Conceptual Design Approach for an Ergonomically Fit Workstation to Minimize Discomforts During Welding Operations

The welding operation is a vital process of product assembly that exposes workers to discomforts owing to working in awkward positions, repetitive tasks, and manual material handling. This ergonomically unfit welding working conditions exposes workers to musculoskeletal disorders, which could result into workers illness. In light of this, this paper proposes a suitable ergonomically fit workstation for performing manual welding operations in a manufacturing environment. To address this, preliminary studies were conducted on an existing welding workstation with a view to identifying awkward body postures that could result into musculoskeletal disorders. The result of this exercise unveiled three alternative workstation design concepts that has the potential of addressing these ergonomic issues. The three (3) workstation design concepts were evaluated using the Weighted Decision Matrix approach based on design criteria such as degree of adjustability, maintenance cost, comfortability, ease of operation and safety. The result of the decision analysis exercise revealed that workstation design concept 2, with a performance score of 1.54 and design features such as vertical and tilting adjustable tabular system geometry fitted with wheels for mobility, and a back support adjustable chair, furnished with a rotating pad to influence the forward-backward movement is the suitable ergonomically fit workstation that should be used to perform manual welding operations in a manufacturing environment.