Workstation Redesign Research Articles

Statistical evaluation of mechanical load on technicians during electric vehicle battery replacement using Python simulation

Electric vehicle (EV) battery replacement poses significant mechanical strain on technicians, increasing the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). This study uses Python-based simulations and biomechanical modeling to evaluate the mechanical load distribution during the battery replacement process, focusing on joint stress and technician posture. The analysis covers different task phases, including battery removal, transport, and installation, with statistical methods used to assess forces and torques applied to critical joints. The results indicate that the removal and installation phases exert the highest mechanical loads on the lower back and shoulders. The study suggests ergonomic interventions such as workstation redesign, lifting tools, and improved posture techniques to reduce the risk of injury and enhance the safety and efficiency of EV maintenance tasks.

Understanding Musculoskeletal Risks in Retail Workers: An Ergonomic Assessment of Store 24H

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are prevalent in retail environments, often resulting from repetitive tasks, awkward postures, and prolonged standing. This study examined musculoskeletal discomfort and ergonomic risk factors within the retail environment of convenience stores, focusing on the prevalence of MSDs among employees of Store 24H, Dungun, Terengganu, Malaysia. The assessment began with a job task description, followed by workplace observation and worker input. Utilising a systematic approach, the research integrated two standardized assessment tools; the Cornell Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (CMQ) and the Initial Ergonomic Risk Assessment (ERA) Form Checklist, to identify the discomfort area and ergonomic risk factors associated with job tasks. Three job tasks were identified in the Store 24H environment; operating cash registers, customer service and restocking. The findings indicate a notable prevalence of MSDs associated with the identified high-risk tasks. Repetitive motions, awkward postures, prolonged standing, and forceful exertion were observed as primary ergonomic risk factors for these tasks which contribute to musculoskeletal discomfort in the neck, shoulder, back, hip, and knee. Additionally, forceful exertion and vibration exhibit high risks towards restocking tasks, resulting in restocking as the top contributor towards the MSDs. Hence, the findings highlight the need for advanced ERA and mitigation strategies, including workstation redesign, task rotation, ergonomic training and accessories, to promote employee well-being and reduce the incidence of MSDs among employees of Store 24H. Implementing these measures is essential for promoting the health and well-being of employees, decreasing the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders, and improving overall safety and productivity in the workplace.

Redesign of workstations to minimize musculoskeletal disorders for guitar workers in Indonesia

This study aims to determine and analyze body parts that experience musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and muscles that experience fatigue in guitar-making workers. The method used is the Nordic Body Map (NBM) to determine MSDs complaints, including complaints of pain in 28 parts of the worker's body, and the Muscle Fatigue Analysis (MFA) method to determine muscle fatigue that occurs in each part of the body by determining the level of effort, duration of work, and frequency of work movements. The results of research using NBM were 2 workers with high risk, 3 workers with medium risk, and 7 workers with low risk. The results of the MFA method were that 3 workers experienced muscle fatigue in the very high category with priority in the neck, back, shoulders, right arm, wrist and feet. Efforts to minimize the risk of MSDs by redesigning work facilities using SolidWorks software and reducing the risk of muscle fatigue by improving work facilities, improving the layout of the production floor, and encouraging workers to stretch their muscles and exercise regularly.

Manual material handling risk assessment in furniture industry: REBA method

The Turkish furniture industry is a significant player in the global market and ranks eleventh in the worldwide in terms of exports. Despite its positive economic impact, the industry faces challenges such as a high number of occupational injuries and illnesses, especially musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The objective of this study is to conduct an ergonomic risk assessment using the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) method in a furniture Turkish manufacturing facility. A total of twenty-four tasks were assessed using the REBA method, revealing that 41.7% of the tasks were found to pose either a high or very high ergonomic risk. Tasks such as carrying sofa frames and cutting fabrics were found to be particularly risky due to prolonged and strenuous postures involved. Engineering and managerial control measures were recommended to mitigate these risks, including automation, workstation redesign, and employee training. While the REBA method provided valuable insights, its subjective nature highlights the need for more objective assessment methods, such as electromyography (EMG). Future research should investigate these alternative methods to improve the reliability of ergonomic assessments. In conclusion, this study highlights the significant ergonomic risks in the Turkish furniture industry and emphasizes the importance of implementing targeted interventions to safeguard employee health and improve overall productivity. By addressing these risks, companies can create safer working environments and enhance their competitiveness in the global market.

