Ergonomic redesign of an assembly workstation for heat exchanger assembly at Alfa Laval

Sammanfattning

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) represent one of the main risks in production environments, affecting both workers’ well-being and companies’ productivity. This project focuses on ergonomic improvements on a bolt assembly workstation at the company Alfa Laval. Currently, real cases of lumbar disc injuries have been reported at this workstation due to awkward postures, handling of heavy loads, and repetitive movements. The main objective of the project was to analyse ergonomic conditions of the workstation and propose a redesign that would improve workers’ well-being and increase the efficiency of the process, thereby improving occupational health and safety, as well as productivity. To achieve this, evaluations were carried out using the methods Arm Force Field (AFF), Lower Back Compression (LBC), and Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA), to identify the main risks present in the task. In addition, user-centred methodologies were applied, such as brainstorming sessions, direct observation in the real environment, concept generation, CAD modelling, and simulations with the Digital Human Modelling (DHM) tool IPS IMMA. This entire process made it possible to gather relevant information, define the specifications and needs of the workers, and validate improvement proposals, always with the participation of the workers, engineers and managers at Alfa Laval. The result was a redesign proposal based on ergonomic analyses and field observations, which could significantly reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injuries, improve the work environment, and increase productivity. This project demonstrates how user-centred design, and the use of ergonomic tools are key to preventing risks and improving workstation ergonomics in industrial environments.