DESIGN OF MANUAL MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEM THROUGH COMPUTER AIDED ERGONOMICS: A CASE STUDY AT BDTSC TEXTILE FIRM

Designing of lifting, pushing and pulling activities based on the physical and physiological capabilities of the operators is essential. The purpose of this study is to analyze manual material handling (MMH) working posture of the operators using 3D Static Strength Prediction Program (3DSSPP) software and to identify major areas causing long last injury of operators. The research has investigated the fit between the demands of tasks and the capabilities of operators. At the existing situations, the actual capabilities of operators have been computed with the help of 3DSSPP software and compared with NIOSH standards. Accordingly, operators' working posture is at an unacceptable position that exposes them for musculoskeletal disorders. Then, after the improvement of the design of MMH device (cart's roller), the result showed that the forces required by the operators to push and pull the sliver cans have been reduced from 931.77 Newton to 194.23 Newton. Furthermore, improvement of MMH cart's roller has reduced the awkward posture of operators and the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. The improved manual material handling design also saves about 1828.40 ETB per month for the company.