Abstract

Materials handling is a major source of back disorders. Complete automation of these activities is not yet possible, and mechanical aids are therefore required. There are no methods available for the design and evaluation of different handling options.

During the initial phase of this project, a software package capable of analyzing manual handling workstations and suggesting technological corrections was developed. The first step in the development cycle was the design of the system's overall architecture. The final software package included modules capable of graphically representing workstations, simulating workstation functions, and evaluating ergonomic, economic and operational performance. The programming of the prototype has been completed, and the industrial site-testing of the software is in progress.