Managemen and P oduc ion Enginee ing Re iew
Volume 15 •Numbe 4 •Decembe 2024 •pp. 1–10
DOI: 10.24425/mpe .2024.153119
Assessmen o E gonomic Risks in Manu ac u ing En e p ises
in he Czech Republic
E a HOKE, Romana HEINZOVÁ, Pe VESELÍK, Michaela MARTINKOVÁ
Tomas Ba a Uni e si y in Zlín, Facul y o Logis ics and C isis managemen , Czech Republic
Recei ed: 21 Ap il 2024
Accep ed: 16 Oc obe 2024
Abs ac
The pape maps he e alua ion o e gonomic isks in Czech p ocessing indus y en e p ises. In
oday’s dynamic imes, he main challenge is o e ain quali y employees and ocus on hem.
Sa e y and heal h p o ec ion a wo k and moni o ing and e alua ion o e gonomic isks a he
wo kplace a e ela ed o employee ca e. The pape summa izes he esul s o a na ionwide
ques ionnai e su ey o he manu ac u ing indus y in he Czech Republic. The ob ained da a
was e alua ed by using basic desc ip i e s a is ics. Nonpa ame ic s a is ical analysis (Fishe ’s
exac es ) con i med o excluded hypo heses. The pe o med analysis shows ha he use o
e gonomic isk me hods does no s a is ically depend on he ype and size o he en e p ises.
I is u he e iden om he esea ch esul s ha Czech en e p ises should moni o e gonomic
isks mo e.
Keywo ds
e gonomic, ishe ’s exac es , human ac o , indus y 4.0, lean managemen , manu ac u ing
indus y.
In oduc ion
The cu en e a is ocused on pe o mance, p o i
maximiza ion, and cos minimiza ion. As he p essu es
on hese ac o s inc ease, so do demands on employees,
inc easing he isks o hei heal h. Risks in he wo k
en i onmen include physical, chemical, biological, e -
gonomic, and psychosocial aspec s. Each o hese ac-
o s can ha e a di e en impac on wo ke s’ heal h and
sa e y. Risk ac o s no only pose an immedia e h ea
o wo ke s’ heal h bu can also ha e a long- e m impac
on hei o e all p oduc i i y and quali y o li e. In es-
iga ing isk ac o s in he wo k en i onmen suppo s
he de elopmen o s a egies and solu ions o ensu e
a sa e and heal hie wo k en i onmen (Zoco a, 2023).
Al hough i is gene al knowledge ha he ca e o
he employee should come i s , his is only some imes
he case. Employees a e he mos c i ical link o an
o ganiza ion’s e icien unc ioning; he e o e, paying
a en ion o hei heal h and sa e y is essen ial.
The pape aims o map he si ua ion in manu ac-
u ing indus y en e p ises. The au ho eam assumes
Co esponding au ho
: E a Hoke – Tomas Ba a Uni e si y
in Zlín, Facul y o Logis ics and C isis Managemen , S uden ské
náměs í 1532, 686 01 Uhe ské H adiš ě, Czech Republic, phone:
+420 57 603 5004, e-mail: [email p o ec ed]
c

2024 The Au ho (s). This is an open access a icle unde he
CC BY license (h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/)
ha en e p ises should moni o and e alua e e gonomic
isks mo e. En e p ises implemen ing lean managemen
me hods ocus mo e on e gonomic isks. The subjec
o he s udy by B i o e al. (2019) was o in es iga e
how he me hods and p inciples o lean p oduc ion,
oge he wi h he aspec s o sa e y and e gonomics, con-
ibu e o highe e iciency, p oduc i i y, and well-being
o wo ke s. Lean Manu ac u ing (LM), E gonomics and
Human Fac o s (E&HF), and Human–Robo Collabo-
a ion (HRC) a e esonan opics o esea che s and
en e p ises (Colim e al., 2021;Jazani e al., 2018).
O e he pas wo decades, lean manu ac u ing and
e gonomics hemes ha e ga ne ed signi ican a en-
ion as a eas o s udy and in eg a ion o enhance
manu ac u ing p ocesses. An inc easing numbe o en-
e p ises ecognize he po en ial impac o combining
e gonomics wi h lean manu ac u ing implemen a ion
on imp o ing wo ke s’ p oduc i i y and educing wo k-
ela ed isks. Howe e , he e is a sca ci y in e iewing
whe he lean imp o es p oduc i i y wi hou endange -
ing e gonomics (Al-Zuhe i e al., 2023).
Li e a u e e iew
Pa 1: E gonomic
The e m e gonomics (in i s cu en meaning) was
coined by psychologis Mu ell, who ounded he i s
na ional e gonomics socie y o p o ec wo ke s’ heal h,
Volume 15 •Numbe 4 •Decembe 2024 1
E. Hoke e al.: Assessmen o E gonomic Risks in Manu ac u ing En e p ises in he Czech Republic
sa e y, and wel a e (Konings eld, 2019;Ka wowski,
2006). E gonomics is a c i ical ac o in imp o ing wo k-
place heal h and p oduc i i y (Bo olini e al., 2023).
