Design of a Fuzzy Logic Evaluation to Determine the Ergonomic Risk Level of Manual Material Handling Tasks

Martha Roselia Contreras-Valenzuela, Diego Seuret-Jiménez, Ana María Hdz-Jasso, Viridiana Aydeé León Hernández, Alma Nataly Abundes-Recilla and Eduardo Trutié-Carrero
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Martha Roselia Contreras-Valenzuela: Faculty of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Avenida Universidad 1001, Chamilpa 62209, Morelos, Mexico
Diego Seuret-Jiménez: Center for Research in Engineering and Applied Sciences, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Avenida Universidad 1001, Chamilpa 62209, Morelos, Mexico
Ana María Hdz-Jasso: Faculty of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Avenida Universidad 1001, Chamilpa 62209, Morelos, Mexico
Viridiana Aydeé León Hernández: Faculty of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Avenida Universidad 1001, Chamilpa 62209, Morelos, Mexico
Alma Nataly Abundes-Recilla: Faculty of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Avenida Universidad 1001, Chamilpa 62209, Morelos, Mexico
Eduardo Trutié-Carrero: Center for Research in Engineering and Applied Sciences, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Avenida Universidad 1001, Chamilpa 62209, Morelos, Mexico

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 11, 1-21

Abstract: In this work, we propose a fuzzy inference as a decision support system built in the MATLAB Fuzzy Logic Designer for evaluating manual material handling risk conditions. The input variables for the fuzzy decision were: (1) the total time duration of the manual material handling in one shift of 450 min, with 3 h considered the maximal exposition time; (2) 25 kg as a maximal mass reference which should never be exceeded; (3) the repetitiveness of the manual material handling task through the shift considering as the maximal frequency of four lifts per min. Results of 135 earlier direct ergonomic evaluations made using the method proposed by the ISO 11228-1 were used as validator results, and called “expected results”. The experimentation intended to simulate an ergonomic evaluation in different boundary conditions of work and verify if the fuzzy interface could correctly replicate the results of the ergonomic evaluations. As validation, the list with the 135 expected results was compared against the evaluation made by the fuzzy logic interface, called “Work_Conditions”. From the comparison, only three evaluations (0.02%) differed with respect to the expected results. Consequently, it is concluded that the fuzzy interface can be used as a tool for automating the determination of manual material handling ergonomic risk levels, with great precision.

Keywords: ergonomics; fuzzy logic; risk evaluation; work task assessment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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