ERGONOMIC DESIGN OF THE WORKPLACE FOR FINAL QUALITY CONTROL

Abstract

The incidence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders remains high and, as these injuries have a high cost for companies and society, it is important to prevent them through ergonomic analysis and workplace design. During the work process, we are always looking to reduce lost time and improve the quality of work. From an ergonomic point of view, it is important to determine what workloads employees are exposed to and to eliminate or at least minimise them by redesigning the workplace. The aim of our research was to minimise the risk at work through the scientific design of workplaces based on a methodological approach. The manual and computerised OWAS method was used to determine and estimate body postures during the workday. It was found that certain postures resulted in significant overexertion, which meant that certain remedial actions were necessary during the work process to prevent possible damage to the body. Several improvements were proposed for the new workplace design: appropriate equipment for workers, lifting table, rotation of workers, construction of quality control facilities and automation of macro tasks.The incidence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders remains high and, as these injuries have a high cost for companies and society, it is important to prevent them through ergonomic analysis and workplace design. During the work process, we are always looking to reduce lost time and improve the quality of work. From an ergonomic point of view, it is important to determine what workloads employees are exposed to and to eliminate or at least minimise them by redesigning the workplace. The aim of our research was to minimise the risk at work through the scientific design of workplaces based on a methodological approach. The manual and computerised OWAS method was used to determine and estimate body postures during the workday. It was found that certain postures resulted in significant overexertion, which meant that certain remedial actions were necessary during the work process to prevent possible damage to the body. Several improvements were proposed for the new workplace design: appropriate equipment for workers, lifting table, rotation of workers, construction of quality control facilities and automation of macro tasks.