Ergonomics Risk Assessment Methods to Minimise Musculoskeletal Disorders: Barecore Workers in Indonesia

Abstract

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) of bare-core making in Indonesia are still done manually, exerting a lot of human effort, repeatedly with awkward postures, bending and turning bodies, sitting or standing positions for long periods of time and the hands’ reaching things too far away. This condition is very detrimental to health and is at risk for the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). This research aims to evaluate and analyse the postures performed by bare-core workers, and to compare the results of the JS Index, ART Tool, and OCRA Checklist methods. The highest total score for each workstation is then proposed for improvements in the form of workstation design so that the total score can be reduced, this will reduce the risk of MSDs. The research was carried out both quantitatively and qualitatively including literature studies, field studies, and distributing Nordic Body Map (NBM) questionnaires to 30 workers. The research method used is the Job Strain Index (JS Index), the Assessment of Repetitive Task (ART) Tool, and the Occupational Repetitive Action (OCRA) Checklist. The method is to determine the risk of muscle injury caused by work posture on work activities carried out. The results showed that work risk was caused by effort per minute, repetition of work, length of rest, and arm posture. The redesign of the workstation resulted in a decrease in the highest exposure score of 48% (12 points) on the right-hand activity inserting wood into the SP 1 machine, while the lowest exposure decrease of 19% (4 points) on the right-hand activity inserting wood into the GangRip machine. The implication is that workers allocate rest time appropriately and the interaction of workers with machines is using the results of the redesign of the workstation.