E gonomics aims o c ea e a wo k en i onmen ha
combines sa e y and p oduc i i y o p e en heal h,
physical, and psychological ha m (Naeini & Mosaddad,
2013;Dalle Mu a and Dini, 2019;B idge , 2006).
The discipline o e gonomics suppo s a holis ic,
human-cen e ed way o designing wo k p ocesses. This
app oach conside s physical, cogni i e, social, o ga-
niza ional, and o he ele an ac o s independen o
he ime, space o human ac i i y, and he speci ic
echnology used (Sal endy & Ka wowski, 2021;Bu o ,
2020;Ka wowski, 2012). C ea ing heal hy wo kplaces
wi h e gonomic isks in mind is becoming essen ial
o a p e en a i e app oach o wo kplace design. A
p e en i e app oach, including economic, heal h, and
sa e y measu es, posi i ely impac s wo ke s’ heal h
(Ono ejo a e al., 2022).
E gonomics is gene ally used o imp o e he quali y
o human li e, such as heal h, sa e y, com o , and
p oduc i i y. E gonomics can be analyzed in wo di-
mensions. The i s is he o ganiza ional dimension
(also called o ganiza ional e gonomics o mac oeco-
nomics), which e e s o op imizing socio- echnical sys-
ems, including hei s uc u es, policies, and p ocesses.
The second is he physical dimension (physical e -
gonomics), which is mo e ela ed o he o ganiza ion’s
sus ainabili y (Ramos-Ga cía e al., 2022). Acco ding
o he In e na ional E gonomics Associa ion (IEA), i
is possible o di ide e gonomics in o physical, cogni-
i e, and o ganiza ional. (Teixei a e al. (2022) s a e
ha e gonomics examines body pos u e a wo k, han-
dling ools, mo emen s pe o med a wo k, epe i i e
mo emen s a wo k; men al o e load, decision-making,
and compu e in e ac ion; g oup p ojec s, coope a i e
wo k and emo e wo k and quali y con ol (Teixei a
e al., 2022). Wo ke s’ heal h, sa e y, and well-being
a e a undamen al conce n o wo king people wo ld-
wide. Ca ing o his a ea signi ican ly impac s he
p oduc i i y, compe i i eness, and sus ainabili y o
businesses, communi ies, and na ional and egional
economies (Be an, 2015).
Today, almos all coun ies a e awa e o p o iding
employees wi h a sa e and heal hy wo k en i onmen .
Mos wo ke s in de eloping coun ies a e employed
in ac o ies and en e p ises wi hou heal h and sa e y
equi emen s o eco ds o occupa ional acciden s o
diseases. Also, no inju y o illness p e en ion p og ams
a e implemen ed. The challenge o employe s and
poli icians is elimina ing diseases, economic cos s, and
long- e m loss o human esou ces om unheal hy
wo kplaces (Ono ejo a e al., 2022;WHO, 2010).
Fab izio Russo examines wo k- ela ed musculoskele-
al diso de s, which cu en ly ep esen a s imula -
ing and complex heal h challenge o occupa ional
medicine. The s udy s a es ha many wo ke s expe i-
ence one o mo e musculoskele al diso de s while pe -
o ming hei wo k (Russo e al., 2020). Wo k- ela ed
musculoskele al diso de s a e such a se e e heal h p ob-
lem ha hey can lead o pe manen disabili y and
cause an economic bu den o up o 2% o he G ea
Domes ic P oduc (GDP) (Ce quei a e al., 2020).
Pa 2: E gonomic isks
F equen execu ion o epe i i e mo emen s and han-
dling hea y componen s a e among he main ac o s
ha cha ac e ize he assembly p ocess and can lead
o wo ke o e load (Dalle Mu a & Dini, 2019). Wi h-
ou au oma ed means, wo ke s may su e physical
and psychological ha m due o e gonomic isks asso-
cia ed wi h he ac i i ies pe o med (Teixei a e al.,
2022). The combina ion o excessi e wo kload, non-
e gonomic posi ions, and epe i i e mo emen s is he
basis o wo k- ela ed musculoskele al diso de s (Van
de Ha e e al., 2023). Poo pos u e can also lead
o musculoskele al diso de s, which majo ly impac
a wo ke ’s li e and he economy (Van C omb ugge e
al., 2022). The mos common pe iphe al ne e in ol e-
men synd ome wi h a high p e alence among wo ke s
is ca pal unnel synd ome (Hassan e al., 2022).
