[The Human Model, a tool for assessing preventive ergonomic postural appearance]

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health and Safety
• Ergonomics
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Italian Legislative Decree 81/08 mandates ergonomic design for work systems, methods, and tools.
• Ensuring compliance with ergonomic regulations is crucial for worker safety and well-being.
• Simulation tools offer a proactive approach to verifying ergonomic compliance during the design phase.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a multi-body simulation tool for assessing ergonomic compliance in work system design.
• To enable the prediction of worker postures based on gender and anthropometric data.
• To support both the initial design and redesign phases of work systems for optimal accommodation.

Main Methods:

• Development of a simulation tool utilizing a multi-body dynamics approach.
• Input parameters include worker gender and anthropometric percentile.
• Simulation of likely worker postures during specific work task execution.

Main Results:

• The tool successfully simulates potential worker postures during task performance.
• It allows for the evaluation of designs against various anthropometric percentiles.
• Provides a method for checking compliance with ergonomic principles.

Conclusions:

• The described multi-body simulation tool is effective for ensuring work systems meet ergonomic standards.
• Its application in the design and redesign phases facilitates better accommodation of diverse worker populations.
• Proactive use of such tools supports regulatory compliance and enhances workplace safety.