Occupational Health Promotion throughout an Interventional Ergonomic Design (Case Study: An Ergonomic Cart Design at a Food Manufacturing Company in Iran)

Abstract

Health, safety, and environment management are dedicated a vast area in which ergonomics aspects known as one of the related aspects. In the following case study, the occupational hygiene by ergonomic intervention is focused. One of the prevalent activities among industrial sectors' workers in the developing countries is manual lifting tasks and other related physical activities, which are crucial tasks not only in terms of occupational health but also about safety. Such activities are known as one of the major risk factors of work related musculoskeletal disorders. In this case study, the mentioned tasks were focused in a food manufacturing company in Tehran-Iran where there are some kinds of plants. Some parts of workers' activities including lifting, lowering and carrying the boxes and bulky body packages. In the sesame seeds cleaning and peeling plant, some of the workers should transfer some amounts of sesames from centrifuge as an origin to kilns as a destination area by carrying the carts and lifting the tank to empty sesames into furnaces. Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) assessed the psychophysical aspects of this activity, and anthropometry measurement was done among the 48 sampled workers. Ovako Working-posture Assessment method (OWAS) was also used to assess the body postures. The gathered data and in-depth observation showed the necessity of cart design to improve workers health in terms of ergonomic factors. A new cart was designed considering with economics limitations. This new cart would change lifting stress and pushing tasks to better condition.