Exigências posturais e trabalho repetitivo das trabalhadoras de lixamento de uma indústria de móveis infantis

Abstract

The proprietor of a childrens furniture industry showed concern over the high rates of medical leaves of absence, as well as the frequent visits to outpatient services by the female workers in charge of manual sanding, complaining of musculoskeletal discomfort. A hypothesis has been conceived, according to which a work overload would be causing increased strain of upper limb musculature to sand the pieces, the permanence with the same posture during all of the workday without shifting, plus the acceleration of work pace and unexpected production events in other sectors which directly interfere with manual finishing, may be related to the high rates of musculoskeletal pain complaints. The activity of the workers in charge of sanding was studied by using the Ergonomic Analysis of Work (EAW) methodology. In it, 90 hours of analysis have been conducted on the production sector of the industry being studied. In short, from the analyses of the sanding workers activities and of the data collected, risk factors for disease have been detected, such as repetition of movement associated with keeping a static posture for long periods of time and a constant workload; the presence of production goals associated with incentives; time pressure, absence of pauses for rest and static postures with no shifting. Ergonomic recommendations have been made in regards to the organization of work, such as the introduction of recovery pauses, to the work post, such as the new positioning of work tables and the acquisition of sit-stand stools so that posture can be shifted, and to the introduction of new work tools. All of these changes have had the aim of benefiting the workers health through improvements in work conditions