scholarly journals Novel Ergonomic Triad Model to Calculate a Sustainable Work Index for the Manufacturing Industry

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (20) ◽  
pp. 8316
Author(s):  
Mildrend Montoya-Reyes ◽  
Margarita Gil-Samaniego-Ramos ◽  
Alvaro González-Angeles ◽  
Ismael Mendoza-Muñoz ◽  
Carlos Raul Navarro-González

The human factor is becoming increasingly relevant for its role in industrial development; therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the machine–man–environment system in an integrated and not isolated way, as is commonly done, for evaluating the sustainability performance of manufacturing practices. For this reason, in this paper, an ergonomic triad model is proposed for calculating a novel Sustainable Work Index, (SWI), made up of the factors: human work, workstation design, organizational environment and sustainable environmental conditions. The methodology consists of defining the productive time, interviewing the workers, taking anthropometric measurements, assessing the environmental conditions, obtaining the indicators for each factor, calculating the index and interpreting the results to define improvement actions. The model was applied to a manufacturing industry obtaining a regular status with an index of 63.6%. Improvement actions were implemented, and it was possible to increase the index to 73.9%, which represents a good commitment of the company towards occupational health. The development of the new triad model to calculate the SWI will allow industries to visualize indicators of the interaction of the ergonomic triad, identify its current condition and propose actions to physically, organizationally and environmentally improve human well-being and system performance.

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 3728 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arturo Realyvásquez-Vargas ◽  
Karina Cecilia Arredondo-Soto ◽  
Julio Blanco-Fernandez ◽  
Joanna Denisse Sandoval-Quintanilla ◽  
Emilio Jiménez-Macías ◽  
...  

Poor workstation designs represent a risk factor for operators in assembly production lines. Anthropometric design of workstations facilitates the sustainable development of the workplace. This paper proposes a novel integrated approach about work standardization and anthropometric workstation design as a strategy to increase human factor performance as well as the productivity index in manufacturing companies. The integrating approach is presented through a case study in a publishing press company with operators who perform manual and mechanical tasks in production lines in the box assembly department. Currently, the company’s production capacity is below demand, and in order to satisfy customers’ requirements, the company pays a lot of overtime to operators. In order to solve this problem, the integrated approach was applied. The findings indicated that inefficient movements and body postures in operators decreased from 230 to 78, and the standard time was reduced from 244 to 199 s for each assembled box. In addition, the production rate increased by 229 units per assembly line per day, and overtime was eliminated. Therefore, the novel integrated approach allows the increase of sustainability in the company and the operators’ well-being by making a better use of the human factor, eliminating overtime, and increasing production capacity.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Kristine Halvorsen

Manufacturing industry expansion is a central part of Ethiopia’s growth and transformation agenda due to its potential for accelerated economic development and large-scale job creation, in particular for women. However, the industry is experiencing extremely high labour turnover rates, which is hampering the prospects of a successful industrialization of the country. Understanding the reasons for the high turnover may give important insights into the industry workings and how factory employment affects women's economic empowerment and well-being. Using a combination of survey data and qualitative interviews, the study highlights three main reasons for the high turnover: unrealistic expectations about wages and work efforts, poor working conditions, and difficulties combining domestic responsibilities with factory employment. In order to achieve social and economic development through industrial development, the Ethiopian government and firm managers need to take action to handle the turnover problem, making factory jobs safe, profitable, and a place for competence development.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Mildrend Montoya-Reyes ◽  
Alvaro González-Angeles ◽  
Margarita Gil-Samaniego-Ramos ◽  
Ismael Mendoza-Muñoz ◽  
Juan Ling-López

A method is proposed to improve work performance through an adequate design of the manufacturing cell along with optimal environmental conditions to contribute to the well-being of the worker. The methodology used was divided into four stages: the first corresponds to the analysis of operations; the second is the analysis of the effect of the design of the manufacturing cell; the third is the evaluation of environmental conditions such as lighting, noise, and temperature to compare them with the official standard and determine if they meet the permitted levels; and the fourth is to conclude and recommend improvements to the manufacturing cell. The method was applied in a company in the automotive industry, where a change was made from a linear cell distribution to an L-shaped distribution, with a 50% reduction in workforce and an increase in the productive time of the worker of 49%. Also, the environmental conditions of the cell comply with the requirements of official standards.


Author(s):  
Helmut Strasser

AbstractMutual adaptation and inter-changeability of system elements are very important prerequisites for machines, technical devices and products. Similar to that technical compatibility which can be achieved by standards and regulations, optimum design of human-oriented workplaces or a man-machine system cannot be attained without, e.g., a compatible arrangement of connected displays and controls. Over and above those stimulus/response relations, all technical elements and interfaces have to be designed in such a way that they do not exceed human capacity in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance. Compatibility between the properties of the human organism on the one hand, and the adaptable technical components of a work system on the other hand, offers a great potential of preventive measures. Examples of ergonomically designed working tools show that compatibility is capable of reducing the prevalence of occupational diseases and repetitive strain injuries as well as leading to lower physiological cost in such a way that the same output results from a lower demand of human resources or even a higher performance will be attained. Compatibility also supports the quick perception and transmission of information in a man-machine system, and as a result of lower requirements for decoding during information processing, spare mental capacity may enhance occupational safety. In the field of software, compatibility also helps to avoid psychological frustration. All in all, the center core competency, which reflects the major significant function of the ergonomist in work design, consists in determining the compatibility of human capacity and planned or existing demands of work. In order to provide efficient working tools and working conditions as well as to be successful in occupational health and safety, ergonomics and industrial engineering in the future are expected to pay more attention to the rules of compatibility. Applied in an appropriate way, these rules may convince people that ergonomics can be a powerful means for reducing prevalence of occupational diseases and complaints, and has a positive effect on overall system performance. Besides presenting examples of work design according to the principle of compatibility, also methods will be shown which enable the assessment of the ergonomic quality of hand-held tools and computer input devices.


