ABSTRACT
This chapter presents factors that need to be considered in terms of the environment in manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). These environmental factors include noise, pollution, vibration, hazardous working conditions, excessive temperature, dust, unavailability of personal protective clothing, poor lighting, poor posture, and poor air quality. Standard working procedures are then recommended as a work study technique solution to ensure a safe and healthy environment in SMEs.
These procedures are ergonomics and good housekeeping. Ergonomics is addressed as the process of adjusting employees to the environment and providing appropriate work instructions through planning so that employees can work in a safe, healthy, and comfortable manner in SMEs. With good housekeeping, managers are engaged to ensure employees keep work areas safe with the aim of eliminating hazards, for instance, maintaining halls and floors free of slip hazards, removing waste materials and other fire hazards from work areas, and positioning facilities to ensure adequate storage use. The final part of this chapter examines the application of environmental factors and resolution based on the environment through case studies for the improvement of productivity in South African SMEs.
