Reducing Ergonomic Issues within the Mushroom Loaf Steaming Process: A Case Study at the Organic Mushroom Learning Center, Phuket Province
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Abstract
The purpose of this research was to assess a technique of the mushroom loaf steaming process using Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) and Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) tools. The study results indicate an improvement in the working process that can tackle the ergonomic issues of the mushroom loaf steaming process for the members of the organic mushroom learning center established at the science and technology village of Thalang district, Phuket. Based on the pre-study results, the RULA and REBA scores of 7 and 11 respectively indicated ergonomic issues and high risks within the mushroom loaf steaming process requiring immediate engineering and/or work method changes. In this study, the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) technique was utilized to define the user requirements for the design of the mushroom steaming oven cover in order to facilitate the working process. After testing the designed oven cover, the ergonomic assessment achieved RULA and REBA scores of 4 and 5, respectively.The assessment results indicate that the design of the mushroom steaming oven cover was able to tackle the ergonomic issues and risks within the mushroom loaf steaming process. In addition, the satisfaction assessment results increased from 3.61 to 4.02, a rise of 8.1 percent.
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