2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 172-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALICE B. KELLY ◽  
A. CLARE GUPTA

SUMMARYThis study considers the issue of security in the context of protected areas in Cameroon and Botswana. Though the literature on issues of security and well-being in relation to protected areas is extensive, there has been less discussion of how and in what ways these impacts and relationships can change over time, vary with space and differ across spatial scales. Looking at two very different historical trajectories, this study considers the heterogeneity of the security landscapes created by Waza and Chobe protected areas over time and space. This study finds that conservation measures that various subsets of the local population once considered to be ‘bad’ (e.g. violent, exclusionary protected area creation) may be construed as ‘good’ at different historical moments and geographical areas. Similarly, complacency or resignation to the presence of a park can be reversed by changing environmental conditions. Changes in the ways security (material and otherwise) has fluctuated within these two protected areas has implications for the long-term management and funding strategies of newly created and already existing protected areas today. This study suggests that parks must be adaptively managed not only for changing ecological conditions, but also for shifts in a protected area's social, political and economic context.


Mathematics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1228
Author(s):  
Alicia Ramírez-Orellana ◽  
María del Carmen Valls Martínez ◽  
Mayra Soledad Grasso

This article aims to provide information to public agencies and policymakers on the determinants of health systems and their relationships that influence citizens’ health–disease status. A total of 61 indicators for each of 17 Spanish autonomous communities were collected from the Spanish Ministry of Health, Social Services, and Equality between 2008 and 2017. The applied technique was partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Concerning health–disease status, an influence of sustainability and performance on the health system was hypothesized. The findings revealed that health system sustainability had a negative effect on health–disease status, measured in terms of disease incidence. However, the relationship between health system performance and health–disease status is positive. Furthermore, health system performance mediates the relationship between sustainability and health–disease status. According to our study, if we consider the opposite poles that make up the definition of health–disease status (well-being and disease), this concept is defined more by the incidence of the negative aspect.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hien Thu Bui ◽  
Viachaslau Filimonau

Purpose This study aims to critically evaluate the factual triple bottom line (TBL) sustainability performance of commercial foodservices as featured in peer-reviewed academic publications. Design/methodology/approach The commercial foodservices’ sustainability performance-related articles were collected for a systematic review. An inductive thematic analysis was applied to the eligible articles. Findings The contribution of the commercial foodservice sector to the TBL sustainability is highlighted through eight themes: food waste management; food safety and hygiene; food allergy management; provision of healthy meals; local food use; employment of the disadvantaged; well-being of (non)managerial personnel; and noise level management. Originality/value The critical evaluation of the actual TBL sustainability measures adopted by commercial foodservice providers highlights the feasibility of the measures, thus calling for their broader industry uptake. Research gaps and issues for future investigations are accentuated for scholars to support the industry in its progress towards the goals of the TBL sustainability.


The growth in world trade and hence the demand for shipping is expected to continue into the 1980s despite the present temporary recession. Many countries in the Mediterranean and Pacific area and in South and Central America see shipbuilding as their way to start along the road to industrial development, and will be favoured by good climatic and labour conditions which can now be joined to imported modern technology. Conventional shipbuilding will therefore grow rapidly in these countries. Western countries will be able to preserve their shipbuilding industries by keeping in the forefront ol technical development and by a rigorous examination of designs from the production point of view, in order to reduce the labour content, and make the management and control simpler. This means changing from a largely labour intensive craft industry to a capital intensive, manufacturing industry. In order to sustain this type of industry long runs of similar ships, standard components, modulai constructions much of it in production lines, using group technology, will be the pattern in the 1980s. Much research and development is already devoted to these techniques and the industry is already at the early stages of changing over to this type of working.


2011 ◽  
Vol 50 (4II) ◽  
pp. 895-911 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farah Said ◽  
Tareena Musaddiq ◽  
Mahreen Mahmud

The study explores the spatial patterns of poverty in Pakistan through two dimensions: asset accumulation and basic needs. For this purpose Pakistan Standard of Living Measurement 08-09 is employed to construct an Asset Index and a Basic Needs index, at a district level, through the use of household level indicators. The study finds a clear north south divide, with particular concentration of better off districts in the north east of the country. Additionally, regression analysis is carried out to help identify the macro level factors contributing towards the observed pattern. Results reveal infrastructural and industrial development to be significant factors behind a district‘s well-being. This indicates that public policy directed towards developing deprived districts should be cantered on these factors, specifically expanding road networks, and incentives for industrial development in those districts. JEL classifications: I32, O53 Keywords: Measurement and Analysis of Poverty, District Level Analysis, Pakistan


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yohanes Nurcahyo Agung Wibowo ◽  
Toshihiro Kudo

Agglomeration, the spatial concentration of industries in a specific location, has been argued to improve productivity since it could provide positive externalities such as knowledge spillover, input sharing, and labor pooling. This paper examines the effect of large and medium manufacturing industry (LMI) agglomeration on labor productivity. Measuring the output and labor density as agglomeration effect by using 2009-2014 panel data from 44 cities and regions across the metropolitan areas of Indonesia, this study shows that in terms of output share, agglomeration positively contributes to labor productivity. On the other hand, in terms of labor density, agglomeration results in a negative impact on productivity. These findings suggest the government should expand industrial clusters in less densely populated areas, especially outside the island of Java, by providing necessary infrastructures such as electricity, ports, and roads, so that this development creates favorable economic conditions for investment and industrial development in such areas.


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