I is essen ial o iden i y and assess e gonomic isks
a he wo kplace. Acco ding o he s udy by (Da id
(2005), he me hods o measu ing e gonomic isks can
be di ided in o he ollowing:
•
Sel -assessmen (collec ing da a om he wo ke
h ough in e iews o ques ionnai es) – di ec ,
cheap, bu usually inaccu a e and subjec i e
•
Based on obse a ion (a he wo kplace by obse a-
ion o ideo eco dings). This ype o obse a ion
– can be di ided in o:
a)
Easie , ep esen ed by wo kshee s – RULA
(Rapid Uppe Limb Assessmen ), REBA
(Rapid En i e Body Assessmen ), NIOSH (Na-
ional Ins i u e o Occupa ional Sa e y and
Heal h), which a e a o dable. Howe e , hei
esul s a e highly dependen on p o essional
knowledge.
b)
Ad anced (use o so wa e) – signi ican ly
highe cos s, mo e ime consuming, mo e ex-
pe ise, mo e accu a e esul s
•
Ins umen al me hods (mo ion sensing, use o
dep h came as) – p o ide accu a e da a and objec-
i e measu emen s in eal- ime. A popula de ice is
he Ine ial Measu emen Uni (IMU), which makes
i possible o cap u e 3D mo ion (Da id, 2005).
2Volume 15 •Numbe 4 •Decembe 2024
Managemen and P oduc ion Enginee ing Re iew
A newly de eloped sel - egula ion echnique, called
Bio eedback, sol es he p oblem o no being awa e o
inco ec pos u e. This echnique wa ns a pe son h ough
signals abou bad pos u e (Ce quei a e al., 2020).
Pa 3: Assessmen o e gonomic isks
The h ee mos used e gonomic assessmen me hods
a e RULA, REBA, and OWAS (Van C omb ugge e
al., 2022).
RULA ocuses on he assessmen o he uppe limbs,
neck, and unk o he body (Kuma e al., 2019). I
is a quick assessmen ool ha assigns poin s om
1 (lowes isk) o 7 (highes isk) o he analyzed
ask. The me hod compa es he body’s angles wi h
p e-de ined ones (Gene osi e al., 2022). Thanks o he
RULA sco ing sys em, i is possible o ge an imme-
dia e o e iew o he mos signi ican isks o a gi en
wo k posi ion du ing wo k asks (Das e al., 2023).
REBA assesses he e gonomic isk ac o o uncom-
o able, s a ic, pe manen wo k posi ions (Abu-Kasim
and Mohd-Taib, 2022). I is a simple me hod ha does
no equi e high knowledge o expensi e equipmen
and assesses he biomechanical and pos u al loading
o he body using a sys ema ic p ocess (Nel iyan i e
al., 2022;Das e al., 2023). Each posi ion is assigned
a sco e ha is calcula ed based on an analysis o he
posi ion checklis : neck, uppe limb, unk, lowe limb,
and w is posi ion (Gene osi e al., 2022). REBA classi-
ies he join mo emen s o he whole body in o speci ic
g oups, while RULA ocuses on he classi ica ion o
he uppe body, including he unk (Abu-Kasim and
Mohd-Taib, 2022).
OWAS (O ako Wo king Analysis Sys em) is a job
e alua ion me hod. This me hod is widely used o
i s simplici y and b oad applicabili y. OWAS is less
p ac ical i mo e de ailed esul s a e needed due o sim-
pli ied wo king posi ions and mo e unspeci ied esul s
(Jeong e al., 2023).
O he me hods o assessing e gonomic isks include
he Job S ain Index. The Job S ain Index is conside ed
o be he mos app op ia e semi-quan i a i e me hod
o measu ing musculoskele al disease isk ac o s o
he uppe body, including elbows, o ea ms, w is s, and
hands (Res upu i e al., 2020; Widodo e al., 2020). I
is an obse a ional me hod o de e mine isk ac o s in
epea ed asks (Mohammadpou e al., 2018).
KIM (key indica o s me hod) assesses he isk o
manual handling o bu dens a he sc eening le el
(S einbe g, 2012). The e a e h ee ypes o wo kshee s –
one o li ing, holding, and ca ying loads (KIM-LHC),
one o pulling and pushing loads (KIM-PP), and one
o manual handling (KIM-MHO) (Klussmann e al.,
2017). The assessmen is ca ied ou in wo s ages –
i s , a desc ip ion o he wo kload i ems is ca ied ou
based on an o dinal scale. Then, he deg ee o p obabil-
i y o physical o e load is e alua ed (S einbe g, 2012).
Ano he s anda d e gonomic isk assessmen me hod
is mo ion cap u e echnology – a p ocess o digi al
mo emen moni o ing ha alls in o he ca ego y o
di ec e gonomic measu emen , whe e dep h senso s
a e used o cap u e human mo emen . This echnology
e alua es cu en e gonomic ools such as RULA and
REBA. The esul o use is accu a e and de ailed da a
abou he pe o med mo emen (Yunus e al., 2021).
