FMEA and consideration of real work situations for safer design of production systems.

Production equipment designers must ensure the health and safety of future users; in this regard, they augment requirements for standardizing and controlling operator work. This contrasts with the ergonomic view of the activity, which recommends leaving operators leeway (margins for manoeuvre) in performing their task, while safeguarding their health. Following a brief analysis of design practices in the car industry, we detail how the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) approach is implemented in this sector.

Engaging workers in WRMSD prevention: Two interdisciplinary case studies in an activity clinic.

Background: This paper reports on two case studies conducted by the Activity Clinic team to support the prevention of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WRMSDs) in the workplace. Research so far qualifies WRMSDs as multifactorial and organizational pathologies. It has also demonstrated that in situ clinical analysis of the work activity improves the understanding of WRMSDs and their long-term prevention.