An empirical approach to workload assessment for process optimization

The Human Factors contribution in the scope of the industrial process optimization presented in this case study had to deal with considerations regarding the physical and mental workload requirements of different workstations and the capabilities of the operators assigned to them. The scope was to provide the industrial management with a better way to allocate human resources to tasks having different workload requirements. This work presents an empirical model designed to quantify the impact of workload on workers with the aim of reducing operational errors and safety human errors. The effects of this workload assessment can contribute to consider necessary areas of improvement in terms of technical measures, procedure optimizations and improved work organization, to reduce defects and waste generation. The paper presents a brief description of the empirical approach used to assess the workload of complex tasks in assembly lines; furthermore, it also discusses some of the preliminary results of its application.