Hassan Sadeghi Naeini, Koustuv Dalal, Hashem Mosaddad, Karmegam Karuppiah,
Volume 29, Issue 3 (IJIEPR 2018)
Abstract
Introduction: This review article has tried to explore the economic effectiveness of ergonomics.
Methods: In this review, PubMed, EBSCO, and Web of Science were selected to find the related articles based on two keywords of ‘ergonomics’ and ‘economics’. Eleven full-text articles (1 in PubMed, 8 in EBSCO, and 2 in Web.Sci.) were included in the study.
Results: Articles show that ergonomics interventions have an association with economics and productivity; however 3 out of 11 articles didn’t show a clear interconnection between ergonomics and economic benefits. All of the reviewed articles conducted at workplaces and also were related to occupational ergonomics, but in a single case, the ergonomics product design was reflected a cost-benefit approach.
Discussion: The role of a healthy workforce and ergonomics design regard to both employees’ efficiency and business growth, are often neglected. According to reviewed papers, the role of ergonomics in green economics toward sustainability is inevitable. However, there are some challenges to persuade the industrial sectors’ managers about the economics side of ergonomics in which limited documents and the lack of ergonomics-economics models and procedures are critical.
Conclusion: This review emphasized on at least two approaches. One of them is the necessities of publishing papers, including valid economics model about industrial ergonomics, another one is to develop some economics tools to confirm the benefits of ergonomic product design. If some appropriate economic models or techniques merge into ergonomics intervention projects, whether industrial ergonomics or product design, more feasible and better outcomes will gain in which both of the employees and customers are satisfied.
