El análisis ergonómico y las lesiones de espalda en sistemas de producción flexible

The identification and diagnosis of back injuries in the transition from the Taylor model to the flexible model of production organization requires the intervention, in parallel, of the different actors of prevention at work. This study integrates three intervention models (structured action analysis, musculoskeletal symptom questionnaires and musculoskeletal assessment) for work activities in a packing and packaging plant. Seventy-two operational workers participated in this study (28 of them underwent musculoskeletal assessment). During a ten-month intervention period, the physical, cognitive and organizational components and the dynamics of the production process were evaluated from the point of view of musculoskeletal demands. The differences established between objective exposure to risk, perception and appreciation of the risk of back injury and objective evaluation of the condition of the spine, pre- and post-intervention, determine the structure of a system for managing musculoskeletal risk. This study shows that back injury symptoms can be efficiently reduced in operative workers by combining measures that record the adjustment between dynamics, changes in work and the development of efficient gestures.