Physical and psychosocial Approach to create a better working environment in a Cross-Docking Warehouse

Sammanfattning: In an era where automation has been transforming the industrial arena, it is important not to lose focus on the health of employees who are still engaged in manual work. Employee health both physical and mental plays a vital role in the overall performance of a company, so it must be taken care of. In the case of cross-docking warehouses where there is a need for manual laborers due to the intricacies in handling products of various sizes and weights, the importance of taking care of the health of its employees becomes more vital. In the modern world of the supply chain, a cross-docking warehouse plays a vital role in providing more efficiency to the system. The type of goods handled by these cross-docking warehouses is vast and this, in turn, brings about the need to implement manual labor onto the production. This study focuses on the main physical and psychosocial problems faced by the workers in a cross-docking warehouse and how it can be improved. Here questionnaires and interviews are used to study and develop better practices and methods to improve everyday work. This thesis focuses on one of the largest cross-docking warehouses situated in Jönköping, Sweden. Here COPSOQ version III is used to find the various main psychosocial problem areas faced by the employees and unstructured interviews are used to pinpoint the main physical problems and their causes. Preventive measures to combat the problems are suggested and are supported by literature reviews.