products, clothing, tools and equipment
[16].
9.
Rosnah, M. Y. and Wong, O. O., Development of an Anthropometric
dimensions database for the Malaysian population, ASEAN J.Sci. Technol.
Develop. 12 (1995) 67-77.
10. Kotiyal, K. and Tettey, S., Anthropometry for Design for the Elderly, Int J.
Conclusion
Knowledge on the limitations, capabilities and abilities of the human
can predict and justify good designs. To be efficient and less costly,
the ergonomic approach must start at the initial design phases with
a needs analysis and be applied throughout the design process.
However, corrective ergonomics involve modifications to existing
products, often in very restrictive limits, to overcome problems
relating to safety, health, comfort, and the efficiency of the manproduct system. Ergonomic design principles can help designers
create better designs and solve particular design problems.
Occupuational Safety and Ergonomics. 7 (1) (2001) 15-34.
11. Ghosh, J.R., Khatoon, Z., Bhattacharjee, A and Bandyopadhyay, A.R.,
Comparative Study on Anthropometric Variables in Two Communities of West
Bengal, India. Anthropologist. 7 (3) (2005) 217-219.
12. Yap W. S., Chan C. C., Chan S. P., Wang Y. T., Ethnic differences in
anthropometry among adult Singaporean Chinese, Malays and Indians, and
their effects on lung volumes, Respir Med. 95 (4) (2001) 297-304
13. Perissinotto, E., Pisent, C., Sergi, G., & Grigoletto, F., Anthropometric
measurements in the elderly, age and gender differences, British Journal of
Nutrition. 87 (2) (2002) 177-86.
As ergonomics is gaining importance in the Malaysian society and
the realisation that the lack of ergonomics is associated with
musculoskeletal disorders, designers have to take into
consideration the variability in the physical qualities of the potential
users, identifying their needs and requirements. A proactive
ergonomics approach is required. Greater awareness of its
importance among workers will create a better workplace and that
they do not have to live in a workplace that is uncomfortable,
unsafe and unpleasant.
14. Rosnah, M.Y., Sharifah Norazizan, S.A.R., Nurazrul, S.H., Tengku Aizan, H.,
Ahmad, H.H., Aini, M.S., Lina, G.S.C., Lo, W.C. & Mohd Rizal, H., Comparison
of Elderly Anthropometry Dimensions amongst Various Population, AsiaPacific Journal of Public Health 18 (2006) 20-25.
15. Suriah A. R., Zalifah M. K., Zainorni M. J., Shafawi S, Mimie Suraya S. Zarina
N, Wan Zainuddin W. A., Anthropometric Dimensions of the Elderly, Mal J.
Nutr4 (1/2) (1998) 55-64.
16. Feathers, D.J., Paquet, V.C. and Drury, C.G., Measurement consistency and
three dimensional electromechanical anthropometry. International Journal of
Industrial Ergonomics. 33 (3) (2004) 181–190.
September-October 2015
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16
Feature III
Impact of Automated
Speed Enforcement
on Road Users
Sharifah Allyana
Research Officer
Malaysian Institute of Road
Safety Reseach (MIROS)
allyana@miros.gov.my
n 2014, the road fatalities were 6,744 resulting from 476,196
road traffic crashes. And from this figure, 23% of fatal crashes
are related to speeding. On average, there are 18 road traffic
deaths and 1,305 road traffic crashes daily. The figure is alarming
and the government is adamant to reduce it to save more lives.
The Road Safety Plan of Malaysia 2006 – 2010 and Road Safety
Plan of Malaysia 2014 – 2020 outline the strategic framework to
deliver the long-term vision that was set for road safety in
Malaysia. In both plans, one of the strategies is to utilise state of
the art technologies to reduce human error for more effective
enforcement. Therefore, the government of Malaysia has
introduced an electronic enforcement programme called
Automated Enforcement System (AES) in 2012. Electronic camera
enforcement could serve many functions including bus lane,
overloading vehicles, multilane free flow, congestion pricing and
tailgating, speed and red light running violation.
