ABSTRACT
Shorter cycle times, continuous improvement activities and the demographic change have drawn more attention to the design of manual work and the prevention of work related risks through ergonomics. As a consequence, activities to improve ergonomics in production systems have multiplied. To achieve effective risk reduction, however, ergonomics need to go beyond isolated improvements on the individual work station level. For this purpose, a management model for integrating systematic ergonomics in the processes of work design along with an audit to control all ergonomics integration activities has been developed. The audit assesses the current status of the integration of systematic ergonomics in the processes of work design and evaluates their effectiveness in terms of a systematic reduction of work related risks. Audit results from 11 manufacturing companies in Germany show that the audit does not only stand the test in practice but reveals that several companies have already implemented a sound ergonomics management in their production system.
