The Intervention of Participatory Ergonomics in Repetitive Truck Loading Improvement Activities for Mineral Water Product

Abstract

This research was conducted at a bottled drinking water company located in Sumatera Utara, Indonesia. Workers loading gallon water bottles into trucks experiencing musculoskeletal complaints (MSDs). Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) and Job Strain Index (JSI) assessment of the work also shows high-risk work. Participatory ergonomics interventions were conducted to overcome these complaints through two stages of Focussed Group Discussion (FGD). The first stage of the FGD with the workers produced several inputs which became material in the second phase of the FGD with the management. In the second phase of the FGD, approval was obtained for the implementation of the repair solution for 20 working days (4 weeks), namely the provision of Occupational Safety and Health material, the application of gallon water bottle transfer operating procedures to the truck, and the application of Job Control by the supervisor. Every week, ergonomic interventions are evaluated and at the end of the fourth week, there are no complaints of extreme pain in all segments of the worker’s body.