Mos ecen s udies on mo ion sensing use non-op ical
sensing a he han op ical (using came as). Op ical
sensing is e y expensi e and complica ed o se up,
bu he sensing is mo e accu a e han non-op ical mo-
ion sensing (Yunus e al., 2021). Due o he ime and
p o essional demands o iden i ying and e alua ing
e gonomic isks, a new 2D me hod au oma ically clas-
si ies wo ke s’ posi ions o e gonomic e alua ion. The
me hod is based on classi ica ion algo i hms ha lea n
di e en poses om i ual images and hen iden i y
he poses in eal-wo ld images. This new me hod can
po en ially au oma e e gonomic isk analysis in a i-
ous wo k asks – expe imen al es s ha e shown 89%
posi ion classi ica ion accu acy (Seo and Lee, 2021).
The au ho ’s eam chose he manu ac u ing indus y
o hei esea ch, as i is he backbone o he Czech
economy. The c i ical indus y o he Czech Repub-
lic is he p oduc ion o mo o ehicles and means o
anspo – i accoun s o app oxima ely 4.6% o he
na ional GDP (Ko anda, 2022). Despi e he obs acles
associa ed wi h he co ona i us c isis, he manu ac u -
ing indus y is slowly e u ning o i s p e-pandemic
s a e. A key challenge is o comba labo sho ages
(Deloi e, 2022). Low unemploymen causes labo p o-
duc i i y o g ow mo e slowly han wages, which can
ul ima ely lead o a dec ease in he Czech Repub-
lic’s in e na ional compe i i eness (P ocházko á e al.,
2021). O e all, he manu ac u ing indus y needs o
conside no only p oduc ion e iciency and echnolog-
ical p og ess bu also wo k e gonomics and employee
heal h o ensu e long- e m sus ainabili y and compe i-
i eness. The au ho ’s eam assumes ha he le el o
moni o ing and e alua ion o e gonomic isks needs o
be inc eased in manu ac u ing indus y en e p ises.
Indus y 4.0 and lean managemen a e bo h con-
cep s ha ocus on op imizing p ocesses and inc easing
e iciency in an indus ial en i onmen . Indus y 4.0 is
cha ac e ized by au oma ion, digi iza ion, and mod-
e n echnologies. Lean managemen is a managemen
philosophy ha ocuses on elimina ing was e and im-
p o ing p ocesses o he cus ome ’s bene i . Indus y
4.0 and e gonomics p esen challenges o he man-
u ac u ing indus y ela ed o echnological p og ess
Volume 15 •Numbe 4 •Decembe 2024 3
E. Hoke e al.: Assessmen o E gonomic Risks in Manu ac u ing En e p ises in he Czech Republic
and he human ac o . This is p ima ily he imple-
men a ion o au oma ion and digi iza ion when new
echnologies such as obo s o a i icial in elligence
a e in oduced wi h he de elopmen o Indus y 4.0.
The manu ac u ing indus y mus ind ways o e ec-
i ely in eg a e hese echnologies in o he p oduc ion
p ocess o imp o e p oduc i i y while minimizing he
isk o occupa ional inju ies and heal h p oblems. As
men ioned abo e, e gonomics is c i ical in p e en ing
occupa ional inju ies and diseases ela ed o he wo k
en i onmen . This is also con i med by a s udy by Pech
and Vaněček (2022). Acco ding o hei esea ch, he
pe cei ed bene i s o implemen ing Indus y 4.0 di e
among manage s depending on he size o hei en e -
p ises. Indus y 4.0 p inciples a e gene ally mo e likely
o be implemen ed in la ge en e p ises. In la ge en e -
p ises, he emphasis is mainly on p oduc ion and ech-
nological ad an ages, bu he ad an ages o wo king
condi ions a e signi ican in small and medium-sized
en e p ises. Manage s see majo bene i s o business
e iciency, wo k en i onmen , p oduc ion and manage-
men . I he company s icks o exis ing echnologies,
i can mean exclusion om he main supply chain in
he ma ke (Pech and Vaněček, 2022).
En e p ises mus ensu e ha wo ks a ions and
equipmen a e designed wi h e gonomic p inciples in
mind and mee he indi idual needs o wo ke s. Em-
ployee aining and educa ion a e also p e equisi es.
Wi h new echnologies and changes in wo k p ocesses,
i is essen ial o ensu e ha employees a e adequa ely
ained and in o med abou sa e y p ocedu es and e -
gonomic ecommenda ions. T aining employees can
help minimize he isks o occupa ional acciden s and
imp o e hei wo k en i onmen . A en ion mus also
be ocused on he new gene a ion o wo ke s (Gene -
a ion Z), which al eady expec s sa e wo kplace edu-
ca ional oppo uni ies and emphasizes he need o
lexibili y and meaning ul employmen (Kozo á e al.,
2024). O he changes in he labo ma ke and he
need o adap o he new equi emen s o he coming
gene a ion we e published by G enčíko á e al. (2024).
Ma e ials & Me hods
A li e a u e in es iga ion p eceded he esea ch in
he manu ac u ing indus y. A sys ema ic li e a u e
e iew was c ea ed using 42 indexed a icles. The
main ocus was on p ima y e minology, e gonomics,
e gonomic isks, and ools o managing hese isks.
