<![CDATA[Culinary small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are labor-intensive sectors in which workers are required to cope with a combination of physical and mental workload in their daily work activities. However, ergonomic studies in this sector remain limited and generally assess workload in a partial manner. This study aims to conduct an integrated assessment of physical and mental workload among workers in culinary SMEs using both physiological and subjective approaches. A quantitative observational design was employed and conducted among culinary SME workers. Physical workload was assessed using Cardiovascular Load (CVL) based on heart rate responses during work activities, while mental workload was evaluated using the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX). The results indicate that workers in culinary SMEs experience moderate to high levels of physical workload, primarily due to manual activities and prolonged standing durations. In addition, NASA-TLX results reveal moderate to high levels of mental workload, with mental demand, temporal demand, and effort identified as the main contributing dimensions. These findings demonstrate that physical and mental demands occur simultaneously and interact within a single work system, potentially increasing the risk of work-related fatigue and reducing the sustainability of worker performance. This study highlights the importance of applying an integrated ergonomic approach in evaluating work systems in culinary SMEs. By combining physiological indicators and subjective perceptions, this study provides a more comprehensive understanding of workload characteristics and serves as a scientific basis for designing more ergonomic and sustainable work system improvements.]]>
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