Cecilia Berlin

Social Sustainability Challenges for European Manufacturing Industry: Attract, Recruit and Sustain

The purpose of this paper is to link social sustainability challenges to manufacturing companies, focusing on the upcoming recruitment crisis caused by demographic changes in Europe. The findings are based on literature studies that were validated and reflected upon as the study progressed. The conclusion is that diversity within the manufacturing industry has to be increased in order to expand the pool of possible employees by focusing on three main improvements: providing interesting jobs, work flexibility and an improved image of the industry.

Linking ergonomics simulation to production process development

Production development can conflict with production ergonomics and management of environmental impacts. In this paper, we describe how ergonomics can be assessed in production system design by means of a joint simulation tool. The tool enables ergonomics and environmental impacts assessment in conjunction with production process development. The ergonomics sub-tool is based on a digital human model, which has been improved by introducing an updated data measurement system and neural network processing and inference functionality. The results will extend the new simulation modelling capabilities of the existing digital human model by increasing the motion prediction accuracy and providing freedom to model a multitude of task-related motions in a realistic way.

Human Factors Experiences in Context - Comparing Four Industrial Cases Using a Soft Systems Framework

Abstract: In industrial production companies, the practice of assigning responsibility for human factors and ergonomics (HFE) to specific professionals (referred to as HF agents in this paper) may take on various organizational forms. This interview study examines the extent to which HF agents are able to give input towards the design of new production systems in different industrial sectors. The present paper reports on how HF agents work in four Canadian case companies from the Automotive, Nuclear Power, Poultry and Auto parts sectors. A stratified soft-systems framework was used to guide the comparison of the four case companies regarding the HF agents’ positioning in their companies and how this influences their work practices. HF agents and a cluster of 2 -3 surrounding colleagues with adjacent responsibilities were interviewed. Results showed that company context-specific factors such as procedures, collegial relations, processes and culture all heavily influence the “infrastructure” the HF agents can make use of to advance and sustain a human factors/ergonomics agenda. This includes vertical support in the company hierarchy (management support from top-down, employee acceptance from bottom-up), available tools and methods for demonstrating HFE benefits, and proceduralized accountability for HFE in projects. The companies that report positively on being able to address HFE issues proactively have HFE input integrated procedurally into new project start-ups, and the HF agent has a sign-off role. These companies have also, on a high organizational level, established linkage between HFE improvements and business objectives.

Social Implications of Introducing Innovative Technology into a Product-Service System: The Case of a Waste-Grading Machine in Electronic Waste Management

This paper examines the social implications of introducing a new technology into the product-service system (PSS) of electronic waste management (EWM). Using a previously established set of social sustainability key performance indicators (KPIs) targeting the operations level (i.e. impacts on EWM operators), social implications are examined in a case where a specific innovative new technology is introduced to replace manual sorting of e-waste into re-use, refurbish and recycle fractions. The social sustainability KPIs were applied to the case as a structured interview guide. The results showed that the KPI framework provided a good basis for examining the social impacts and also stimulated discussions about potential business impacts based on the human resources in the system. The framework showed that the implementation supported proactive social sustainability, but some additional conditions need to be addressed by the customer organization to make sure that potential risks (identified in the interview) are mitigated.

Time-related ergonomics evaluation for DHMs: a literature review

Ergonomics problems in production systems are of a multi-causal nature. It has been established in ergonomics literature that time-related factors, including activity duration, repetitiveness, work-rest distribution and muscle reactions to dynamic loads, can influence the occurrence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). In recent years, ergonomic practices have evolved to include the use of digital human models (DHMs) in virtual workstations, resulting in more cost-efficient and proactive evaluations. However, the ergonomic tools provided in DHMs often fail to consider time-related ergonomic factors. This literature review compiles and examines time-related ergonomics terms for the benefit of introducing such concepts into DHMs. The influence of time-scale perspectives and ambiguities regarding how terms have been used are also discussed. Developers of DHMs can benefit immensely from a literary overview of how to consider time-related factors of physical workload. Likewise, the scientific community can benefit from the identification of ambiguities and gaps in ergonomics research.

