PRODUCTION ERGONOMICS EVALUATION - NEEDS, PROCEDURES AND DIGITAL HUMAN MODELING TOOLS

• In production systems, human operators may be at risk for developing work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), resulting in pain, inability to work and high costs. An increasingly capable tool for identifying MSD risks early in the production design process are Digital Human Models (DHMs), although their built-in analysis tools are in great need of development regarding how they address time-related aspects of load exposure. Time-related exposure phenomena provoking MSDs are e.g. repetitive work patterns, lack of variation, fatigue effects, work enlargement effects, and distributions of activity/rest. The aim of this thesis is therefore two-fold; to explore pragmatic industrial needs regarding ergonomics evaluation and compare this to the State-of-the-art of scientific evaluation methods that address time-related aspects. The first approach, a case study in an automotive setting, revealed that switching from one evaluation method to another in a factory may be for pragmatic contextual reasons rather than based on educated selection. It was also shown that companies who do this may unintentionally risk producing evaluation results that are not equal regarding criteria levels or degree of analysis detail, rendering results difficult to use for some actors in the process.The second approach, a literature review, categorizes several time-related ergonomics terms and has proposed a ‘process-flow’ framework for the terms, based on an input-throughput-output concept. This framework can give DHM tool developers an overview of which time-related aspects interact and which combinations are suited to different analysis goals. Lastly, the thesis reflects on actor roles and time perspectives.

Ämnesord

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Maskinteknik -- Produktionsteknik, arbetsvetenskap och ergonomi (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Mechanical Engineering -- Production Engineering, Human Work Science and Ergonomics (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Data- och informationsvetenskap -- Annan data- och informationsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Computer and Information Sciences -- Other Computer and Information Science (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Övrig annan samhällsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Other Social Sciences not elsewhere specified (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Cumulative

Production Ergonomics

Digital Human Modeling

Prevention

Musculo-Skeletal Disorders

DHM

Time

Virtual Tools

Publikations- och innehållstyp

lic (ämneskategori)

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