Assessing ergonomics on IPS IMMA family of manikins

Europe’s growing focus on the health and safety of workers in an aging society is driving a structural approach to ergonomics assessment in the early phase of product and process design. In this respect, Digital Human Model (DHM) software programs can help anticipate the design process criticalities and lead to an optimal solution for workplace design, work cycle content and compliance with the health and safety requirements of ISO and CEN standards. This paper presents the results of the research project D-HUMMER funded by EIT Manufacturing (project number 22294). The project builds on the software IPS IMMA to implement a module for holistic ergonomics risk assessment that can provide designers with some recommended ways to proceed based on the level of risk. A workstation from Whirlpool refrigeration factory has been used as a concrete industrial use case. The IMMA family manikins’ model was used for a complete and reliable ergonomics assessment of the target population and to disclose potential anthropometric mismatches. The implementation of a holistic ergonomics assessment inside a DHMsoftware such as IPS IMMA makes it easier for companies to apply proactive ergonomics. The use of a family of manikins allows considering the variety among human operators by running one simulation.