Abstract

Workers are not usually called upon to participate in the design of their workstations. It should not be surprising therefore that some workstations are poorly adapted to specific working conditions. This project is developing preventive measures which are more closely related to actual work activities. The project will establish the feasibility and effectiveness of participatory ergonomics, analyze accidents and characterize accident scenarios, and assess muscular exertion during certain handling activities. By adopting an ergonomic approach to work analysis and recognizing the knowledge and potential contribution of all the participants, the project emphasizes a consensual approach. A new product preparation system which is less automated and better able to accommodate differences between workers has been introduced. Both labour and management have noted the improvement in working conditions and reduction in production costs resulting from the introduction of the system.

A bipartite group has been formed in two SAQ warehouses, one in Montreal and one in Québec, and the research objectives have been defined. Members of these groups were assisted by an ergonomist and received basic training in ergonomics. This training enabled them to analyze certain back problems and apply appropriate preventive measures which are also applicable to other workstations.