Ergonomic Evaluation of a Manual Load in a Car Assembling Company

Abstract

The work quality and the importance of maintaining a healthy relationship between men and their work environment encourages companies to refer to the term “ergonomics”, which seeks to minimize risks of work accidents and achieve ideal working conditions. The research was done in a car assembly company. This company was chosen to analyze a process in which a fuel tank is taken from a rack and moved to the mounting band.

The purpose of the study is to verify the need to redesign the required manipulator for the transfer of the fuel tank inside the assembly line, because it is not functional to carry out the loading activity, therefore the work is done in a manual way, which under the conditions of safety and health at work is “accepted” for its realization according to the “MEXICAN OFFICIAL STANDARD (NOM-023-STPS-2012)”, however when the process is submitted to other evaluation ergonomics methods it is shown that the activity is not suitable to be carried out by the operators under the current working conditions.

Analysis were done with ergonomics methods such as NIOSH function and Utah Estimation of Back Compressive Force (UBCF) to determine the maximum load and the static compression force of the cited task.

Besides, Statistical Control Process (SPC) showed the variation of the several components that are assembled during one shift. Due to the unfavorable result of the process, the possible harmful consequences in the human being were investigated, among them: physiological fatigue, muscle injuries, herniated discs, bone lesions, lumbar and ligament injuries.

As a solution to the findings and to prevent occupational hazards, it was proposed to modify the manipulator to avoid the effort at the time of the activity of lifting the fuel tank and at the same time making the transfer more easily to the production line.