Prioritization of ergonomic risk assessment tools by methods of multiple criteria decision making and an integrated model proposal

Basically, ergonomics is the science of fitting the work and workplace conditions to the employees. Aim of the initial studies of ergonomics was acquiring more efficiency from workers. However, it was understood in the latter studies that workers, who work over their limits, become exhausted. Thus, occupational related disorders and accidents emerge. The aim of today?s ergonomics studies is making working conditions of the workplaces most suitable to the workers, avoiding the occupational disorders and accidents, and improving the quality and efficiency in the production.Occupational musculoskeletal disorders are the most common among the disorders which emerge as a result of working at workplaces having unsuitable ergonomic conditions. Factors which are related with the formation of these disorders are named as ergonomic risk factors. These disorders can be avoided by carrying out effective ergonomic programs incorporating ergonomic risk evaluation studies.The purpose of this study is; weighting of the most widely used 3 ergonomic risk assessment tools such as RULA, REBA, and SI by the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) that is one of the multi-criteria decision-making methods and development a proposal of integrated model. At the beginning of the study, ergonomic risk assessment tools were investigated and different criteria were defined to compare these alternatives. Weighting values that defined related with alternative methods depending on these criteria were normalized and an integrated risk measurement model was proposed with the result.