電子業種의 筋骨格系疾患관련 人間工學的 危險因子에 關한 硏究

Abstract

Work-related musculoskeletal injuries, which could result in disabilitites, have been a common health problem in industries. The full scope of the problem, however, is not defined. Few studies on the quantitative assessment of ergonomic risk factors are available. The purpose of this study is to develop a new ergonomic evaluation tool for electronics manufacturers in Korea. The new tool is essential to evaluate ergonomic risk factors associated with the development of upper extremity cumulative trauma disorders from the repetitive work environment. In this study, the occurrence of work-related musculo-skeletal diseases (WMSDs) was investigated by using questionnaires and interviews for 385 subjects. Then, the jobs from which workers were identified as WMSDs symptoms were analyzed with ergonomic risk assessment tools including Strain Index (SI), Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), ANSI 2-365, KOSHA-A Code. The relevance of pain and discomfort to work postures, forces, static exertions and frequency of motion was examined through the comparison of a body-part discomfort survey and ergonomic risk assessment. The results of the relationship revealed some limitations of these evaluation tools to the electronics companies. Therefore, a new tool for evaluation of ergonomic risk factors is required. Upper Limb Strain Assessment (ULSA), a new tool, was devised through the examination of the relationship between the result of body-part discomfort survey and ergonomic assessment tools such as SI, RULA, KOSHA-A, ANSI, and other quantitative ergonomic assessments including Ergonomic Risk Assessment : Preliminary Guidelines for Analysis of Repetition, Rapid Upper Limb Assessment, the Development of Action Levels for The 'Quick Exposure Check' (QEC) system, Score Sheet for Ergonomic Survey. The ULSA was tested at 10 industrial assembly jobs in 5 industries and was proved its potential efficiency of application to industries.