Integrating Ergonomics Aspects Into Operations Management Performance Optimization Models: A Modeling Framework

Abstract

OCCUPATIONAL APPLICATIONS Employees play critical roles in improving the performance of operation systems. Work-related health disorders and injuries degrade employees' work performance and hence the performance of the system. Previous studies frequently reported the negative effects of poor ergonomic conditions of the workplace on developing occupational health problems. However, managers lack tools to consider occupational ergonomics aspects, employees' health conditions, and their financial consequences when the performance of systems is optimized. This research provides a hierarchical modeling framework to integrate occupational ergonomics aspects into system performance optimization models. With this modeling approach, ergonomists and human factor practitioners can better influence managers' decisions by developing analytical tools that demonstrate the health, economic, and operational improvement of ergonomics conditions in the system-level analysis. TECHNICAL ABSTRACT Background: Occupational illnesses have negative consequences for employees. They also reduce employees' overall work performance, creating negative economic impacts on companies. Occupational ergonomics studies mostly investigate work-related health and safety aspects of a system to reduce the rate of these health problems for employees. However, they do not usually involve optimizing the performance of a system and do not account for the operational aspects of the system such as demand, workstation interactions, and inventory levels. In contrast, operations management studies usually deal with these operational aspects while optimizing the performance of operation systems. Although human resources are involved in many stages of operation systems, operations management performance optimization models usually use simplifying assumptions regarding human operational characteristics. They rarely include causes and effects of work-related health problems. Purpose and Methods: This article introduces a modeling framework, integrating occupational ergonomics aspects into operations management performance optimization models. It provides a road map for assessing the impact of work-related risk factors, including physical and psychosocial aspects on system performance. Results: An illustrative example demonstrates the applicability of the developed framework in a real situation. The results demonstrate a 0.76% to 3.76% cost growth for a manufacturing system due to the poor ergonomic design of the workplace. Conclusion: By applying this framework, practitioners can find out how the performance of their systems will be enhanced by investing in safer working conditions for employees. Managers can also better assess the economic consequences of a poor ergonomic design and consequent occupational illnesses.