The economic evaluation of an ergonomic investment for preventive purposes: A case study

Abstract With health and safety costs soaring, the ergonomics function within manufacturing firms has seen its strategic weight increase and its pertinence broadened. As a consequence, the problem of justifying ergonomic solutions aimed at avoiding health and safety problems before they occur has come to the forefront for decision makers involved in eliminating from the shop floor the root causes of these problems. A case study involving an investment for a health and safety (H&S) intervention as a preventive countermeasure to avoid potential accidents is described. The approach presented in this paper helps to base the acceptance of a H&S preventive investment more on rational grounds and less on a leap of faith.