Ergonomic Evaluation and Workstation Redesign of Tambat Ali Artisans in India

Ergonomic Evaluation and Workstation Redesign of Tambat Ali Artisans in India

Ergonomic Evaluation and Workstation Redesign of Tambat Ali Artisans in India

Ergonomic Evaluation and Workstation Redesign of Tambat Ali Artisans in India

Ergonomic Risk Assessment of Static Postures and Repetitive Tasks using Rapid Entire Body Assessment and Strain Idex

This study aims to assess the risk levels of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) of Vietnamese female workers performing repetitive tasks and static postures. The workers perform the repetitive tasks which are printed circuit board assembly and printing on housing in a factory in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The risk assessment tools are used consisting of Rapid Entire Body Assessment and Strain Index. The result shows that the risk levels of WMSDs of workers are from medium to high levels. Therefore, ergonomic measures are needed to reduce the risk levels and improve the working conditions. The suggestions of ergonomic interventions are ergonomic workstation redesign considering anthropometric data of Vietnamese female workers, appropriate work methods and training for workers.

Modelling of Indian vendors posture using rapid upper limb assessment (RULA)

Ergonomics is an interdisciplinary subject that deals with human interaction with computers, malfunctions, machines, products, and services. For the past two decades it has played a major role in human interaction systems, redesigning many workstations to improve human health and their livelihoods in the context of currency analysis. As per the (MHUPI) ministry of housing and urban poverty alleviation, Govt. of India, there are 10 lakh street merchants operating across the country, of which about 20% are street food vendors. Most of the street vendors are working 8–10 h a day to tell the currency with strange posture. Repetitive work and awkward posture cause many people to experience the ill effects of outer muscle issues (MSD) and business-related constant wounds. This research has been carried out posture risk assessment Indian food street vendors. The risk assessment of MSD was performed on RULA, which based on the questionnaire survey, anthropometry data and posture of vendors. 32 responses were collected and applied on RULA assessment @ CATIA-V5 Software. This study shows the requirement of cart or workstation redesign which are highly expected for un-organized sectors to up-liftment of vendor’s life.

Assessing the effectiveness of an ergonomics intervention program with a participatory approach: ergonomics settlement in an Iranian steel industry.

PurposeWork-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are common occupational problems affecting the health and productivity of workers worldwide. Ergonomic intervention programs (EIPs) can play an effective role in preventing these disorders in the workplace. Assessing the effectiveness of an EIP is a challenge faced by both industries and researchers. This study was aimed at assessing the effectiveness of an EIP on human resources productivity (HRP), musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), general health and occupational fatigue in a steel industry.MethodsThis study was conducted in a steel industry in Isfahan, Iran, between 2018 and 2021. To assess the effectiveness of the EIP with a participatory approach, training and redesign of workstations, the criteria of HRP, MSDs, general health and occupational fatigue were investigated before and after the intervention, using HRP Questionnaire, Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire (NMQ), 28-item General Health Questionnaire (28-GHQ), Swedish Occupational Fatigue Inventory (SOFI-20) and Occupational Fatigue/Exhaustion Recovery (OFER-15) Questionnaire, as data collection tools, respectively.ResultsThe implementation of EIP in the studied industry significantly led to an increase in HRP (p < 0.05). The prevalence of MSDs decreased significantly in most regions of the body after the interventions (p < 0.001). In addition, the program significantly improved general health (p < 0.001) and reduced occupational fatigue among employees (p < 0.001).ConclusionsThe implementation of EIP was significantly effective in working conditions improvement. Therefore, implementing EIP with participatory approach, workforce training, as well as redesigning of workstations are recommended in industries.

