MÉTODOS OBSERVACIONALES PARA LA EVALUACIÓN DEL RIESGO ERGONÓMICO: PRIORIDADES EN EL DESARROLLO DE NUEVAS TÉCNICAS

Abstract

The main objective of this paper is to determine to what extent the requirements of observational methods used in ergonomic assessment influence the perceived overall utility by practitioners in their practical implementation. For this, a survey was conducted on 244 professionals from 20 countries regarding the problems normally encountered in the practical implementation of these observational methods as well as the perceived overall utility of these techniques. The results show that when the utility of an observational method is valued practitioners pay special attention to: support to decision making concerning changes in work systems; applicability to different type of jobs and if they allow the specific characteristics of each job are taken into account. However, complexity, training needs and the time required for their use, have less influence when assessing the overall utility perceived by professionals. The results of this study can guide the development of new assessment techniques most useful and applicable in real work situations.