Ergonomic assessment of the work place of the footwear assembly line. Case: city of Cucuta - Colombia

Abstract

A quantitative diagnosis of the ergonomic valuation is presented for people who work as fitters in the footwear sector due to the use of chairs that are not related to the users' anthropometric measurements. To estimate the inconvenience, a population of 24 people working as fitters was taken, and a survey was carried out divided into three parts: analysis of the activity, ergonomics of the workplace and information on the chair, in which it was found that the dimensions of the chair are 21% below the recommended measurements, according to the anthropometric measurements of the user. Similarly, based on the General Shackel Comfort Scale, it was found that there is discomfort in the lower back, mid back, buttocks and neck mainly. Subsequently, a sample of 15 fitters with an average experience of 33.4 years was taken from a specialized company to carry out an osteomuscular valuation. It was found that the most representative conditions are carpal tunnel syndrome, musculoskeletal disorder, lowered shoulder and lordosis, with 80%, 73%, 60% and 60% of people affected, respectively, given the positions they adopt, the use of a non-ergonomic chair and repetitive movements that the work 3198 Sofia Orjuela Abril et al. requires. It is concluded from the information collected, the perception of the users and the osteomuscular valuation that the seats used for the task are not adequate to the anthropometric dimensions of the fitters and generate effects on the health of the worker that impact on their comfort, quality of life and productivity.

Study of furniture in public education in relation to the user's anthropometric measurements. Case: UFPS Colombia

“…Classroom furniture has undergone a major change over the last century, from school benches, to shared seating, to today's chairs and tables [1], these changes stem from the trend of the twentieth century or Modern Movement that gave priority to the functionality of things and the ease of mass reproduction; At the end of the Second World War, the knowledge resulting from the enormous investment in research and development for war purposes was adopted by the industries for the manufacture of all kinds of products, including school furniture, this caused that the curved shapes of the old benches were left in the past and designed furniture without unnecessary or superfluous elements to simplify production and lower the cost. As a result of technological development, it became necessary to study man in relation to the machine, which resulted in the design of seats that adapted to the body of the person [2]; as a result of this evolution, the design of school furniture is currently subject to ergonomic studies that limit the dimensions of the furniture to the anthropometric measurements of the population that needs them, but in practice it is another reality and seems to ignore the extensive meaning of these concepts, in the first place ergonomics is understood by the International Ergonomics Association as: the scientific discipline related to the understanding of interactions between humans and other elements of a system, as well as the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance [3], therefore the concept is applied to all man-made artefacts with the aim of facilitating the work, mitigating the risks and avoiding related diseases, is a fundamental tool to offer people the possibility to improve living conditions and optimize work [4] and in addition anthropometry is the study of the dimensions of the human body on a comparative basis. Both disciplines work hand in hand to avoid poor working conditions and ensure that work is productive [5].…”