Ergonomic Work System Assessment

Such studies involve more than just simulations with electronic dummies. An additional method employed is the systematic screening of work processes on the basis of six key ergonomic parameters and, if necessary, a more detailed analysis using the so-called Ergonomic Work System Assessment (German abbreviation: EAB). The latter registers at any given moment whether a worker is standing, kneeling, sitting, or crouching. The assessment also identifies how much weight workers are bearing, whether they have assumed a static or dynamic posture, how extensively they need to bend or turn, whether they are working on something located above their heads, and what type of force they need to exert. The result is an “ergonomic map” for each of the many thousands of work processes necessary for assembling a vehicle.

Regardless of whether a worker is joining a jacket tube sleeve, installing a door seal, removing a trailer hitch from a box, or bolting a covering – each movement is assigned a color by the ergonomic map in either green, yellow, or red to indicate the physical strain the worker in question is being exposed to. “Red doesn’t mean that the job cannot be carried out, but it does tell us that there could be a health risk involved, depending on the duration of the procedure,” says Dr. Manfred Beck, who is a plant physician in Sindelfingen and ergonomics coordinator at Health & Safety. “So, our goal here must be to eliminate as many ‘red’ movements as possible.”

Ergonomic Work System Assessment (EAB)

If analysis based on the six key questions relating to the various postures (see below)indicates an excessive ergonomic risk, a work process can be investigated in more detail using the so-called EAB (“Ergonomic Work System Assessment”) procedure. This yields an ergonomic map that presents the ergonomic risks derived from several thousand work processes in the “traffic-light” colors red, yellow, and green. Criteria – posture – treatment of loads (moving/holding, pulling/pushing) – motive forces – other relevant conditions (e.g. limited scope of motion) Assessment presented in “traffic-light” colors – Process correct – Process not optimal – Process not correct – Section not documented

Postures / Posture analysis system (SAK)

In a preliminary analysis step for ergonomic risk assessment – the screening process ESC – a work process is assessed according to six key criteria: 1. unfavorable static posture 2. moving or holding loads 3. carrying or pulling/pushing loads 4. manual actions requiring strength 5. repetitive high-frequency actions 6. additional unfavorable conditions standing – normal – bending – considerable bending – overhead action sitting action – normal bending – overhead action squatting – normal – overhead action kneeling – normal – bending – overhead action lying – normal