Improving healthy work culture measures using participatory ergonomic interventions

Objectives. The productivity outcomes from proper implementation of participatory ergonomic interventions in industrial developing countries (IDCs) are important to have management support. However, the role of awareness promotion in engaged groups of intervention has been overlooked. This article explains the health effects of some ergonomic interventions including nutrition awareness, training and workstation redesign on the labor productivity indices of an industry using participatory ergonomics. Methods. The study design was a semi-experimental study. After the field study, the proper model of participatory ergonomics was presented to implement the interventions. The International Labour Organization (ILO) checkpoint, quick exposure check (QEC) checklist and Nordic questionnaire were applied to assess ergonomic risk factors. Labor productivity was measured using some indicators of health and production. Statistical tests including paired-sample t tests were performed for data analysis using SPSS version 22.0. Results. The ergonomic interventions with a focus on awareness promotion resulted in positive outcomes (p < 0.05) including a decrease of blood pressure (equally 3.1%), improvement in optimum monthly performance of labors, better QEC number and also time saving of about 18.93% in doing tasks. Conclusion. Awareness promotion and productivity outcomes were found to be important in management commitment and support to persuade participatory ergonomic interventions.

A multilayered ergonomic intervention program on reducing musculoskeletal disorders in an industrial complex: A dynamic participatory approach

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are closely identified with common complaints in different workplaces. This study aimed to implement an intervention program through which ergonomic measures were dynamically localized in industry. An interventional study, including three basic layers, namely, training workshops, participatory ergonomics (PE), and workstation redesign was fulfilled in an Iranian steel manufacturing complex from 2017 to 2020. A steering committee (SC) was formed following several meetings held for clarification of the project to the management team. The SC members then attended four organized workshops managed by an ergonomics specialist. Afterwards, the basics of ergonomics were transferred to action groups. After developing ergonomic assessment tools, the ergonomic problems were prioritized and numerous positive changes were made by the action groups. The findings of the tailored checklists revealed a load of WMSDs risk factors. All the three layers of the program were implemented as initiated. Ergonomics training workshops were then held and significant differences were observed between the participants' pre/posttest mean scores in all workshops (p < 0.001). Moreover, PE measures were exercised at all levels of the organization inducing enthusiastic motivation of the workforce to consider ergonomic requirements in the workplace. Consequently, the workers' innovative ideas and the managerial support yielded diverse workstation redesigns due to a growth in either the workers' ergonomics awareness or participatory culture grounding. A multilayered ergonomic intervention was implemented in this study. In conclusion, a multifaceted long-term follow-up intervention program could be applied to enhance workers’ health status and to raise system productivity.

HEALTH AND SAFETY PRACTICES DURING COVID 19: HOW TO ENSURE WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT SAFETY AND HEALTH?

&lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Abstract&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The COVID 19 pandemic is a challenge in various sectors in the world, one of which is the workplace. The large population of workers in the workplace which can lead to clusters of the spread of COVID-19, requires workplaces to be able to ensure that workers are healthy and safe. This is done to break the chain of spreading COVID-19. Various efforts that have been made by workplaces in various countries were reviewed based on searches through ScienceDirect, Springer, and Google Scholar which were adapted to research questions. COVID-19 has an impact on economic and business instability at the beginning of the pandemic, which is a challenge for the workplace to be able to adapt to these changes. Work from home is one effort that can be done, but not all jobs can be done at home. The workplace makes various efforts so that workers are healthy and safe, including the provision of personal protective equipment, a safe working distance of about 2 meters, workplace disinfection, engineering, redesign of work stations, development of digital technology, administrative control with work shifts, workload adjustment and various trainings that can be done, one of which is psychological support for workers. Every workplace has a challenge to break the chain of the spread of COVID-19, so a control program must be implemented optimally to ensure workers are safe and secure.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Keywords: &lt;/strong&gt;workplaces, health and safety practice, COVID-19&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Mechatronic Re-Design of a Manual Assembly Workstation into a Collaborative One for Wire Harness Assemblies

Nowadays, the wire harness assembly process is still manually performed due to the process complexity and product variability (e.g., wires of different kind, size and length). The Wire cobots project, in which this work was conceived, aims at improving the current state-of-art assembly process by introducing in it collaborative robotics. A shared workstation exploiting human abilities and machine strengths was developed to assembly automotive wire harness by means of insulated tape for a real industrial case. In the new workstation, the human deals with the complex task of wire handling, while the robot performs the repetitive and strenuous taping operations. Such a task allocation together with the workstation redesign allow for an improvement of the operator’s well-being in terms of postural conditions and for an increase of the production efficiency. In this paper, the mechanical and mechatronic design, as well as the realization and validation of this new collaborative workstation are presented and discussed.

