Practical Application of Ergonomic Methodology Identifying Critical Activities in a Metallurgical Electrolysis Unit
This work presents a multidisciplinary methodology for the identification of critical activities in an industrial process utilizing task time quantification techniques present in ergonomic analysis and involving the participation of socio-technical users. It involved an activity analysis that focuse...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IEEE
2022-01-01
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| Series: | IEEE Access |
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| Online Access: | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9913972/ |
| _version_ | 1798027732685160448 |
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| author | Maria L. A. Menezes Assed N. Haddad Marcio L. F. Nascimento |
| author_facet | Maria L. A. Menezes Assed N. Haddad Marcio L. F. Nascimento |
| author_sort | Maria L. A. Menezes |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This work presents a multidisciplinary methodology for the identification of critical activities in an industrial process utilizing task time quantification techniques present in ergonomic analysis and involving the participation of socio-technical users. It involved an activity analysis that focused on the individual workers’ functions and behavior when carrying out their tasks in a metallurgy electrolysis unit. The choice of critical activities was based on levels of exposure to occupational, environmental and operational health risks present during the working period. The methodology identified critical activities that put both the health and safety of the workers at risk. The operators’ participatory and constructive approach reduced analytical subjectivity, providing consensual conclusions. Questionnaires were used to produce a pain map that sought to analyze the stress placed on the workers’ musculoskeletal system as a consequence of performing their activities. The quantification of time in the operator’s workday identified the criticality of exposure to occupational health risks associated with the operational procedure. A process validation was reached, which integrated a postural and kinesiological analysis with the operators’ perceptions according to their responses to questionnaires. As a result of the analysis undertaken in this work it was also possible to identify an increase in deformities present in copper cathodes and a corresponding increase in on-time activities to remove them that had led to production losses as well as worker discomfort. The methodology, which included the operators’ opinions and perceptions, concluded with a process validation. This work describes a set of proposed metrics based on ergonomic principles. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T18:56:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-66ddf52e82e24e088bd6c8f0ff1e3984 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2169-3536 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T18:56:20Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | IEEE |
| record_format | Article |
| series | IEEE Access |
| spelling | doaj.art-66ddf52e82e24e088bd6c8f0ff1e39842022-12-22T04:08:10ZengIEEEIEEE Access2169-35362022-01-011010913210915210.1109/ACCESS.2022.32130459913972Practical Application of Ergonomic Methodology Identifying Critical Activities in a Metallurgical Electrolysis UnitMaria L. A. Menezes0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0914-4871Assed N. Haddad1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4793-0905Marcio L. F. Nascimento2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5030-7500Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Industrial, Polytechnic School, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, BrazilPrograma de Engenharia Ambiental, Polytechnic School, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilPrograma de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Industrial, Polytechnic School, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, BrazilThis work presents a multidisciplinary methodology for the identification of critical activities in an industrial process utilizing task time quantification techniques present in ergonomic analysis and involving the participation of socio-technical users. It involved an activity analysis that focused on the individual workers’ functions and behavior when carrying out their tasks in a metallurgy electrolysis unit. The choice of critical activities was based on levels of exposure to occupational, environmental and operational health risks present during the working period. The methodology identified critical activities that put both the health and safety of the workers at risk. The operators’ participatory and constructive approach reduced analytical subjectivity, providing consensual conclusions. Questionnaires were used to produce a pain map that sought to analyze the stress placed on the workers’ musculoskeletal system as a consequence of performing their activities. The quantification of time in the operator’s workday identified the criticality of exposure to occupational health risks associated with the operational procedure. A process validation was reached, which integrated a postural and kinesiological analysis with the operators’ perceptions according to their responses to questionnaires. As a result of the analysis undertaken in this work it was also possible to identify an increase in deformities present in copper cathodes and a corresponding increase in on-time activities to remove them that had led to production losses as well as worker discomfort. The methodology, which included the operators’ opinions and perceptions, concluded with a process validation. This work describes a set of proposed metrics based on ergonomic principles.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9913972/Ergonomic workhuman factorsoccupational healthcomplex systemstask time |
| spellingShingle | Maria L. A. Menezes Assed N. Haddad Marcio L. F. Nascimento Practical Application of Ergonomic Methodology Identifying Critical Activities in a Metallurgical Electrolysis Unit IEEE Access Ergonomic work human factors occupational health complex systems task time |
| title | Practical Application of Ergonomic Methodology Identifying Critical Activities in a Metallurgical Electrolysis Unit |
| title_full | Practical Application of Ergonomic Methodology Identifying Critical Activities in a Metallurgical Electrolysis Unit |
| title_fullStr | Practical Application of Ergonomic Methodology Identifying Critical Activities in a Metallurgical Electrolysis Unit |
| title_full_unstemmed | Practical Application of Ergonomic Methodology Identifying Critical Activities in a Metallurgical Electrolysis Unit |
| title_short | Practical Application of Ergonomic Methodology Identifying Critical Activities in a Metallurgical Electrolysis Unit |
| title_sort | practical application of ergonomic methodology identifying critical activities in a metallurgical electrolysis unit |
| topic | Ergonomic work human factors occupational health complex systems task time |
| url | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9913972/ |
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