Participatory ergonomic improvements in small enterprises in some countries in Asia.

Abstract

Under the rapid industrialization in Asia, participatory approaches have been used as a practical means of ergonomic improvements in small enterprises. Recent experiences confirm that participatory training and research activities can lead to concrete results including ergonomic workplace improvements in different socio-cultural conditions. These participatory activities have been known to be successful when they focus on (1) learning from local good examples, (2) group work methods for identifying feasible solution by the local people and (3) developing practical intervention tools. It is concluded that participatory ergonomic approaches have a large potential for changing workplaces in terms of the safety, health and well-being of workers in small enterprises.