Ergonomic Safety Evaluation System with Labor Time Standard
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current ergonomic risk management in manufacturing, particularly for complex systems like aircraft, is inefficient due to manual assessments that are time-consuming, inaccurate, and reactive, leading to increased injuries and operational costs, as they require skilled assessors and are not scalable for large-scale production.
Innovation Solution
An integrated safety-evaluation system with a labor-time-standard that automates the calculation of ergonomic risk and labor time standards using pre-determined components of work plans, allowing for proactive evaluation and reducing the need for skilled assessors by defining work tasks and applying ergonomic risks objectively, thereby enabling faster and more accurate assessments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual ergonomic assessment is performed by skilled assessors, then assessment accuracy is improved, but assessment time and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a standardized assessment model that captures the expertise of skilled assessors and reproduces their evaluation process through structured protocols. This model includes predefined risk factors, exposure thresholds, and calculation methods that can be applied consistently without requiring the original assessor's presence, thereby reducing time while maintaining accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the assessment process from subjective expert judgment to objective parameter-based calculation. By defining specific ergonomic risk factors with measurable parameters (force, duration, frequency, posture angles) and establishing mathematical relationships between these parameters and risk levels, the system achieves consistent accuracy without requiring skilled assessors for each evaluation.
2Reliability
If manual ergonomic assessment is performed for all work plans, then ergonomic risks are identified, but productivity decreases due to the enormous time required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary ergonomic assessment protocols that are integrated into the work plan development process itself. By requiring ergonomic evaluation to be completed before work plan finalization, the system identifies risks proactively without adding post-development assessment time. The standardized model allows rapid evaluation of new work plans as they are created.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a standardized ergonomic assessment model as an intermediary between work plan development and release. This model acts as a filter that automatically evaluates work plans against established criteria, providing objective risk assessment results that enable faster decision-making and reduce the need for lengthy manual review processes.
3Stability of the object's composition
If standardized ergonomic assessment protocols are implemented, then assessment consistency is improved, but adaptability to unique work situations decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the ergonomic assessment into distinct modular components: risk factor identification, exposure measurement, threshold comparison, and risk level determination. Each module can be independently applied and adjusted based on specific work situation requirements, allowing standardized protocols to maintain consistency while adapting to unique circumstances through selective application of relevant factors.
Data Source
AI summary
An integrated safety-evaluation with labor-time-standard system is provided that includes a work-task manager, integrated module and ergonomic safety evaluator. The work-task manager may be configured to receive a work instruction and determine work elements applicable to the work instruction, with the work elements may have respective associated elemental unit times, elemental risk ratings and frequency values. The integrated module may be configured to receive the elemental unit times, elemental risk ratings and frequency values for the work elements, and calculate a labor time standard and ergonomic safety rating therefrom. And the ergonomic safety evaluator may be configured to receive the labor time standard and ergonomic safety rating and perform an ergonomic safety evaluation therefrom. In this regard, the ergonomic safety evaluator may be configured to perform the ergonomic safety evaluation to determine whether to release or reject the work instruction.