Integration of Ergonomic Principles into the Design of a Poultry Slaughterhouse
Researcher: Marie Bellemare (U. Laval)
Projects aimed at modernizing industrial production systems are also excellent opportunities for reducing occupational hazards. One way to achieve this is to integrate prevention into the design process. The poultry-slaughtering sector is characterized by a high incidence of musculoskeletal injuries, and the integration of ergonomic principles into the process of modernizing a slaughterhouse is a promising prevention strategy that has not yet been attempted in Quebec. Ergonomists collaborated with the team who led the project in the plant. They led working groups made up of designers, foremen and workers. The approach used was based on a model that forecasts future activity through the analyses carried out in a plant that has not been modernized and in those that have been modernized. The studies of these groups helped to enrich the initial project, resulting in fewer health and safety risks in these facilities.
