Ergonomic Interventions in the Workplace: A Case Study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the physical workloads for packing tasks in a printing ink manufacturing factory located in northern Taiwan, with an aim to lower the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among the workers. The BRIEF checklist and Key Indicator Method (KIM) were used to evaluate and identify the MSD risk factors associated with the ink packing tasks. The data collected include material weights, work posture, work pace, vertical distances, vertical lifting displacement, and lifting frequency. The ink-filling operator averagely filled 2000 1-kg ink cans per day and the ink-packing operator totally lifted 4166 times per day and the average lifting weight was 1.44 kg/lift. The BRIEF analysis results show that both of the operators have high possibility of developing MSDs. The KIM risk scores were evaluated as 40 (median high load) and 50 (high load) for the ink-filling and ink-packing operators, respectively. To reduce MSD risks for this work, a redesign worktable was suggested to replace the original one. This hardware intervention can allow the operators to move the ink cans more smoothly and efficiently without bending their backs as they pack the cans. Further, the estimated KIM risk scores were reduced to 20 and 30 for the ink-filling and ink-packing operators, respectively. This suggested change has been adopted by the ink company and will be implemented in the packing area.