The classi ica ion o small and medium-sized
en e p ises, acco ding o he Eu opean Commission,
was used o he esea ch. Small en e p ise (1-49
employees), medium en e p ise (50-249 employees),
and la ge en e p ise (250 and mo e employees). The
ca ego iza ion c i e ion o he selec ion o en e p ises
was he manu ac u ing indus y. The Albe ina
da abase p o ided en e p ise con ac s. Quan i a i e
esea ch was used o ob ain he equi ed da a,
speci ically a sel -cons uc ed ques ionnai e su ey.
The s uc u ed ques ionnai e con ained a o al o 19
closed ques ions. The ques ionnai es we e dis ibu ed
elec onically h ough he online pla o m Su io om
Ma ch o June 2023. The ques ionnai es we e sen o
469 en e p ises, o which 88 we e e u ned and illed
in. Thus, he e u n a e o he ques ionnai es was
18.8%. The mos signi ican numbe o en e p ises,
69.3%, belonged o he ca ego y o la ge en e p ises
(mo e han 250 employees), 18.2 % o he ca ego y o
medium-sized en e p ises (50-249 employees), 6.8% o
he ca ego y o mic o-en e p ises (1-9 employees) and
5.7% o he ca ego y o small en e p ises (10-49 em-
ployees). In e ms o p oduc ion and non-p oduc ion
p ocesses, he mos signi ican numbe o en e p ises
belonged o se ial p oduc ion (53.4%), hen o mass
p oduc ion (21.6%), o piece p oduc ion (18.2%), and
he leas o business in e media y – se ices (6.8%).
Basic desc ip i e s a is ics we e used o p ocess
he ob ained da a. Nonpa ame ic s a is ical analysis
(Fishe ’s exac es ) was used o e alua e esponse
le els (Hendl, 2012). All es s we e pe o med a he
5% signi icance le el and we e wo-sided. The p- alue
p ocedu e and s a is ical so wa e IBM SPSS S a is ics,
e sion 26, we e used o decide whe he o no o ejec
he null hypo hesis.
Resul s
The au ho ’s eam cons uc ed wo esea ch ques ions:
How Czech companies in he manu ac u ing
indus y moni o e gonomic isks and h ough
which me hods?
Is he e a di e ence in he moni o ing o
e gonomic isks in en e p ises ha ha e es ab-
lished lean managemen ?
Table 1lis s he me hods o mapping e gonomic
isks o ope a o s in p oduc ion acco ding o lean
managemen me hods. The da a shows ha en e -
p ises also use some me hods o e alua ing e gonomic
isks wi hou lean managemen . 23.8% o en e p ises
wi hou lean managemen use a checklis o p ima y
e gonomic isks. They do no moni o o he e gonomic
isks. F om he pe spec i e o en e p ises ha ha e
es ablished lean managemen me hods, hey o en use
a checklis o p ima y e gonomic isks. This me hod is
4Volume 15 •Numbe 4 •Decembe 2024
Managemen and P oduc ion Enginee ing Re iew
used by 56.7% o en e p ises wi h lean managemen (38
esponses). RULA, REBA, and Key Indica o Me hods
(KIM) a e insu icien ly implemen ed. No one epo s
Shoa ’s Model Me hods. 35.8% o moni o ed en e -
p ises implemen ing lean managemen (24 esponses)
s a e ha hey do no moni o e gonomic isks.
En e p ises in he manu ac u ing indus y do no
su icien ly use me hods o e alua ing e gonomic isks.
A he same ime, i u ned ou ha en e p ises im-
plemen ing lean managemen moni o e gonomic isks,
a leas wi h he help o a checklis .
The au ho ’s eam also se ou o ind ou i he e is
a s a is ical dependence be ween he size o he en e -
p ise and he applica ion o me hods o moni o ing
e gonomic isks.
H0: The me hods used o assess e gonomic
isks a e independen o he size o he en e -
p ise.
H1: The me hods used o assess e gonomic
isks depend on he size o he en e p ise.
Table 2shows he e gonomic isk mapping me hods
depending on he en e p ise’s size. Small en e p ises
implemen ing lean managemen (1 company) do no
map e gonomic isks. The sha e o medium-sized en-
e p ises ha do no map e gonomic isks is 36.4% (4);
o la ge en e p ises, i is 34.5% (19).
The mos equen ly men ioned me hod: The check-
lis o p ima y e gonomic isks is used by 54.5% o
medium en e p ises and 58.2% o la ge en e p ises.
I hey ha e al eady mapped he e gonomic isks,
he sha es o indi idual me hods will be e y balanced
be ween en e p ises and will no depend on he en e -
p ise’s size (see modi ied Fishe ’s exac es ; Table 3).
The esul s o Fishe ’s exac es s a e shown in Ta-
ble 3. The i s column o his able shows he ele an
me hod o e alua ing e gonomic isks, and he sec-
ond column shows he p- alue o Fishe ’s exac es .