Change Agent Infrastructure (CHAI)—A Stakeholder Analysis Tool for Ergonomics- and Work Environment-Related Change Projects

This paper is a short communication introducing a novel method for stakeholder analysis, Change Agent Infrastructure (CHAI). The method is specifically developed in the context of ergonomics/work environment-related change projects and is meant for early stages of change projects. It maps potential stakeholders against eight distinct “roles” that have been found in previous research to facilitate or hinder workplace change. Mapping the “decision dilemmas” that stakeholders may face, as well as identifying over- or underrepresented roles, may benefit the change project in terms of determining information needs and how the project team should be staffed. The method has been iteratively developed and tested in educational and research projects. The method is visual, participative and helps to clarify the various participants’ understanding of the change at hand and what it means for them—this contributes positively to information strategies and decisions that facilitates the planning and execution of a sustainable change.

Prerequisites and Conditions for Socially Sustainable Manufacturing in Europe’s Future Factories – results overview from the SO SMART Project

This paper provides an overview of the EU project SO SMART (Socially Sustainable Manufacturing for the Factories of the Future), a coordinated support action (CSA) project. SO SMART examined the conditions in Europe for creating socially sustainable workplaces in the manufacturing sector, where factories flourish along with their social environment. The project was international (with partners from five countries), multidisciplinary and participatory, involving participation of several science domain experts and a wider community of academic and industry beneficiaries who participated in panels, workshops, conference events and an online forum created specifically for the project.

Socially Sustainable Manufacturing: Exploring the European Landscape

Sustainable manufacturing has been extensively researched in the last decades, however there is a lack of coherence in literature specifically addressing its social dimension. Within the framework of the Social Sustainability-themed project SO SMART (Socially Sustainable Manufacturing for the Factories of the Future), a preliminary explorative survey and interview study were deployed among manufacturing companies and their stakeholders in Europe to investigate the extent to which they understand and practice social sustainability in relation to their business activities and context. Using an inquiry approach based on the main concepts related to social sustainability found in literature, this paper reports findings on preliminary exploration of the European landscape of social sustainability-related practices from a corporate and societal perspective. Findings contribute to the creation of a basis of shared knowledge as a prerequisite for extending and further developing concepts and models for socially sustainable manufacturing ecosystems.

Production Ergonomics: Designing Work Systems to Support Optimal Human Performance

Production ergonomics – the science and practice of designing industrial workplaces to optimize human well-being and system performance – is a complex challenge for a designer. Humans are a valuable and flexible resource in any system of creation, and as long as they stay healthy, alert and motivated, they perform well and also become more competent over time, which increases their value as a resource. However, if a system designer is not mindful or aware of the many threats to health and system performance that may emerge, the end result may include inefficiency, productivity losses, low working morale, injuries and sick-leave. To help budding system designers and production engineers tackle these design challenges holistically, this book offers a multi-faceted orientation in the prerequisites for healthy and effective human work. We will cover physical, cognitive and organizational aspects of ergonomics, and provide both the individual human perspective and that of groups and populations, ending up with a look at global challenges that require workplaces to become more socially and economically sustainable. This book is written to give you a warm welcome to the subject, and to provide a solid foundation for improving industrial workplaces to attract and retain healthy and productive staff in the long run.

‘Power base’ tactics for workplace change – an interview study with industrial engineers and ergonomists

Abstract The work activities of industrial engineers (IEs) and ergonomists drive workplace changes. The purpose of this study is to compare the work practices of the two professions and examine (1) how IEs and ergonomists gain influence over workplace changes and (2) whether there are prevailing types of intentional interaction behaviours called Power bases (PB) present in the interaction tactics they employ. The study identified key behavioural strategies used by the interviewees to successfully influence workplace changes; these were then mapped to their corresponding PB. Results showed that IEs and ergonomists were successfully influencing workplace changes using several tactics across the spectrum of PB, with the exception of Reward and Coercion. The study concludes with a list of recommended workplace change agent tactics, and proposes that a PB ‘analytical lens’ can serve to increase the budding ergonomists’ critical and analytical skills when considering possible workplace change tactics. Practitioner Summary: This interview study examines how workplace ergonomics change agents, represented by the two professions: industrial engineers and ergonomists, perceive and exercise their capacity to influence workplace change. Key behavioural tactics that interviewees have found successful are reported, alongside effects on short- and long-term relations with other workplace-influencing stakeholders.