A Case Study of Ergonomic Risk Assessment in Slovakia with Respect to EU Standard

Daniela Onofrejova (), Miriam Andrejiova, Denisa Porubcanova, Hana Pacaiova and Lydia Sobotova
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Daniela Onofrejova: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Safety and Production Quality, Technical University of Kosice, Letna 1/9, 04200 Kosice-Sever, Slovakia
Miriam Andrejiova: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Kosice, Letna 1/9, 04200 Kosice-Sever, Slovakia
Denisa Porubcanova: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Safety and Production Quality, Technical University of Kosice, Letna 1/9, 04200 Kosice-Sever, Slovakia
Hana Pacaiova: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Safety and Production Quality, Technical University of Kosice, Letna 1/9, 04200 Kosice-Sever, Slovakia
Lydia Sobotova: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Business Management and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Kosice, Letna 1/9, 04200 Kosice-Sever, Slovakia

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 6, 1-22

Abstract: Attention on work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) involves statistical surveys showing an increasing trend in the incidence of WMSDs. Technological development has led to new tools and methods for the assessment of physical load at work. These methods are mostly based on the direct sensing of appropriate parameters, which allows more precise quantification. The aim of this paper is to compare several commonly used methods in Slovakia for the assessment of ergonomic risk reflecting current EU and Slovak legislative regulations. A Captiv wireless sensory system was used at a car headlight quality control assembly workplace for sensing, data acquisition and data processing. During the evaluation of postures and movements at work, we discovered differences in the applicable standards: Decree 542/2007 Coll. (Slovak Legislation), the STN EN 1005-4+A1, and the French standards default in the Captiv system. Standards define the thresholds for hazardous postures with significant differences in several evaluated body segments, which affects the final evaluation of the measurements. Our experience from applying improved risk assessment methodology may have an impact on Slovak industrial workplaces. It was confirmed that there is a need to create uniform standards for the ergonomic risk assessment of body posture, including a detailed description of the threshold values for individual body segments.

Keywords: prevention of musculoskeletal disorders; ergonomic risk; legislation; ergonomic assessment methods (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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