Gi en ha he p- alue is gene ally highe han he
signi icance le el
α
= 0
.
05, we do no ejec he null hy-
po hesis abou e gonomic isk me hods’ independence
and he en e p ise’s size.
Ano he examined dependency was he ela ionship
be ween he ype o manu ac u ing en e p ise and he
applica ion o e gonomic isk moni o ing me hods.
H0: The me hods used o assess e gonomic
isks a e independen o he ype o manu ac-
u ing en e p ise.
H1: The me hods used o assess e gonomic
isks a e dependen on he ype o manu ac u -
ing en e p ise.
Table 4shows me hods mapping e gonomic isks
o ope a o s in p oduc ion acco ding o he ype o
p oduc ion o non-p oduc ion p ocesses. E gonomic
Table 1
Moni o ing e gonomic isks acco ding o he implemen a-
ion o lean managemen p inciples (sou ce: own esea ch)
Me hods mapping
e gonomic isks o
ope a o s in p oduc ion
Do you use lean
managemen me hods?
Yes No To al
Checklis
o basic
e gonomic
isks
Yes 38
(56.7%)
5
(23.8%)
43
(48.9%)
No 29
(43.3%)
16
(76.2%)
45
(51.1%)
To al 67
(100%)
21
(100%)
88
(100%)
RULA
Yes 6
(9%)
0
(0%)
6
(6.8%)
No 61
(91%)
21
(100%)
82
(93,2%)
To al 67
(100%)
21
(100%)
88
(100%)
REBA
Yes 2
(3%)
0
(0%)
2
(2.3%)
No 65
(97%)
21
(100%)
86
(97.7%)
To al 67
(100%)
21
(100%)
88
(100%)
Job
S ain
Index
(JSI)
Yes 2
(3%)
0
(0%)
2
(2.3%)
No 65
(97%)
21
(100%)
86
(97.7%)
To al 67
(100%)
21
(100%)
88
(100%)
Key
Indica o
Me hods
(KIM)
Yes 4
(6%)
0
(0%)
4
(4.5%)
No 63
(94%)
21
(100%)
84
(95.5%)
To al 67
(100%)
21
(100%)
88
(100%)
Shoa ’s
Model
me hods
Yes 0
(0%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
No 67
(100%)
21
(100%)
88
(100%)
To al 67
(100%)
21
(100%)
88
(100%)
E gonomic
isks a e no
moni o ed
Yes 24
(35.8%)
16
(76.2%)
40
(45.5%)
No 43
(64.2%)
5
(23.8%)
48
(54.5%)
To al 67
(100%)
21
(100%)
88
(100%)
Volume 15 •Numbe 4 •Decembe 2024 5

E. Hoke e al.: Assessmen o E gonomic Risks in Manu ac u ing En e p ises in he Czech Republic
Table 2
E gonomic isks by en e p ise’s size (sou ce: own esea ch)
Me hods mapping
e gonomic isks o
ope a o s in p oduc ion
En e p ise’s size by employees
Small en e p ise
(10 – 49 employees)
Medium en e p ise
(50 – 249 employees)
La ge en e p ise
(250 o mo e employees)
To al
Checklis o
basic e gonomic
isks
Yes 0 (0%) 6 (54.5%) 32 (58.2%) 38 (56.7%)
No 1 (100%) 5 (45.5%) 23 (41.8%) 29 (43.3%)
To al 1 (100%) 11 (100%) 55 (100%) 67 (100%)
RULA
Yes 0 (0%) 1 (9.1%) 5 (9.1%) 6 (9%)
No 1 (100%) 10 (90.9%) 50 (90.9%) 61 (91%)
To al 1 (100%) 11 (100%) 55 (100%) 67 (100%)
REBA
Yes 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 2 (3.6%) 2 (3%)
No 1 (100%) 11 (100%) 53 (96.4%) 65 (97%)
To al 1 (100%) 11 (100%) 55 (100%) 67 (100%)
Job S ain
Index (JSI)
Yes 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 2 (3.6%) 2 (3%)
No 1 (100%) 11 (100%) 53 (96.4%) 65 (97%)
To al 1 (100%) 11 (100%) 55 (100%) 67 (100%)
Key Indica o
Me hods
(KIM)
Yes 0 (0%) 1 (9.1%) 3 (5.5%) 4 (6%)
No 1 (100%) 10 (90.9%) 52 (94.5%) 63 (94%)
To al 1 (100%) 11 (100%) 55 (100%) 67 (100%)
Shoa ’s Model
me hods
Yes 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%)
No 1 (100%) 11 (100%) 55 (100%) 67 (100%)
To al 1 (100%) 11 (100%) 55 (100%) 67 (100%)
E gonomic
isks a e no
moni o ed
Yes 1 (100%) 4 (36.4%) 19 (34.5%) 24 (35.8%)
No 0 (0%) 7 (63.6%) 36 (65.5%) 43 (64.2%)
To al 1 (100%) 11 (100%) 55 (100%) 67 (100%)
Table 3
Resul s o modi ied Fishe ’s exac es – e gonomic isks
by en e p ise’s size (sou ce: own esea ch)
Modi ied Fishe ’s exac es p- alue
Checklis o basic e gonomic isks 0.725
RULA 1.000
REBA 1.000
Job S ain Index (JSI) 1.000
Key Indica o Me hods (KIM) 0.555
Shoa ’s Model me hods. X
E gonomic isks a e no moni o ed 0.553
isks a e no moni o ed by 57.1% o en e p ises (24
esponses), 31% o en e p ises wi h se ial p oduc ion
(13 en e p ises), 41.2% o en e p ises wi h mass p o-
duc ion (7 en e p ises), 66.7% o piece p oduc ion (4
en e p ises), and no en e p ise wi h se ices. Mos o -
en, hey again use he checklis o p ima y e gonomic
isks. This me hod is used by 57.1% o se ial p oduc-
ion, 58.8% o mass p oduc ion, and 33.3% o piece
p oduc ion; o business se ices, i is 100% o en e -
p ises (2 en e p ises). Al hough i does no seem so,
when en e p ises use e gonomic isk mapping me hods,
acco ding o a modi ied Fishe ’s exac es , he ype
o me hod does no s a is ically depend on he ype
o en e p ise.
