Browsing by Author "Carlander, A"

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    Utvärdering av en förändrad produktionsprocess hos en svensk biltillverkare
    (Arbetslivsinstitutet, 1999) Bildt, C; Carlander, A; Fredriksson, K; Fröberg, J; S Hallén; Hägg, GM; Kilbom, Å; Stroud, S
    An evaluation of a changed production process at an automobile plant in Sweden Background: The present study is an evaluation of a changed production process at an automobile plant in Sweden. The production in the car body-sealing department was changed from a lineout to a line system. The physical and psychosocial working conditions and the musculoskeletal health among the workers have been studied before and after the reorganisation. The process of change, of supportive and non-supportive mechanisms in the implementation of the new organisation was also studied. Method: The physical working demands were studied with measurements, observations and questionnaires, and the psychosocial working conditions were studied with questionnaires and group discussions with the workers. The musculoskeletal health of the workers was measured be the frequency of sick leave, visits to the occupational care unit and by self-reported musculoskeletal symptoms. The process of change was mainly studied by using interviews with the workers and the management, and the economic outcome was studied with both quantitative and qualitative data. Results: The reorganisation lead to somewhat better working conditions for the workers, i.e. the physical load on the lower back has decreased and the breaks was more evenly distributed during the day after the reorganisation. However, the workers possibility to influence the work speed and how they perform their works have decreased, which certainly is related to their experience of the work in the new organisation being more physically demanding. Also the possibility to interact socially and to discuss two and two has decreased, something which many workers experienced as negative. Some musculoskeletal symptoms were more frequent after the reorganisation, especially neck and shoulder symptoms among women. The frequency of visits to the occupational care unit also increased, to a similar degree among both women and men. The decreased possibilities to influence the work, together with the work changing to being more repetitive and demanding than before, is probably an important explanatory factor for the increase in musculoskeletal symptoms. Too little time and resources was spent at introducing the new way of work which, among other things, was reflected by the fact that the female workers did not use the regulation facilities at the new work stations fully. The implemented new organisation have not strengthen the workers inclination to actively participate in further changes since the choice of implementation strategy did not involved them, although this had been promised in the early stage of the present reorganisation. The productivity has increased according to the plans, as has the quality of the body sealing. The investment inthe new organisation seem to have been very profitable and the payback time to be much shorter than expected. Discussion: Much of what was planned to be included in the new organisation is still possible to carry through. A work to gain a more even distribution of the work tasks between the workstations, where the workers knowledge and opinion are taken into consideration, have been started. If the newly employed got the possibility to learn more tasks, the work teams could rotate between different work tasks, which would give more variation in the work situation. To include more work tasks, and for the workers to take turn being the representative for the work team is still possible to do. Education in how to use the regulation facilities for individual regulation of the work height at the new work stations are needed for decreasing the frequency of musculoskeletal symptoms among the workers. Key words: Automobile plant, process of change, possiblitities to influence, social support, work postures, physical and psychosocial working conditions, musculoskeletal symtoms.