An integrated FUCOM-ARAS model for ergonomic risk assessment

Many workers suffer from occupational musculoskeletal disorders and mental burdens in workplaces. A number of ergonomic risk factors such as human-related, cognitive, and physical contribute to inducing these burdens in the workplaces. Thus, ergonomic risk assessment is conducted to determine these risk factors and to reduce their negative effects by providing safer and healthy working environments. The aim of this study is to introduce a new ergonomic risk assessment approach for revealing the most important ergonomic risk factors and the worker who is most affected by these risk factors while performing tasks in a distribution center. For this reason, an integrated multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) model which consists of the Full Consistency Method (FUCOM) and Additive Ratio Assessment (ARAS) methods to achieve the purpose of the study has been developed in this study. The FUCOM method is applied to calculate the weights of human-related, cognitive, and physical risk factors, separately. Then, the ARAS method is used to determine which worker has more exposed to ergonomic risks. This study can contribute to occupational safety managements of the companies to conduct more systematic ergonomic risk assessment activities and prepare effective ergonomic improvement programs.