F om he esul s o he Fishe ’s es s shown in Ta-
ble 5, i is clea ha we do no ejec he null hypo h-
esis a he signi icance le el
α
= 0
.
05 ( he p- alues a e
mo e signi ican han he signi icance le el
α
= 0
.
05 o
all es s). Wi h a 95% p obabili y, i can be said ha
e gonomic isk mapping me hods do no s a is ically
depend on he ype o en e p ise.
6Volume 15 •Numbe 4 •Decembe 2024
Managemen and P oduc ion Enginee ing Re iew
Table 4
E gonomic isks by ype o p oduc ion (sou ce: own esea ch)
Me hods mapping
e gonomic isks o
ope a o s in p oduc ion
Type o p oduc ion p ocesses
Se ial
p oduc ion
Mass
p oduc ion
Piece
p oduc ion
Business
in e media y –
se ices
To al
Checklis o basic
e gonomic isks
Yes 24 (57.1%) 10 (58.8%) 2 (33.3%) 2 (100%) 38 (56,7%)
No 18 (42.9%) 7 (41.2%) 4 (66.7%) 0 (0%) 29 (43.3%)
To al 42 (100%) 17 (100%) 6 (100%) 2 (100%) 67 (100%)
RULA
Yes 6 (14.3%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 6 (9%)
No 36 (85.7%) 17 (100%) 6 (100%) 2 (100%) 61 (91%)
To al 42 (100%) 17 (100%) 6 (100%) 2 (100%) 67 (100%)
REBA
Yes 2 (4.8%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 2 (3%)
No 40 (95,2%) 17 (100%) 6 (100%) 2 (100%) 65 (97%)
To al 42 (100%) 17 (100%) 6 (100%) 2 (100%) 67 (100%)
Job S ain
Index (JSI)
Yes 2 (4.8%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 2 (3%)
No 40 (95.2%) 17 (100%) 6 (100%) 2 (100%) 65 (97%)
To al 42 (100%) 17 (100%) 6 (100%) 2 (100%) 67 (100%)
Key Indica o
Me hods (KIM)
Yes 2 (4.8%) 1 (5.9%) 0 (0%) 1 (50%) 4 (6%)
No 40 (95.2%) 16 (94.1%) 6 (100%) 1 (50%) 63 (94%)
To al 42 (100%) 17 (100%) 6 (100%) 2 (100%) 67 (100%)
Shoa ’s Model
me hods
Yes 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%)
No 42 (100%) 17 (100%) 6 (100%) 2 (100%) 67 (100%)
To al 42 (100%) 17 (100%) 6 (100%) 2 (100%) 67 (100%)
E gonomic isks
a e no moni o ed
Yes 13 (31%) 7 (41.2%) 4 (66.7%) 0 (0%) 24 (35.8%)
No 29 (69%) 10 (58.8%) 2 (33.3%) 2 (100%) 43 (64.2%)
To al 42 (100%) 17 (100%) 6 (100%) 2 (100%) 67 (100%)
Table 5
Resul s o modi ied Fishe ’s exac es – e gonomic isks
by ype o p oduc ion (sou ce: own esea ch)
Modi ied Fishe ’s exac es p- alue
Checklis o basic e gonomic isks 0.541
RULA 0.416
REBA 1.000
Job S ain Index (JSI) 1.000
Key Indica o Me hods (KIM) 0.197
Shoa ’s Model me hods. x
E gonomic isks a e no moni o ed 0.303
Discussion
As he li e a u e e iew s a es, in oducing Indus-
y 4.0 and lean managemen me hods op imizes p o-
duc ion p ocesses and inc eases e iciency. Howe e ,
aking ca e o employees and moni o ing heal h and
sa e y and hei wo k en i onmen is jus as impo -
an . Moni o ing wo king condi ions and e gonomics
o minimize he isk o occupa ional acciden s and
diseases is c ucial. The e a e se e al o he easons o
eco ding e gonomic isks. As al eady men ioned, i
p ima ily conce ns he heal h and well-being o em-
ployees. Ano he ad an age is ha an e gonomically
co ec wo kplace inc eases wo k e iciency (Al-Zuhe i
e al., 2023;Widodo e al., 2020). Moni o ing and
Volume 15 •Numbe 4 •Decembe 2024 7
E. Hoke e al.: Assessmen o E gonomic Risks in Manu ac u ing En e p ises in he Czech Republic
p e en ing ad e se e ec s o e gonomic isks is a legal
equi emen o heal h and sa e y a wo k, o en he
only p e en ion o legal dispu es and sanc ions. Empi -
ical esea ch shows ha mos en e p ises need o be
made awa e o hese ac s and engage in e gonomic isk
assessmen . Managing e gonomic isks can also ha e
economic bene i s (Be an, 2015), including educing
absen eeism cos s o u no e .
