Analysis of a chicken wing cut sector using the OWAS method

Introduction: The Industrial Revolution has encouraged consumption and, consequently, the competitiveness of the market. Historically, it can be perceived as the evolution of the industrial process. However, despite the implementation of automation, many industrial activities continue to be repetitive and monotonous, such as the first industries in which maximum production was required at the lowest cost. The still persistent production model can cause physical stress by the uninterrupted repetition of movements and force requirement, and psychological stress due to monotony and overloads. Despite the improvements in working conditions and awareness about the importance of occupational health and safety, there is too much charge about the goal, productivity and product quality, factors that cause stress physical and psychological to the worker. The physical stress tends to favor the development of musculoskeletal injuries that, when occurring in the workplace, are called occupational diseases. The objective of this research was to observe the work position especially the posture adopted by the workers in a chicken wing cut sector. Methodology: The observation allowed the ergonomic analysis with the use of the Ovako Working Posture Analyzing System (OWAS) method and subsequent comparison of the results obtained to the reality experienced by the workers, namely, the index of musculoskeletal injuries in the sector. For the research, the observation in situ of the activities was performed and the ergonomic risk was evaluated by the OWAS method to assess the ergonomic risks of the postures based on the position of the back, arms, and legs in an industrial sector which activity is exclusively the cut of the chicken wing. Results and discussion: The analysis of the times and methods, as well as the medical records of all the workers of the sector, were registered and assessed. For statistical analysis, workers were divided into a) uptime, b) workers who had already exercised demanding work activity of physical exertion and/or repetition of movements and the form of removal (with medical low or without medical low) and, c) by gender. It was observed the ergonomic risk of activity by the OWAS method and the percentage of injured workers, which was possible by analyzing the medical records. There was disagreement between the result of the ergonomic method and the number of injured workers. It is believed that this happened since the method does not consider the repetition of movements that is exhaustive in the activity. Conclusions: It was also found that the same activity performed in identical conditions tends to be more harmful to females. Since the ergonomic analysis is performed using several tools, it is believed that the result is reliable, given the dissonances that may exist between methods and means of analysis.