The Impact of Fatigue on Shipyard Welding Workers’ Occupational Health and Safety and the Performance

Welding processes are critical for shipbuilding operations in shipyards. Welders’ performance is critical for the quality and speed of the welding; on the other hand, welding requires awkward and repetitive body postures for long durations, which has a negative impact on the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) of the welding workers. This study, therefore, investigates the short and long-term impact of welding workload on chronic fatigue, inter-shift recovery and impact on the body as well as the productivity. This study conducted a comprehensive data collection campaign in the shipyard through observation and questionnaires. Results indicate that the eyes, knee, neck and waist are the most discomforted body parts for investigated welding positions. The age of welders was an important parameter of the most affected body part. Furthermore, a discrete event simulation demonstrated that efficiency loss from short-term fatigue is 22,9%. The main contribution of this study was measuring the impact of fatigue on OHS and productivity for welding. The findings can be utilised for shipyard production capacity and resource planning and OHS improvements. The results can also be used further as a coefficient of performance in the production simulation when studying shipyard efficiency