Multiple Ergonomic Assessments Analysis on Distribution Workers at Printing Industry

Nurainaa ABILMIHARBI1*, Syed N.S. KHAIRANI2

1Mechanical Engineering Department, Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia.

2Mechanical Engineering Programme, Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia

*email: Nurainaa@uniten.edu.my

Page 35 – 40   |   Vol. 4 No. 2 (2019)   |    Available online on 1 Dec 2019

Abstract

Number of accident cases reported to the Malaysian Social Security Organization (SOCSO) which are related to the number of diseases of musculoskeletal system and connective tissue is increasing rapidly since 2013 to 2017 where most of the accident cases reported comes from the manufacturing industry. Work related musculoskeletal disorder (WMSD) often happens among the workers due to manual material handling (MMH) while performing their everyday working task. The workers in printing and publishing industries especially in distribution section are exposed to risk of getting WMSD diseases. This is because every worker in the distribution section needs to perform MMH tasks such as lifting, bending, twisting, pulling, and pushing which involves repetitive motion. The objective of this study is to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders diseases among the distribution workers by using multiple ergonomic assessment analysis such as Nordic Discomfort Questionnaire, Quick Exposure Check (QEC) Questionnaire and REBA Analysis. The results from Nordic Discomfort Questionnaire indicates that majority of the workers experienced discomfort on their upper back, lower back, hips and knee. Meanwhile, QEC Questionnaire shows that high exposure risk on the lower back among workers which are in the group age of 31-40 years old. Lastly, REBA Analysis shows that necessary or immediate changes needs to be take on two of the chosen working postures in order to prevent from much serious WMSD developing in future among the workers. Improvement or mitigation related to the design of the workstation might reduce the development of WMSD among the workers and further reduce the risky awkward postures performed by the workers which will indirectly increase the performance of the worker and increase the productivity level of the company.

Keywords

WMSD, MMH, REBA, Nordic, QEC

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to acknowledge and express gratitude to all participants who took part in this study.

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Human Factors & Ergonomics Journal (HFEJ), eISSN: 2590-3705  is the official Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Malaysia.  The journal is published on a biannual basis. HFEJ aims to address current research in the field of Ergonomics in addition to the broad coverage of cognitive ergonomics, user experience, physical ergonomics and others such as transportation, industrial design and industrial engineering. HFEJ is a member of, and subscribes to the principles of the COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics), as such we only accept original work.