Abstract
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders have emerged as one of the biggest health problems in modern society. Conscious of the negative impacts on workers and productivity, companies have gained awareness regarding this subject. This current paradigm has highlighted the importance of Ergonomics. Over the years, countless methods have been developed to analyze and assess many types of activity. The methods are beneficial in identifying the risk level and implementing the recommended ergonomic intervention measures to improve workers’ well-being, health and safety conditions. This study was performed in a Portuguese company in the energy, mobility, and system sectors. It consisted of an ergonomic risk assessment in the workstation responsible for the final assembly of immersed type transformers. The multiple tasks performed by the workers were prioritized, and only the most critical tasks were assessed using the following evaluation methods: Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA), Mittal Guide, and Manual Handling Assessment Charts (MAC). Then, a comparative analysis was carried out. Results evidenced that the analyzed tasks are at the high/very high-risk level. Finally, considering the evaluation performed, ergonomic intervention measures were highly recommended to the company.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Afonso, M., Gabriel, A.T., Godina, R.: Proposal of an innovative ergonomic SMED model in an automotive steel springs industrial unit. Adv. Ind. Manuf. Eng. 4, 100075 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aime.2022.100075
Bevan, S.: Economic impact of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) on work in Europe. Best Pract. Res. Clin. Rheumatol. 29(3), 356–373 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.berh.2015.08.002
Bridger, R.: Introduction to Ergonomics, 2nd edn. CRC Press (2008).
Burgess-Limerick, R.: Participatory ergonomics: Evidence and implementation lessons. Appl. Ergon. 68, 289–293 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2017.12.009
Carayon, P., Smith, M.J.: Work organization and ergonomics. Appl. Ergon. 31(6), 649–662 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0003-6870(00)00040-5
Cunha, J.R.A.: Estudo comparativo entre métodos de avaliação ergonómica em postos de tri-agem de resíduos (2018). http://repositorium.sdum.uminho.pt/
da Costa, B.R., Vieira, E.R.: Risk factors for work-related musculoskeletal disorders: A systematic review of recent longitudinal studies. Am. J. Ind. Med. 53(3), 285–323 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.20750
Dempsey, P.G., McGorry, R.W., Maynard, W.S.: A survey of tools and methods used by certified professional ergonomists. Appl. Ergon. 36(4), 489–503 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2005.01.007
DGS.: Lesoes Musculoesqueléticas Relacionadas Com O Trabalho: Guia De Orientação Para a Prevenção. In: Direção Geral da Saúde (2008). https://www.dgs.pt/documentos-e-publicacoes/lesoes-musculoesquelet-icas-relacionadas-com-o-trabalho-pdf.aspx. Accessed 11 Feb 2022
EU-OSHA.: Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders: Prevalence, Costs and Demographics in the EU (2019). https://osha.europa.eu/pt/publications/msds-facts-and-figures-overview-prevalence-costs-and-demographics-msds-europe/view
Goldberg, M., Imbernon, E.: Risk factors for upper-extremity musculoskeletal disorders in the working population. Arthritis Care Res. 61(10), 1425–1434 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1002/art.24740
Haines, H., Wilson, J.R., Vink, P., Koningsveld, E.: Validating a framework for participatory ergonomics (the PEF). Ergonomics 45(4), 309–327 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1080/00140130210123516
Jaffar, N., Abdul-Tharim, A.H., Mohd-Kamar, I.F., Lop, N.S.: A literature review of ergonomics risk factors in construction industry. Procedia Eng. 20, 89–97 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2011.11.142
Kee, D.: Comparison of OWAS, RULA and REBA for assessing potential work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Int. J. Ind. Ergon. 83, 103140 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ergon.2021.103140
Keyserling, W.M., Stetson, D.S., Silverstein, B.A., Brouwer, M.L.: A checklist for evaluating ergonomic risk factors associated with upper extremity cumulative trauma disorders. Ergonomics 36(7), 807–831 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139308967945
Kong, Y.-K., Lee, S., Lee, K.-S., Kim, D.-M.: Comparisons of ergonomic evaluation tools (ALLA, RULA, REBA and OWAS) for farm work. Int. J. Occup. Saf. Ergon. 24(2), 218–223 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2017.1306960
OIT.: Segurança e saúde no centro do futuro do trabalho [Relatório], Abril 24 2019. http://www.ilo.org/lisbon/publicações/WCMS_690142/lang--pt/index.htm
Pimparel A., Madaleno S., Ollay C., Gabriel, A.: How ergonomic evaluations influence the risk of musculoskeletal disorders in the industrial context? A brief literature review. In: Arezes, P.M. et al. (eds.) Occupational and Environmental Safety and Health III. Studies in Systems, Decision and Control, vol. 406. Springer, Cham (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89617-1_36
Pinder, A.: Benchmarking of the Manual Handling Assessment Charts (MAC) (2002). https://www.hse.gov.uk/research/hsl_pdf/2002/hsl02-31.pdf
Roquelaure, Y., Ha, C., Rouillon, C., Fouquet, N., Leclerc, A., Descatha, A., Touranchet, A.: (2009)
Russell, S.J., Winnemuller, L., Camp, J.E., Johnson, P.W.: Comparing the results of five lifting analysis tools. Appl. Ergon. 38(1), 91–97 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2005.12.006
Simões, RMSS.: Análise e avaliação de tarefas de movimentação manual de cargas [Dissertação de Mestrado, Universidade Nova de Lisboa - Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia] (2015). https://run.unl.pt/handle/10362/16269
Wang, H., Hwang, J., Lee, K.-S., Kwag, J.-S., Jang, J.: Upper body and finger posture evaluations at an electric iron assembly plant. Hum. Factors Ergon. Manuf. Serv. Ind. 24, 161–171 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1002/hfm.20362
Acknowledgements
Ana Teresa Gabriel acknowledge Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT—MCTES) for its financial support via the project UIDB/00667/2020 (UNIDEMI).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Gabriel, A.T., Madaleno, S., Kanazawa, F., Ollay, C. (2023). Ergonomic Risk Assessment in an Energy, Mobility, and System Company. In: Arezes, P.M., et al. Occupational and Environmental Safety and Health IV. Studies in Systems, Decision and Control, vol 449. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12547-8_22
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12547-8_22
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-12546-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-12547-8
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)