Towards an Ergonomic Assessment Framework for Industrial Assembly Workstations—A Case Study

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) are one of the main occupational health problems. The best strategy to prevent them lies on ergonomic interventions. The variety of industrial processes and environments, however, makes it difficult to define an all-purpose framework to guide these ergonomic interventions. This undefinition is exacerbated by recurrent introduction of new technologies, e.g., collaborative robots. In this paper, we propose a framework to guide ergonomics and human factors practitioners through all stages of assessment and redesign of workstations. This framework was applied in a case study at an assembly workstation of a large furniture enterprise. Direct observation of work activity and questionnaires were applied to characterize the workstations, the process, and the workers’ profiles and perceptions. An ergonomic multi-method approach, based on well-known and validated methods (such as the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and Rapid Upper Limb Assessment), was applied to identify the most critical risk factors. We concluded that this approach supports the process redesign and tasks’ allocation of the future workstation. From these conclusions, we distill a list of requirements for the creation of a collaborative robot cell, specifying which tasks are performed by whom, as well as the scheduling of the human-robot collaboration (HRC).

A tool to predict physical workload and task times from workstation layout design data

This paper presents the development and proof of concept of a tool to predict worker and system performance using inputs of work element descriptions and hand locations from a seated, light assembly workstation layout. Tool inputs can be obtained in the design stage. Tool outputs include human factors (shoulder load, hand movement, reach zone acceptability) and system (element time and cycle time) information. Shoulder loads are predicted from two-dimensional shoulder models created from a digital human model. The tool is demonstrated on a previous observation-based assessment of a workstation redesign. Results reflected the findings of the observation assessment, but also provided more work cycle information as well as cumulative, work shift information. The tool enables prediction of workload and task performance times from design stage parameters without the need of an ergonomist. It can be used to predict critical components of the layout and plan workflow based on worker, workstation and task information. The tool is available for free downloaded at: www.researchgate.net/project/Workstation-Efficiency-Evaluator-WEE-Tool.

The Benefits of Human-centred Design in Industrial Practices: Re-design of Workstations in Pipe Industry

Sustainable Manufacturing (SM) traditionally focused on optimization of environmental and economic aspects, by neglecting the human performance. However, the industrial plant's costs, productivity and process quality highly depend on the individual human performance (e.g., comfort perceived, physical and mental workload, simplicity of actions, personal satisfaction) and how much hazardous positions and uncomfortable tasks finally cost to the company. The present paper defines a human-centred virtual simulation environment to optimize physical ergonomics in workstation design and demonstrates its benefits on an industrial case study in pipe industry. The proposed environment aims at overcoming traditional approaches, where analysis are carried out at the shop-floor when the plant is already created, by providing a virtual environment to easily test and verify different design solutions to optimize physical, cognitive and organizational ergonomics.

Ergonomic assessment of musculoskeletal disorders risk among the computer users by Rapid Upper Limb Assessment method

Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate ergonomic assessment MSDs risk in computer users with Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) method and Nordic questionnaire. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 96 computer users in computer sites, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. The data were analyzed using test SPSS 20 and descriptive statistics and ANOVA test. Data collection tool was Nordic questionnaire and checklist RULA. Results: By Nordic questionnaire, the results showed that MSDs prevalence in computer users were, in the neck (54.9%), back (53.1%), and elbow (43.2%) more than in other parts of the body. Based on the level of risk, RULA was 24 individuals in an area of low risk, 41 individuals area of caution, and 31 individuals in the area hazard. MSDs prevalence was in women more than men. Furthermore, ANOVA test showed that there is direct and significant correlation between age and work experience with a final score RULA (P Conclusion: This study result showed that frequency of musculoskeletal problems in the neck, back, elbow, and wrist was generally high among our subjects, and ergonomic interventions such as computer workstation redesign, users educate about ergonomic principles computer with work, reduced working hours in computers with work must be carried out.

