Logistics Work, Ergonomics and Social Sustainability: Empirical Musculoskeletal System Strain Assessment in Retail Intralogistics
<i>Background:</i> A large proportion of logistics jobs still rely on manual labor and therefore place a physical strain on employees. This includes the handling of heavy goods and physiologically unfavorable postures. Such issues pose a risk for employee health and work capability. This...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-12-01
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| Series: | Logistics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6290/5/4/89 |
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| author | Dominic Loske Matthias Klumpp Maria Keil Thomas Neukirchen |
| author_facet | Dominic Loske Matthias Klumpp Maria Keil Thomas Neukirchen |
| author_sort | Dominic Loske |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Background:</i> A large proportion of logistics jobs still rely on manual labor and therefore place a physical strain on employees. This includes the handling of heavy goods and physiologically unfavorable postures. Such issues pose a risk for employee health and work capability. This article provides a detailed empirical analysis and a decision process structure for the allocation of ergonomic measures in warehousing and intralogistics processes. <i>Methods:</i> The methodological basis is a load assessment of the musculoskeletal system in retail intralogistics. Based on the established measurements systems CUELA and OWAS, the specific loads on employees are assessed for four typical logistics workplace settings. These are combined with standards for efficient decision rules regarding contracting and developing ergonomic improvements. <i>Results:</i> The results suggest an increased risk of long-term low back injury for the selected four standard work situations in warehousing and likely apply to similar work environments in logistics. Using measures, posture descriptions, and international standards, we show how already few threshold values serve as sufficient conditions to decide if ergonomic interventions are required. <i>Conclusions:</i> The specific contribution is characterized by the combination of literature review results, empirical results, and the identification and discussion of specific mitigation measures. These elements are focused on the highly relevant ergonomic situation of logistics workers and present a unique contribution towards the knowledge base in this field due to the multi-perspective approach. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-01f44a08891247de8f4f90b7ae9f75eb |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2305-6290 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Logistics |
| spelling | doaj-art-01f44a08891247de8f4f90b7ae9f75eb2025-08-20T02:41:55ZengMDPI AGLogistics2305-62902021-12-01548910.3390/logistics5040089Logistics Work, Ergonomics and Social Sustainability: Empirical Musculoskeletal System Strain Assessment in Retail IntralogisticsDominic Loske0Matthias Klumpp1Maria Keil2Thomas Neukirchen3Chair of Production and Logistics, Georg-August-University of Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, GermanyChair of Production and Logistics, Georg-August-University of Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, GermanyChair of Production and Logistics, Georg-August-University of Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, GermanyFOM University of Applied Sciences, 45141 Essen, Germany<i>Background:</i> A large proportion of logistics jobs still rely on manual labor and therefore place a physical strain on employees. This includes the handling of heavy goods and physiologically unfavorable postures. Such issues pose a risk for employee health and work capability. This article provides a detailed empirical analysis and a decision process structure for the allocation of ergonomic measures in warehousing and intralogistics processes. <i>Methods:</i> The methodological basis is a load assessment of the musculoskeletal system in retail intralogistics. Based on the established measurements systems CUELA and OWAS, the specific loads on employees are assessed for four typical logistics workplace settings. These are combined with standards for efficient decision rules regarding contracting and developing ergonomic improvements. <i>Results:</i> The results suggest an increased risk of long-term low back injury for the selected four standard work situations in warehousing and likely apply to similar work environments in logistics. Using measures, posture descriptions, and international standards, we show how already few threshold values serve as sufficient conditions to decide if ergonomic interventions are required. <i>Conclusions:</i> The specific contribution is characterized by the combination of literature review results, empirical results, and the identification and discussion of specific mitigation measures. These elements are focused on the highly relevant ergonomic situation of logistics workers and present a unique contribution towards the knowledge base in this field due to the multi-perspective approach.https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6290/5/4/89retail logisticswarehousingergonomicshealth management |
| spellingShingle | Dominic Loske Matthias Klumpp Maria Keil Thomas Neukirchen Logistics Work, Ergonomics and Social Sustainability: Empirical Musculoskeletal System Strain Assessment in Retail Intralogistics Logistics retail logistics warehousing ergonomics health management |
| title | Logistics Work, Ergonomics and Social Sustainability: Empirical Musculoskeletal System Strain Assessment in Retail Intralogistics |
| title_full | Logistics Work, Ergonomics and Social Sustainability: Empirical Musculoskeletal System Strain Assessment in Retail Intralogistics |
| title_fullStr | Logistics Work, Ergonomics and Social Sustainability: Empirical Musculoskeletal System Strain Assessment in Retail Intralogistics |
| title_full_unstemmed | Logistics Work, Ergonomics and Social Sustainability: Empirical Musculoskeletal System Strain Assessment in Retail Intralogistics |
| title_short | Logistics Work, Ergonomics and Social Sustainability: Empirical Musculoskeletal System Strain Assessment in Retail Intralogistics |
| title_sort | logistics work ergonomics and social sustainability empirical musculoskeletal system strain assessment in retail intralogistics |
| topic | retail logistics warehousing ergonomics health management |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6290/5/4/89 |
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