The ergonomic process of an automotive company in Brazil: a study case.

The goal of this paper is to present the ergonomic process of an automotive company, whose focus is on the adaptation of the work conditions to the psychophysiological characteristics of its employees. The planning and the development of the ergonomic actions took place in three distinctive stages: ergonomic analysis of the work post (stage 1), ergonomic adaptations (stage 2) and Ergonomic Committee (stage 3). The activities started in June 2006 and have lasted to the current date, keeping a permanent improving process. The procedure adopted was based on the ergonomic analysis methodology proposed by Wisner (1994:1997) and the stages of the Ergonomic Analysis of Work presented in the 17 NR Regulatory Manual (MET, 2002). The paper's approach focused on the voluntary participation of workers from different areas and different hierarchical levels of the organization throughout all the stages of the process. The methodological procedures included descriptive research techniques, exploratory and qualitative research criteria, background and guidelines available in literature and legislation, as well as company information. Among the main results it can be mentioned the satisfaction of the employees regarding the appropriate work conditions, cultural and organizational changes and the creation of an Ergonomic Committee in the company.

Análise das interfaces entre modelos causais de acidentes: um estudo de caso em atividades de manutenção de um complexo hospitalar / Análisis de las interfaces entre modelos causales de accidentes: un estudio de caso en las actividades de mantenimiento de un complejo hospitalario / Analysis on the interfaces between causal models for accidents: a case study on maintenance activities in a hospital complex

As suposições subjacentes aos modelos causais de acidentes têm impacto na natureza das conclusões obtidas com as investigações dos mesmos. Todavia, considerando que cada modelo possui pontos fracos e fortes, torna-se relevante compreender a complementaridade e interfaces entre os mesmos. Este estudo analisou relações entre os modelos seqüencial, epidemiológico e sistêmico. A análise foi realizada a partir de um acidente ocorrido na manutenção de um hospital. Os resultados apontaram que os modelos são complementares ao invés de excludentes. Em particular, o modelo seqüencial mostrou-se útil para identificar e organizar informações, as quais foram relevantes à análise sob a perspectiva dos demais modelos. Concluiu-se ainda que a natureza das medidas preventivas diferem substancialmente entre si, ou seja, enquanto os modelos seqüencial e epidemiológico indicaram medidas relacionadas especificamente ao evento investigado, o modelo sistêmico indicou alterações de impacto mais amplo na organização.

The underlying assumptions in causal models for accidents have an impact on the nature of the conclusions from accident investigations. However, since each model has strengths and weaknesses, it is important to understand how they fit with each other. This study analyzes the relationships between sequential, epidemiological and systemic models. The analysis was based on a hospital maintenance accident. The results indicate that the models are complementary rather than excluding. In particular, the sequential model was shown to be useful for identifying and organizing information of importance for analysis from the perspective of the other models. It was also concluded that the nature of the preventive measures differed substantially between the models. While the sequential and epidemiological models indicated measures relating to the event under investigation, the systemic model indicated changes with a broader impact on the organization.

Las suposiciones subyacentes a los modelos causales de accidentes tienen impacto en la naturaleza de las conclusiones obtenidas con su investigación. Sin embargo, considerando que cada modelo posee puntos flojos y fuertes, resulta relevante comprender su complementariedad e interfaces. En este estudio se analizan las relaciones entre los modelos secuencial, epidemiológico y sistémico. Los resultados mostraron que los modelos son complementarios en vez de excluidores. Particularmente el modelo secuencial se mostró útil para identificar y organizar informaciones. Se concluye que las medidas preventivas difieren substancialmente entre sí.