Ergonomic Evaluation of the Manual Material Handling Tasks in the Food Industries of Malard County Using the 3D "Static Strength Prediction Program" and the Key Indicator Method (KIM)

Manual material handling tasks can cause fatigue in the short term and, in the long run, increase physical workload and musculoskeletal injuries in individuals. The  The present study was conducted with the aim of ergonomic evaluation of the manual material handling tasks.
 

This descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study was carried out on 100 workers in the food industries of Malard County in 2017. The Nordic questionnaire was used to determine the frequency of musculoskeletal disorders, and the 3DSSPP software, as well as the KIM key indicator method, were used for the ergonomic assessment of the manual material handling tasks. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software (version 23).
 

The most frequent musculoskeletal discomfort was in the foot and the ankle (26%). The key indicator method showed that the final risk score in 61% of the tasks ranged from 10 to 24, and in 39% between 25 and 49. Also, the results of 3DSSPP software showed that the compressive and shear forces on the L5 / S1 disc were higher than the permissible limit in 30 and 8 percent of the workers' posture, respectively.
 

Most of the risk factors for manual material handling tasks in this study were thoroughly and accurately evaluated using both the KIM key indicator method and 3DSSPP software. Therefore, with this evaluation, the ergonomic conditions for manual material handling can be improved more precisely.