Improving the rapid office strain assessment method with an integrated multi-criteria decision making approach

Abstract

Nowadays, work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMDs) are gradually increasing. This not only reduces work efficiency but also negatively affects workers' health. For this reason, it is important to design the working environment based on ergonomic principles in order to prevent WMDs before they occur. In addition, before starting ergonomic design improvement activities in the enterprises, it is necessary to identify the departments with high strain levels and evaluate the design of the office components in these departments. In this study, an integrated multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) approach was proposed based on the Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA) method to determine the strain level caused by office components and to identify the departments to be ergonomically improved according to these levels. In the proposed approach, the strain level related to office components was evaluated by ROSA method. To determine the importance weights of office components on strain levels, Step-by-Step Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA) was used. Weighted Aggregated Sum Product Assessment (WASPAS) method was applied to order the departments according to the strain levels. The proposed approach was implemented in a company operating in the aviation industry. As a result, the most important office component that increases the strain level was determined as the chair, while the Manufacturing Engineering and R & D departments were determined as the units with the highest strain levels. Additionally, by performing sensitivity and comparative analysis, changes in the departments' rankings were evaluated.