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- Sociodemographic Data and Work-Related Musculoskeletal Symptoms in the Metal Polishing Industry: A Case Study in Central PortugalPublication . Alves, Joel; Lima, Tânia M.; Gaspar, Pedro DinisThe prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders is a red flag in industries and is considered an occupational health issue that affects the operator’s well-being, safety, and health. This study contributes to understanding the impact of Industry 5.0 on the workforce and emphasizes the importance of promoting a safe and healthy working environment. Thus, it focuses on the assessment of anthropometric characteristics and work-related musculoskeletal symptoms in a real industrial environment, specifically in the metal polishing sector of a metallurgical industry in Portugal. The research collected data on physical attributes, health status, and musculoskeletal symptoms using the Portuguese version of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, and incorporated sociodemographic data, including age, gender, and professional status, to provide a comprehensive understanding of the active workforce. The results were analyzed by gender and age clusters and revealed a prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms, particularly in the spinal column and upper limbs, with a significant impact on the ability to perform work tasks. The need for preventive measures and ergonomic interventions to minimize the high predominance of musculoskeletal symptoms in Portuguese industries is also highlighted to improve the working conditions and enhance the well-being and health of operators.
- The sociodemographic challenge in human-centred production systems – a systematic literature reviewPublication . Alves, Joel; Lima, Tânia M.; Gaspar, Pedro Dinisindustries are currently struggling with ageing workforce in modern production systems associated with industry 4.0. The industrial socio-demographic problem is more and more present as the increas-ing of the ageing population results in the prolongation of the work-ing life and the consecutively in the ageing of the workforce in industries. This paper aims to conduct a systematic literature review on the challenges and concerns of ageing operators, including the physical, cognitive, ergonomic, and well-being conditions of the age-ing workforce in the industry 4.0 environment. The ScienceDirect, Scopus, web of Science and PubMed scientific databases were used to survey the studies and selected using PRiSMA guidelines. This paper was structured and analysed by clusters: Ageing, industry 4.0, Human Factors, and ergonomics. These clusters were developed as research lines: Ageing as the socio-demographic challenge, industry 4.0 as the technological development, Human Factors as the individual charac-teristics of the operator, and ergonomics as the work environment. Thus, human-centric approaches and ideas are discussed with the insights and issues of industry 4.0 technologies, Human Factors, and ergonomics to achieve a sustainable system at the engineering and social level.
- Novel Design of Assistive Technologies Based on the Interconnection of Motion Capture and Virtual Reality Systems to Foster Task Performance of the Ageing WorkforcePublication . Alves, Joel; Lima, Tânia M.; Gaspar, Pedro DinisDemographic changes, increasing life expectancy, and increasing healthy life expectancy lead to an increasingly ageing workforce. This condition has a growing impact on the workforce in today’s industries. However, old workers are not a burden for companies and industries. They are a fundamental part of the industrial ecosystem due to the consistency of their human factors, namely their large knowledge, experience, and decision-making ability. For this reason, the ageing workforce must be incorporated and engaged through the introduction of digital age technologies to improve their working conditions and extend their active life. This paper focuses on a novel design of assistive technologies based on the interconnection of motion capture (MoCap) and virtual reality (VR) systems as a driver for the improvement of the task performance of the ageing workforce. We intend to explore how this technological tool can help and enhance the work of the ageing workforce. For this, we study two different areas of application: the training, learning, and communication of the older workers and the ergonomic analysis and workplace design for the ageing operators. In the end, a pilot study is proposed to apply this technology in real work environments.