Assessing physical activity at work

Assessing the level of physical activity must be part of an ergonomic approach in the broad sense of the term, involving management, employees, their immediate supervisors, the methods office, human relations, the occupational physician and staff representatives. It has to be multidisciplinary, so that all these partners adhere to it. In fact, this approach is managed by the company and based on its results in economic (product, productivity, quality...), social and occupational health (satisfaction, absenteeism, illness...) terms.

Various methods can be used to evaluate work in general, or individual components of it. These methods are chosen according to the objectives, the work environment and the means available. Assessment, which details the different components of work arduousness, is of great interest, as it enables us to determine priorities for action to...