Track: Human Factors and Ergonomics Competition

Abstract

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are considered the leading cause of occupational disability and loss of productivity. The manufacturing industry is one of the work sectors where workers are most exposed to risk factors that can cause MSDs. This article reports the case of workers in a manufacturing company located in Tijuana, Mexico. This research aims to minimize the ergonomic risks that workers are exposed in the mechanical kick press and packaging stations. Then, the research question is: How can these ergonomic risks be minimized? Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) and Job Strain Index (JSI) methods were applied to evaluate the risk levels caused by postural load and repetitive movements before and after redesigning the stations to minimize mentioned risks. An anthropometric study was performed to redesign the stations. The results show that, within the design of the new press station, the level of risk caused by the postural load was reduced from 10 (high) to 1 (negligible), and by repetitive movements was reduced from 13.5 (high) to 1 (low). In the case of the packaging station, the levels of risk caused by postural load was reduced from 9 to 2, and by repetitive movements remained at 3. Finally, absenteeism decreased by 6% and no customer complaints were reported. It can be concluded that the correct application of different Ergonomics tools allows for eliminating several risk factors.