The impact of ergonomic rationalisation on the efficiency and productivity of the production process

This paper is aimed at understanding the possibility of applying ergonomics in the reorganisation of the work environment with the aim to improve working conditions and to increase the productivity of the examined workplace in an industrial company. Due to constant changes in markets, industrial companies are forced to seek new methods and paradigms for planning and managing innovations in order to ensure their competitiveness. An essential part of this process is the emphasis on improving production processes, where various methods with different focuses can be used. These methods not only optimise work processes, but also allow companies to minimise the resources needed for production and increase overall productivity. Another useful tool for industrial enterprises can be ergonomic rationalisation. The importance of ergonomics in improving employee working conditions and production process efficiency has been the subject of studies promoting various concepts. This study focuses in particular on examining the possibility of extending the outputs obtained by the REFA method to outputs obtained through ergonomic analysis. To achieve the objectives of the paper, the case study method was chosen, given that it was necessary to apply the REFA method in combination with ergonomic rationalisation in the specific conditions of the industrial company for the possibility of identifying bottlenecks in the production process from the point of view of its productivity, efficiency, and workforce involvement. Based on the results, it was possible to propose measures to increase the efficiency of the production process while respecting the principles of ergonomics. As part of the solution, the author team concluded that the findings obtained by combining both methods do not show significant differences, but rather complement each other and provide a broader view of the issue under study. At the same time, it can be stated that the solution cannot be considered definitive due to possible dynamic changes in the industrial environment (changes in the composition of the workforce and the scale of production and evolving technology, e.g., AI). The subject of future research will be to adapt the applied combination of methods so that it is universally applicable to any industrial sector, with minimal required adjustments to meet the specifics of individual industries.