Jazani e al. (2018) s a e ha syne gy can be achie ed
be ween lean managemen and e gonomics bu no e,
ha only some s udies a e up- o-da e. This syne gy is
also demons a ed by B i o e al. (2019), who es ed
he implemen a ion o lean manu ac u ing me hods and
aspec s o sa e y and e gonomics a se e al wo ks a ions.
Also, a s udy by Al Zuhe i e al. (2023) demons a es
ha inc easing en e p ises ecognize he po en ial im-
pac o combining e gonomics wi h lean manu ac u -
ing implemen a ion on imp o ing wo ke s’ p oduc i i y
and educing wo k- ela ed isks. Using obo s is an-
o he possible way o inc ease ope a ional pe o mance
and simul aneously inc ease he quali y and sa e y o
wo k a he wo kplace. Colim e al. (2021) s a e ha
collabo a i e obo ics is an inno a i e solu ion o e-
duce e gonomic conce ns and imp o e manu ac u ing
p oduc i i y, among o he eme gen echnologies.
The e o e, moni o ing e gonomic isks is no only
a ma e o compliance wi h egula ions bu ep esen s
a comp ehensi e app oach o employee ca e, op imiz-
ing he wo k en i onmen , and o e all imp o emen
o he o ganiza ion’s pe o mance. The e a e many
ways o inc ease awa eness o e gonomic haza ds and
hei iden i ica ion and assessmen . Czech en e p ises
should ake ad an age o he oppo uni y.
Conclusions
Based on he esea ch esul s, he le el o e gonomic
isk moni o ing in en e p ises ha do no ha e lean
managemen implemen ed is insu icien (only 23.8%).
En e p ises implemen ing lean managemen use he
checklis o p ima y e gonomic isks (56.7%). I e-
g e able ha en e p ises do no use a ailable me hods
o elimina e e gonomic isks. En e p ises in he man-
u ac u ing indus y should app oach e gonomic isks
sys ema ically and p e en i ely. En e p ises should
also implemen he same elemen s o isk managemen
in he case o e gonomic isks. Fi s , i is essen ial
o iden i y e gonomic isks in he wo k en i onmen .
This may include he analysis o wo k p ocedu es,
he physical en i onmen , wo k demands, and mo e-
men s e eo ypes p ecisely h ough he me hods abo e
(RULA, REBA, JSI, KIM, Shoa ’s Model me hods).
Once isks ha e been iden i ied, i is essen ial o as-
sess hem o de e mine hei se e i y and likelihood o
occu ence. In his way, measu es o hei elimina ion
o minimiza ion can be p io i ized. Based on he isk
assessmen , en e p ises should design and implemen
measu es o p e en e gonomic p oblems. This may
include adjus ing wo k p ocedu es, e gonomically de-
signing wo ks a ions, selec ing app op ia e echnology
and ools, o o ganizing wo k. Employee aining is
ela ed o all o his. Employees should be p ope ly ed-
uca ed in he p e en ion and esolu ion o e gonomic
isks. They should be in o med abou co ec wo k
p ac ices, e gonomic aids, and possible heal h conse-
quences o inapp op ia e wo k.
Las bu no leas , i is essen ial o moni o he
e ec i eness o he implemen ed measu es egula ly
and e alua e he e gonomic condi ions in he company
egula ly.
Acknowledgmen s
This pape is co- inanced by IGA/FLKR/2023/002
Ra ionaliza ion and Sus ainabili y o Resou ces in
P oduc ion-Logis ics P ocesses he Czech Republic
and FSR 2024 FLCM/003 Inc easing he scien i ic
quali ica ion o he s a o he Facul y o Logis ics and
C isis Managemen .
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