I
This paper will discuss the effect of road users’ compliance with
the speed limit due to the introduction of AES at six fixed camera
locations. Fixed cameras are mounted in boxes at fixed locations
and can continuously monitor traffic speeds and digitally
connected to an electronic system. Each camera installed together
with the AES signboard approaching to the camera location.
Awareness and advocacy activities were carried out in order to
educate the road users prior to commencement of the AES
programme.
The study was carried out by using before-and-after study, and
spot speed was used to measure the road user speed limit
compliance. The spot speed study was carried out independently
from the said programme but at the same location as the speed
camera. This study was carried out using the out-of-road
technology with a device called Smart Sensor. The Smart Sensor
uses micro wave to operate. Data was collected a month before
ET
September- 0ctober 2015
Fixed AES speed camera
Feature III
17
the programme started and about five months after it was
implemented. And subsequently, data were collected about two
years after to programme to see if the effect remains the same. Data
collection was carried out during off peak period. Data was also
collected separately on weekdays and weekends to see the
different pattern. The data were collected in an hour duration during
the off peak hour.
The compliance with the speed limit at all study locations is shown
in Table 1. From all six locations, only Sungkai have more than 85%
speed limit compliance among road users before the speed camera
installation on weekdays. The data on weekdays also show the
compliance with speed limit was the lowest at Kajang (29.7%). After
six months of the automated speed programme, all camera
locations recorded compliance level more than 85%, except Leboh
Sentosa and two years later, all fixed camera locations recorded
89% and above compliance to speed limit. The highest increase in
speed limit compliance level was at Kajang with more than 60%
jump after a two-year period. This is due to the low level speed limit
compliance at the location before the installation.
In contrast with the pattern on weekdays, before the AES
installation, none of the locations had speed limit compliance more
than 85%. On weekends, the compliance with the speed limit range
between 40.9% and 81.7% of all six fixed camera locations. The
lowest speed limit compliance was observed at Kajang and the
highest at Sungkai before installation period. All six locations
showed a higher compliance level to speed limit on weekends after
the AES implementation, with an average compliance of 90%.
Sungkai recorded the highest speed limit compliance with 96.1%,
while Slim River recorded the lowest with 77.5% after six months
of the programme. Two years after the AES implementation, the
road users’ compliance to speed limit are above 90% for all six
locations on weekends.
Signboard approaching AES speed camera
according to locations. The findings of this study also similar to a
study carried out in New South Wales in 2005 where the study
revealed the percentage of vehicles exceeding the speed limit
reduces by about 70% to 90% along the camera sites.
A statistical analysis was conducted and it proved that the increase
in speed limit compliance is statistically significant at four locations
on weekdays and five locations on weekends. Speed profile alone is
not sufficient to indicate the effectiveness of the programme, thus
accident and injury data from the police has to be obtained to support
the evaluation study. Hence, the future study supported with crash
data will give more accurate evidence on the effectiveness of
automated speed camera programme.
The study summarises the observation of road users’ attitude
towards the posted speed limit. The compliance level used show
that before the AES implementation, road users did not obey the
posted speed limit. This practice holds true during weekdays and
weekends. However, the degree of non-compliance varied
Weekdays
Weekends
Speed Limit
(kmh)
Camera
Type
Before
(%)
After 6
months (%)
Sungkai
90
Fixed
86.3
98.0
96.7
81.7
96.1
95.8
Slim River
110
Fixed
74.2
86.1
91.3
56.1
77.5
90.3
Taiping
Location
After 2
months (%)
Before
(%)
After 6
months (%)
After 2
months (%)
110
Fixed
82.4
94.2
95.6
79.2
94.1
93.0
Kajang
90
Fixed
29.7
93.4
96.3
72.1
92.7
96.9
SKVE
80
Fixed
48.1
94.7
94.7
40.9
90.3
95.0
Leboh Sentosa
70
Fixed
57.1
80.5
89.9
74.5
90.2
90.3
Table 1. Compliance with speed limit before and after implementation
September-October 2015
ET
18
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