Simulation-based analysis of operational efficiency and safety in a virtual environment

• Published in: 2016 Winter Simulation Conference (WSC) pp. 3325 - 3336
• Main Authors: Golabchi, Alireza, SangUk Han, AbouRizk, Simaan, Kanerva, Jim
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 01-12-2016
• Subjects: Analytical models; Employment; Ergonomics; Productivity; Safety; Solid modeling; Three-dimensional displays
• ISSN: 1558-4305
• DOI: 10.1109/WSC.2016.7822363

Effective evaluation of the productivity and safety of manual operations is essential for successful planning of operations as well as for workplace design. However, actions employed by production planners to improve productivity might adversely impact the ergonomic safety of workers. To address this issue, methods and tools are required that enable simultaneous evaluation of the efficiency and safety of operations. Thus, this study proposes an approach that integrates predetermined motion time systems and ergonomic assessment into a discrete-event simulation environment, and uses inputs obtained from point cloud and 3D models of a workplace to analyze both the productivity and ergonomic safety of manual operations. The proposed approach facilitates the evaluation and improvement of efficiency and ergonomic safety of manual tasks by automating the analysis and eliminating the need for onsite measurements and observations, all without the need for extensive prior knowledge regarding how PMTSs and ergonomic assessment methods work.