Workplace Analysis and Ergonomics in Engineer-to-Order Production Sites: A Study on the Workplace Design of Control Cabinet Manufacturing Enterprises

Ergonomic measures aimed at redesigning the workplace and processes are necessary to improve safety, health, and productivity. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are a major cause of lost productivity and sick leave among workers in the European Union, with the manufacturing sector in Germany having the second highest levels in 2020. The most affected occupational group is machine operators and assemblers. This paper aims to visualize the current state of ergonomics at manual workplaces in engineer-to-order (ETO) companies. The contribution is twofold offering an adapted guideline with criteria for workplace assessment in ETO companies as well as minimum ergonomic requirements for manual workplaces. The requirements were developed based on empirical data collected in three ETO companies, specifically in the use case of control cabinet manufacturing. The findings show that the developed guideline aids managers in purposefully identifying optimization potentials at workspaces and reducing economic losses caused by working conditions.