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Creative Commons licence CC BY-NC (Attribution-NonCommercial)Logforum. 2014. 10(4), article 2, 383-392;

ANALYSIS OF PACKERS\' WORKLOAD ON THE PACKING LINE - A CASE STUDY

Andrzej Marek Lasota

University of Zielona Góra, Zielona Gora, Poland

Abstract:

Background: One of the elements of the logistics system is the subsystem of production, which is a system composed of physical elements such as machinery and equipment, tools, and (most importantly) people. In addition, systems dependent on the human operator are particularly prone to problems related to: discomfort, ensuring production quality and increases in training costs and absenteeism.

Material and methods: The study was conducted in an establishment in the furniture industry, in the product packing department. The system under assessment included a position located at the conveyor belt. The aim of the study was to evaluate the load and the risk of musculoskeletal discomfort (MSD's) among workers and conduct an analysis of risk factors. For the evaluation method, the Ovako Working posture Analysing System (OWAS) was used. The evaluated activities related to the sequential packing of furniture in positions located at the conveyor belt.

Results: The result was 7 tasks qualifying for action category (AC) 1, 4 tasks for AC 2 and 5 activities for AC 4. The main risk factors influencing the negative assessment of posture were keeping the back sloped and twisted, work in a standing position and shifting weight onto one leg.

Conclusions and recommendations: On each of the evaluated positions where AC 4 occurred, employees back and legs were particularly vulnerable while retrieving elements. Corrective action in these positions should be carried out as soon as possible. Ergonomic intervention should be linked to: reorganizing positions with particular emphasis on retrieving items as well as the storage of packed products; introduction of employee rotation on such positions to ensure load variation of the musculoskeletal system. After making changes on the test positions, reassessment with the OWAS method is recommended in order to verify the effectiveness of the changes.

 

Keywords: OWAS, workload, ergonomics, risk, MSD\'s.
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For citation:

MLA Lasota, Andrzej Marek. "ANALYSIS OF PACKERS\' WORKLOAD ON THE PACKING LINE - A CASE STUDY." Logforum 10.4 (2014): 2.
APA Andrzej Marek Lasota (2014). ANALYSIS OF PACKERS\' WORKLOAD ON THE PACKING LINE - A CASE STUDY. Logforum 10 (4), 2.
ISO 690 LASOTA, Andrzej Marek. ANALYSIS OF PACKERS\' WORKLOAD ON THE PACKING LINE - A CASE STUDY. Logforum, 2014, 10.4: 2.