Ergonomic Workplace Evaluation for Assessing Occupational Risks in Multistage Pump Assembly

This paper focuses on reducing the occupational risks while assembling a multistage pump. A sample of 10 employees who assemble the multistage pump from an Indian semiautomatic pump manufacturing industry was studied. Awkward postures manifested in these tasks cause strain in the employee’s body which lead to fatigue, injuries and musculoskeletal disorders. These tasks were evaluated on the basis of standards set by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). This evaluation adopts posture assessment using Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) and bio-mechanical approach to examine the tasks. Engineering interventions were then developed and evaluated in ergonomics laboratory to document the reduction of risks. The ergonomic tool introduced in this study has the potential to considerably reduce the occupational risk in pump assembly