Ergonomics and Improvement of Workplace Layout Design in Automotive Service Sector at Motorcycle Repair Workshop

Abstract

The service sector, which includes motorcycle repair shops, provides the most job opportunities for Malaysians and contributes significantly to the country's economic growth. Due to the nature of the work, which involved oils and tools, this type of shop has a messy workspace. Aside from that, workshop workers often adopt awkward postures while working as plenty of manual work done, which has a negative impact on their health, particularly musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Customers and employees are exposed to workplace hazards when workstations are disorganized. As a result, layout improvements are planned for the chosen workshop in order to improve the overall layout by taking into account worker posture while working and reducing hazard and accident occurrence. The worker’s posture was evaluated using the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA). Meanwhile, the new layout of the motorcycle repair shop was designed using SmartDraw. According to the findings, the workshop has an improper workstation, which may cause workers to have poor posture while working. Workers' REBA scores are very high, indicating that changes are necessary. Some suggestions for improvement include rearranging the workshop with proper tool and product placement, posting warning signs, embossing tools with warnings and instructions for proper use, and having a dedicated workstation for maintaining good posture while repairing the motorcycle. Finally, rearrange the entire workshop by relocating some areas to the second floor to provide additional workspace. To summarize, rearrangement of the workshop layout can be accomplished through simple practices, but it can improve the appearance of the workplace, maintain worker health and safety, avoid exposure to accidents, and attract customers to use the shop's services.