The ergonomic process of an automotive company in Brazil: a study case 1 Carolina Bustos , a * , Daniela Fischer a , Lucimara Ballardin a and Rudolf Nielsen a a DFE Ergonomia de Produtos, Processos e Ambientes Ltda. Abstract. The goal of this paper is to present the ergonomic process of an automotive company, whose focus is on the adapta- tion of the work conditions to the psychophysiological characteristics of its employees. The planning and the development of the ergonomic actions took place in three distinctive stages: ergonomic analysis of the work post (stage 1), ergonomic adapta- tions (stage 2) and Ergonomic Committee (stage 3). The activities started in June 2006 and have lasted to the current date, keeping a permanent improving process. The procedure adopted was based on the ergonomic analysis methodology proposed by Wisner (1994:1997) and the stages of the Ergonomic Analysis of Work presented in the 17 NR Regulatory Manual (MET, 2002). The paper’s approach focused on the voluntary participation of workers from different areas and different hierarchical levels of the organization throughout all the stages of the process. The methodological procedures included descriptive re- search techniques, exploratory and qualitative research criteria, background and guidelines available in literature and legisla- tion, as well as company information. Among the main results it can be mentioned the satisfaction of the employees regarding the appropriate work conditions, cultural and organizational changes and the creation of an Ergonomic Committee in the com- pany. Keywords: Ergonomic Analysis of Work, Ergonomic Process, Ergonomic Committee, Automotive Industry, Ergonomic Ad- aptations. 1 Footnote in title. Please ensure there is a 24 pt blank line before the title! * Corresponding author. E-mail: contato@dfe-ergonomia.com.br. 1. Introduction The ergonomic process of the company focused on the application of the concept according to which ergonomics does not only derives from the knowl- edge developed by specialists in the field but from what workers have to say about it as well. After all, they are the ones who feel the problems originated from bad postures, repetitive operations, weight han- dling, among many others, occasionally intensified by the environment or any other factor. The definition of Ergonomics itself, presented by Allain Wisner in 1987 – according to whom “Ergo- nomics is the setting of the whole of scientific knowledge relating to the Man and necessary to de- sign tools, machines and devices which can be used by the greatest number with the maximum of comfort, safety and effectiveness" (MTE, 2002) – was simply and profoundly changed by the author in 1994, when he added, as relevant to the definition, the knowledge of the workers to the knowledge of the specialists. Thus “Ergonomics is the art in which are both used the techno scientific knowledge and the workers’ knowledge about their own work situation” (MTE, 2002). Therefore, the NR 17 Regulatory Manual, from the Ministry of Labor and Employment, which attends to Ergonomics, uses this last definition when puts both conceptions together as indispensable for the success of the ergonomic action. Regarding the previous context, this paper objec- tives to present the ergonomic process of an automo- tive company, which is concerned about the adapta- tion of the work conditions to the workers’ psycho- physiological, which took place by putting together the operatory and the technical scientific knowledge. The ergonomic claim of the company being studied emerged from an internal need, and its main objec- tives were: (i) carry out an ergonomic analysis of the Work 41 (2012) 5449-5452 DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0849-5449 IOS Press 5449 1051-9815/12/$27.50 © 2012 – IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved