Assembly tasks are most common in industrialised countries. Even in highly automated and mechanised branches like the automotive, high or uniform load situations are common and result in high physical workload. In industrialised countries almost one-third of the total sick leave is due to musculo-skeletal complaints and disorders, which might result from poor ergonomic design. In order to tackle that problem, the European Assembly Worksheet (EAWS) as a screening tool for physical workload was developed. The EAWS grants load points for unfavourable physical workload and due to the total score assigns a traffic light risk scheme to work situations. In the recent years, the EAWS was checked for compliance with existing internationally accepted methods and legal European requirements. In the companies involved, the EAWS serves as an ergonomic screening tool. It links corrective (shop floor) and proactive (Tech center) ergonomics, points out ergonomic problems and offers design solutions to overcome them.

The European Assembly Worksheet

Digital manufacturing technologies have been considered an essential part of the continuous effort towards the reduction in a product’s development time and cost, as well as towards the expansion in customisation options. The simulation-based technologies constitute a focal point of digital manufacturing solutions, since they allow for the experimentation and validation of different product, process and manufacturing system configurations. This article investigates simulation-based applications in a series of different technological and manufacturing domains. First, this article discusses the current industrial practice, focusing on the use of information technology. Next, a series of simulation-based solutions are explored in the domains of product and production process design, as well as in the area of enterprise resource planning. The current technologies and research trends are discussed in the context of the new landscape of computing hardware technologies and the emerging computing services, includ...

The role of simulation in digital manufacturing: applications and outlook

A new methodology for describing the safety of human–robot collaborations is presented. Taking a task-based perspective, a risk assessment of a collaborative robot system safety can be evaluated offline during the initial design stages. This risk assessment factors in such elements as tooling, the nature and duration of expected contacts, and any amortized transfer of pressures and forces onto a human operator. Risk assessments of example tasks are provided for illustrative purposes.

/pdf/characterizing-task-based-human-robot-collaboration-safety-3gmuzze9ml.pdf

Characterizing Task-Based Human–Robot Collaboration Safety in Manufacturing

Objectives: This cross-sectional study was performed in order to elucidate the relationship of musculoskeletal complaints with age, gender and physically demanding work in the Netherlands.

Musculoskeletal complaints in the Netherlands in relation to age, gender and physically demanding work

Prior research suggests that ergonomics work design and mixed teams (in age and gender) may compensate declines in certain abilities of ageing employees This study investigates simultaneous effects of both team level factors on absenteeism and performance (error rates) over one year in a sample of 56 car assembly teams (N = 623) Results show that age was related to prolonged absenteeism and more mistakes in work planning, but not to overall performance In comparison, high-physical workload was strongly associated with longer absenteeism and increased error rates Furthermore, controlling for physical workload, age diversity was related to shorter absenteeism, and the presence of females in the team was associated with shorter absenteeism and better performance In summary, this study suggests that both ergonomics work design and mixed team composition may compensate age-related productivity risks in manufacturing by maintaining the work ability of older employees and improving job quality

Good ergonomics and team diversity reduce absenteeism and errors in car manufacturing

This study investigated how well ergonomics risk assessments on simulations with digital human models (DHM) match real-life assessments obtained on a car assembly line. Two ergonomists evaluated 20 work tasks in real life and as a DHM simulation using a company-specific version of the Automotive Assembly Worksheet (AAWS) for assessing static postures, action forces, manual material handling, and extra strains. Results demonstrate that DHM simulations provide good estimations of the workload in real-life tasks. Additionally, significant correlations were found between AAWS risk assessments and subjectively perceived exertion measured on the Borg scale. Yet, there were also some significant differences in AAWS risk classification and AAWS total scores. DHM simulations appear helpful for reliably detecting static postures and extra strains, whereas action forces are harder to estimate than in real life. It is suggested that comprehensive methods such as AAWS should be incorporated in DHM software for enhancing efficiency and validity of digital ergonomics risk assessment. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Ergonomics risk assessment with digital human models in car assembly: Simulation versus real life

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Ergonomics risk assessment with digital human models in car assembly: Simulation versus real life