Study And Testing Of The Use Of Wearable Devices For The Evaluation Of Ergonomic Parameters In The Workplace

Abstract

In the context of Industry 4.0, human-machine integration and interaction systems should reduce physical fatigue and consequently  the risks of injury and occupational disease, increasing the psychophysical well-being of workers. Ergonomics, by studying interactions  between man, machine and environment, contributes to achieve these objectives through a multidisciplinary approach. A transversal  risk in many production activities is the biomechanical overload resulting from repeated movements or manual handling of loads,  which often leads to pathologies affecting the musculoskeletal system. Some consolidated tools for the assessment of this risk are the  observation of the work performed and its analysis through the application of the NIOSH method for the evaluation of the biomechanical overload of the spine, the OCRA index for the evaluation of the biomechanical overload of the upper limbs and the REBA  method to monitor static work postures. Also, physiological parameters such as heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure,  body temperature and blinking are a “measurable” expression of workers’ well-being. They change according to the psychophysical  health conditions of the worker and according to the type of activity he has to do (characterized by a specific request for physical and  mental load). Wearable devices allow the acquisition of workers’ physiological parameters during the work performed. Their analysis  with appropriate algorithms, integrated with information on the characteristics of the worker and the work performed, provides  information on the physical load, mental load and posture of the trunk, determining the psychophysical well-being during the  execution of the required activity.This study applied to a furniture manufacturing industry with over 670 employees integrates the use  of wearable devices (chest strap and glasses) to the “classic” risk assessment, obtaining a complete summary of the ergonomic risks to  which workers are exposed. The results show how the application of these new technologies makes the risk assessment more  comprehensive, with more representative data of real working conditions.