Jurnal Sistem Teknik Industri
Vol. 27 No. 4 (2025): JSTI Volume 27 Number 4 September 2025

Work Posture Evaluation of Manual Onion Finishing After Mechanical Peeling in a Food Processing Industry

Alfi, Rizki (Unknown)
Sawitri, Rahma (Unknown)
Nadiyah, Khairun (Unknown)
Maryam (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
26 Nov 2025

Abstract

Automation is increasingly applied in food-processing industries to enhance production efficiency. However, in onion-processing operations, peeling machines often fail to completely remove the outer skin, requiring workers to perform manual re-peeling to ensure raw-material quality. This task involves repetitive hand motions and forward-leaning postures, which may contribute to musculoskeletal strain. This study aims to evaluate the work posture of manual onion re-peeling workers using the Nordic Body Map (NBM) and Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) methods. Four workers participated in the study through direct observation, photo documentation, and questionnaire administration. NBM results indicated that the most frequent complaints occurred in the the shoulders, upper arms, elbows, forearms, wrists, and lower back. The average RULA score of 6 indicates a high-risk posture requiring prompt ergonomic intervention. The strong alignment between NBM and RULA findings reinforces the accuracy of the ergonomic diagnosis. This study highlights the need for ergonomic improvements such as workstation height adjustment, provision of lumbar-supported seating, micro-break scheduling, and simple tool redesign to reduce MSD risks and improve productivity in food-processing operations.

Copyrights © 2025






Journal Info

Abbrev

jsti

Publisher

Subject

Control & Systems Engineering Decision Sciences, Operations Research & Management Engineering Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering

Description

Jurnal Sistem Teknik Industri (JSTI) of Universitas Sumatera Utara, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Industrial Engineering, was published in 1998. Until now, the number of publications has reached 21 volumes, each of which is published by TALENTA Publisher twice a year . Each volume has two ...