ANÁLISIS DE RIESGOS ERGONÓMICOS EN EL PROCESO DE EMPAQUE PRIMARIO DE TABLETAS EN UN LABORATORIO FARMACÉUTICO

Abstract

The objective of this thesis was to identify, measure and evaluate the ergonomic hazards to which the "packaging operator" is exposed, during the process of tablets’ primary packaging, in a pharmaceutical laboratory. The study included all packing operators involved in the above process, without distinction of age, sex or seniority. The study procedure began with the identification and an initial ergonomic risks analysis, applying the method “Job position analysis” (López, 2009) to the selected process. This study showed that manual lifting and awkward postures pose a high risk specifically in the task of “blistering machine assemblydisassembly”. Then, it was evaluated the lifting of weights with a procedure proposed by the author of this thesis, by means of the combination of the “revised NIOSH lifting equation” (National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health [NIOSH], 1994) with the concept called “recommended limit weight" (Instituto Nacional de Seguridad e Higiene en el Trabajo [INSHT], 2003). Stressful postures were evaluated with the OWAS method. The obtained results for both assessments were high-risk levels and the need to implement controls for preventing adverse health effects in "packaging operators." The suggested risk controls were prioritized based on their feasibility of implementation, for it was weighted qualitatively both the economic cost, and the time required to complete action plans. Therefore it was found that five controls, among a total of eight, could be done with existing resources in the workplace and within a time period of less than one month; for the remaining three, it was estimated up to six months and an investment of less than ten thousand pesos for their installation.