Gruber, Harald; Trippler, Detlev
Maschinenbau- und Metall-Berufsgenossenschaft, Kreuzstraße 45, 40210 Düsseldorf, Germany
49 (3 51) 8 86 50 41/ Harald.Gruber@mmbg.de
Debitz, Uwe
TU Dresden, Institut für Arbeits-, Organisations- und Sozialpsychologie, 01062 Dresden, Germany
49 (3 51) 46 33 24 95/ debitz@psy1.psych.tu-dresden.de
Trampenau, Peter
Rautenbach-Guss Wernigerode GmbH, Gießerweg 10, 38855 Wernigerode, Germany
49 (39 43) 65 22 44/ p.trampenau@rautenbach.de
Kubitscheck, Steffen
Kreativbüro ergon plus, Fauststraße 4, 39116 Magdeburg, Germany
49 (160) 98 61 90 76/ ergonplus@t-online.de
Berlin, Sylvia
AOK Sachsen-Anhalt, Robert-Franz-Ring 14-16, 06108 Halle, Germany
49 (345) 2 14 44 08/ sylvia.berlin@sa.aok.de
ABSTRACT
The increasing use of information and communication technologies, and the aggravating competition are essential factors currently leading to vast changes in the occupational and organizational structures within the enterprises. The contribution shows how the Maschinenbau- und Metall-Berufsgenossenschaft in Germany faces these changed occupational and organizational conditions, and how the BG adjusts its preventive work for prevention of occupational accidents, occupational diseases and job-related hazards to health within the enterprises to it.
Keywords
risk prevention, risk assessment, mental workload, occupational health and safety, computer aided communication method
INTRODUCTION
The accident insurers in Germany support employers in the prevention of occupational accidents, occupational diseases and job-related hazards to health.
As, in the present-day society, working conditions are increasingly marked by working under deadline pressure, monotonous work or by a working rhythm determined by machines, it is necessary to adapt also guidance and advice to these changes. Today, it is not only important to observe limit values at workplaces, but also to reduce negative strain effects such as stress and monotony which may lead to long-term
effects (absence periods, diseases and early retirement). As a bad work organization and job design is reflected by a high number of employees on sick-leave, one should always seek co-operation with the competent sickness insurance funds to achieve a well-aimed prevention.
Among others, the Maschinenbau- und Metall- Berufsgenossenschaft uses the computer-aided dialog system „ergoInstrument REBA 6.0“ [1] [2] for an unbiased assessment and design of work contents, for estimation of negative strain effects and for finding deficiencies in organisation and design. This system can be used both for prospective and corrective job design.
In the following, the application is shown using a selected example.
EXAMPLE
Conditions found
Rautenbach- Guss Wernigerode GmbH produces high-quality cast aluminum components for the automotive industry. Since the year 2000, a joint project of enterprises, Berufsgenossenschaft and sickness insurance funds, with the concerned employees being involved, implements design measures in order to reduce musculo- sceletal diseases which claim the vast majority of the days of incapability of work.
The „leakage test station“ is a workplace marked by high mental workload and noise. Here, an employee checks the tightness of about 840 cylinder heads per shift.
Fig. 1 shows the material passage.
The repeated manual handling (4 times lifting and repositioning) of the cylinder heads (weight: 18 kg each) and in particular taking the cylinder heads out of and putting them into the wire mesh crate (fig. 2) generated a high physical workload.
Fig. 3 shows the task-profile before job design.
Fig. 1 Schematic material passage
Fig. 2 Putting cylinder heads into a wire mesh crate
Fig 3 Task profile (Ergoinstrument REBA 6.0) before job design
It becomes clear that one had to expect physical damage under the existing job conditions. As the task made only low mental demands on the employee, there was an additional, high risk of negative strain (in particular monotony and satiation). Together with the employees, solutions were sought.
Interim solution
In order to reduce the risk of monotony at the workstation, the „control station“ (shown in fig. 1) was combined with the „leakage test station“. At the „control station“, the worker carries out manual cast finishing and a visual check. The mental demands are higher than at the „leakage test station“ [3].
On both workstations, it was possible to reduce the physical workload by using roller conveyors and elevating tables (fig. 4).
Fig. 4 Designed control stations
Final approach
In order to achieve further quality improvement in the cylinder head fabrication, and to reduce residual hazards, the „leakage test station“ was automatized by employing a robot system equipped with image analysis and automatic feed.
The change of workstations between the now automatized „leakage test station“ and the „control stations“ has stood the test and is kept. Fig. 5 shows the task profile after implementation of the job design.
Fig. 5 Task profile (Ergoinstrument REBA 6.0) after implementation of the job design Due to the job content, it is not possible to achieve a further, fundamental reduction ofthe residual risks remaining after the implementation of the design measures.
Although the noise hazard was considerably reduced (use of robots, use of roller conveyors and elevating tables), there will be no completely noise-free communication. As to the contents, the degrees of freedom in the job execution and the corresponding decisions are limited. Also, the thinking processes always will follow predetermined rules.
CONCLUSION
By implementing work organization and job design, it was possible to fundamentally reduce the hazards and strains for 31 employees working at nine workstations. Taking into account the employees´ experience, workstations and work processes were redesigned.
The improved product quality and the reduction of the number of persons on sick-leave justify the high investment and expenditure.
By using the computer-aided dialog system „ergoInstrument REBA 6.0“, it was possible to design the work in a long-term (prospective) manner, so that onerous, large-scale, corrective measures did not become necessary.
REFERENCES
[1] Debitz,U.; Gruber, H.; Richter, G. (2003) Psychische Gesundheit am Arbeitsplatz.
Teil 2, Bochum: Verlag Technik
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