Development of a New Procedure for Evaluating Working Postures: An Application in a Manufacturing Company

Abstract

Musculoskeletal diseases represent a constant phenomenon in occupational health and safety (OHS) despite the large effort at governmental and technical levels. In the industrial context, numerous studies have dealt with the evaluation of the physical demand of workers. Moreover, numerous studies have investigated the problem, providing tools for ergonomics analysis. However, practical approaches aimed at integrating ergonomics issues in risk assessment activities are still scarce. To reduce such a gap, the current study proposes a procedure for the evaluation of the static working postures of workers to be included in the risk assessment activities. Such an approach is based on the ISO 11226 standard, providing a practical checklist that can be used both at the workstation’s design stage and during risk assessment activities. Its effectiveness was verified through a case study at a manufacturing company. The results achieved showed that as well as the non-conformity of the workstations’ design, the lack of training of the operators on how to maintain a neutral posture while working can also lead to awkward postures of the trunk and head. Additionally, the proposed methodology allowed us to verify the correctness of each workstation based on the physical characteristics of the workers, providing a useful guideline for the company managers on how to properly assign working tasks.