A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF INTERVENTION TO REDUCE MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS: HAND AND ARM DISORDERS

Despite with countless number of incidence related to musculoskeletal disorders among workers, there are lot of studies that come out with interventions in order to reduce musculoskeletal disorders. Musculoskeletal disorders continue to give a large impact and challenge towards employer and employee in many different sectors. This article had reviewed the literature that related to intervention to reduce musculoskeletal disorders of the hand and arm. 5 databases were reviewed to identify studies related to intervention to reduce musculoskeletal disorders of the hand and arm among workers. In order to identify and classify research studies, specific keywords (ergonomic, musculoskeletal disorder, hand and arm disorders, occupation, injury, intervention and prevention) were identified and used in a systematic search to guide the discovery of relevant studies. Included studies were reviewed and interventions were assessed. As overall, 312 titles were discovered during the search and only 6 studies that were related to hand and arm disorders and met inclusion criteria. Within these 6 studies, this review identified ergonomic interventions in terms of training, program and workstation redesign. The positive outcomes after the implementation of these interventions, there were significant reduction related to hand and arm disorders among workers. As conclusion, interventions that had been implemented in these 6 studies and significant reduction of musculoskeletal disorders, there is need to do further research in order to propose ergonomic designs for the workers in workplace

An ergonomic assessment of sample preparation job tasks in a chemical laboratory

Previous research had indicated that repetitive motions and static postures could cause musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). A review of the ergonomic and safety literature indicated a lack of postural assessment information for job tasks within a chemical laboratory. The study used ergonomic assessment tools to evaluate the postures associated with laboratory sample preparation tasks. Six sample preparation job tasks were evaluated by the following tools: anthropometric and environmental data, a Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA), and a BodyMap. The REBA assessed six sub tasks within each sample preparation task. The relative range of postures associated with observed tasks were determined. The results indicated medium to high-risk REBA scores in at least one sub task for each sample preparation job task. The resulting differences amongst the tasks and sub task REBA scores were due to environmental and anthropometric variations. Participants noted discomfort in the BodyMap survey, which corresponded to observed awkward postures in the REBA assessment. Frequent short breaks along with workstation re-design and a stretching program could help reduce the risk of MSDs. Further investigation and remediation were recommended for the chemical laboratory work environment.

Manual Assembly Workstation Redesign Based on a New Quantitative Method for Postural Comfort Evaluation

Main purpose of this work is to show how easy and economics an ergonomic/comfort based approach, in re-design a manual assembly workplace, can be; authors, using a new comfort/ergonomic evaluation criterion, analyzed a workstation and identified the critical issues under ergonomic/comfort point of view and finally gave several guidelines to re-design the workplace, implementing minor modification, and improve work-safety, work-quality and productivity. The postural analysis was performed by non-invasive and especially inexpensive methods, based on cameras and video-recorder use and by photogrammetric analysis; DELMIA® DHM software has been used to perform all simulations; comfort analysis was performed by the software developed by researchers of Departments of Industrial Engineering of Salerno: CaMAN®. The test case is an automatic assembly machine that has been modeled and used for virtual postural analysis. Main results of this work can be found in a very good numerical/experimental correlation between acquired/simulated postures and real ones, and on the powerful use of an objective comfort evaluation method, based on biomechanics and posture analysis, for giving to designers the guidelines to re-design a workplace and a work-cycle. This kind of approach seemed to be very powerful in re-designing the work-place and in re-scheduling the work time-sheet because it allowed to improve an ergonomic corrective action with minor costs for company. Obtained results demonstrated the validity of re-design hypotheses through the increase of all comfort indexes and the improvement of workstation/operator productivity.