At present, markets tend to demand more from organizations, which is why entities explore new techniques that allow them to be more productive and competent, this with the aim of staying in the market and being able to generate products or services to satisfy the needs and customer requirements.
For a long time, man has tried to find ways to improve the use of his production tools, in order to work more comfortably.
Ergonomics postures adopted office
Every day the negative consequences found in a poorly designed job are more evident, resulting in health damage to workers and to the company's own productivity. For this reason, it is the interest of studying ergonomics and its relationship with the individual in their environment through the activities that they exercise themselves, with the aim of offering a better use of the tools they have, this generating greater efficiency and therefore an increase in your productivity.
Ergonomics is defined as "applied science of a multidisciplinary nature that aims to adapt products, systems and artificial environments to the characteristics, limitations and needs of users to optimize their effectiveness, safety and comfort" according to the Spanish Association of Ergonomics.
According to the study by (Guadalupe Rivera) it is calculated that in Mexico an accident at work occurs every 58 seconds, the need to protect workers against the causes of occupational diseases and accidents at work is an unobjectionable issue. All activities that can be carried out must be aimed at preventing occupational risks in order to control losses, with the consequent advantages of production and productivity, thus achieving greater social well-being, which is reflected in the company's own economy..
Many organizations still do not focus their attention on the design of jobs, which affects the misuse of tools, causing diseases in the skeletal and muscular systems of the operators, but not only causing physical effects but also influencing the content of the work, that is, when we find the operator in non-working conditions, we are not only losing a workforce, but we are also causing a reduction in production. Some companies have production machinery with dimensions not suitable for the worker, or with characteristics that do not match for the execution of their activities.
That is why the objective of ergonomics is to try to improve the user's quality of life, both in front of a computer and in a domestic setting; In any case, this objective is achieved by reducing possible risks and increasing the well-being of employees, within a specific work environment that seeks to optimize the 3 systems: man - machine - environment.
The properties and qualities of the 3 elements of the system are numerous, so there are many factors to consider, ergonomics will direct its attention to those that define the role of man in the system; in the relationships between the elements of the same that define under what conditions the man will work.
This discipline is a combination of: physiology, anatomy and medicine in one branch, physiology and experimental psychology, in another, physics and engineering in a third.
The biological sciences provide information about the structure of the body: physical capacities and limitations of the operator, dimensions of his body. Physiological-psychology studies the functioning of the brain and the nervous system as determinants of behavior, while experimental psychologists try to understand the basic ways in which the individual uses his body to behave, perceive, learn, remember, control motor processes, etc. Finally, physics and engineering provide similar information about the machine and the environment that the operator has to deal with. Under these ideas, ergonomics seeks to increase safety,which should result in the reduction of time lost through illness and a corresponding increase in efficiency causing increases in productivity in their work.
Productivity according to Karl Marx is expressed in the "volume of the relative magnitude of the means of production that a worker, during a given time and with the same tension of the labor force, transformed into product". In other words, productivity tries to achieve greater production without increasing working hours or demanding more efforts from the operator.
Productivity shares the vision of the International Labor Organization (ILO), which considers the improvement of productivity as a means to achieve multiple objectives. “Improving productivity is not an end in itself, but a means to improve the lives of workers.
But within a production design we can find problems related to the system and its planning, analysis and control, these five points are related to the application of ergonomic concepts:
- Plant distribution: it is the way in which the facilities are distributed or established depending on the process or product to be manufactured Material handling: closely related to the plant distribution problems Acquisition of capital equipment: tools, equipment and machinery necessary for production.Methods to do the work: it is the way in which the work is going to have to be carried out, includes the movements that it has to carry out and the different interactions that they will have with the machinery. to get the job done: the amount of time it takes to do a job.
With regard to the variables of ergonomics and productivity, they have been integrated as a system that does not seek an expense within the company, but as an investment that will bear fruit in the future with the sense of improvement in the efficiency and effectiveness of the activities.
By putting into practice an ergonomic plant design, direct and indirect costs are avoided, that is to say, how to prevent accidents, costs caused by unforeseen events are saved, compared to indirect costs and taking the example of an accident to an employee due to an accident. Bad machinery or tools will be reflected in the absenteeism of these personnel the time of their disability, which will cause the indirect cost in:
- Low production and therefore in profits. Time and production stopped. Lower performance of the injured after his re-entry to his job. Extra expenses for overtime work due to delays in production, caused by the accident. Medical costs not Insured costs Cost of damage to property, equipment, machinery or facilities Lower production due to lower performance of the new worker Loss of customers caused by irregular deliveries of the required time.
Consequences of poor ergonomic adaptation in the workplace
The application of an ergonomic Man - Machine system produces better efficiency as mentioned above, relating the effort to perform a job. Regarding this system, Taylor led to a true rationalization of work by suppressing unnecessary movements and reducing the decrease in man's performance due to the effect of fatigue.
According to the (FISO) the most significant benefits in an adequate ergonomic intervention, can be classified into three categories:
- Economic benefits related to personnel: having an ergonomic system will allow taking care of the most important resource in the company; people, who by having suitable machinery and / or tools will be able to carry out their work and therefore will obtain greater benefits.Economic benefits related to equipment and materials: having adequate equipment for personnel will achieve better care of them, with which the useful life will be greater and its maintenance cost will be lower.Economic benefit related to the increase in sales: this benefit is seen through an increase in sales through an increase in the efficiency and effectiveness of the company.
Ergonomics and its benefits
In most cases these five aspects are designed and developed without taking into account the worker who will perform the activity. Physical and mental abilities are not taken into account.
Ergonomics can be taken as a technique that contributes and benefits all types of companies, since the results can be favorable. Conditioning an area for human resources can bring benefits such as increased profits and reduced costs due to accidents or other factors.
For this reason, it can be said that the companies that apply this technique can be benefited from the health and safety that they provide to their employees, as in productivity, efficiency, quality that employees transfer to the products they manufacture and as a result obtaining satisfaction at work and in the final products and / or services.
Bibliography
FISO. (sf). Ibero-American Foundation for Occupational Health and Safety.
Guadalupe Rivera, EG (sf). Ergonomics.
Download the original file
