No abstract

Over the last years ergonomic problems have received growing attention due to their effects on industrial plants efficiency and productivity. Many theories, principles, methods and data relevant to the workstation design have been generated through ergonomics research. However, no general frameworks have been suggested, yet. The time seems to be right for presenting a review paper on the scientific studies whose aim is to achieve the ergonomic design of industrial workstations. To this end, it is the intent of the authors to provide the readers with an accurate overview on the main scientific approaches proposed (during the last two decades) by researchers and scientists working in this specific area. In particular, two main scientific approaches have been identified. The first approach is based on the direct analysis of the real workstations, while the second one uses computerized models to design workstations ergonomically. Each scientific approach will be presented through a detailed description of the research works it involves. The initial search identifies a huge number of articles which were reduced to about 60 studies based on content and quality. Note that the research works description represents the core part of this literature review.

In recent years, interest in economic, environmental and social sustainability has increased significantly. Companies are gradually adopting behaviors aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, which represent a crucial aspect of the 2030 Agenda. In practice, they are currently incorporating organizational strategies that jointly consider environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG), with the aim of generating value for all stakeholders. This paper aims to review, through a recognized seven-step procedure, the current literature on the impact that ESG practices have in industry, with a focus on the reduction of carbon emissions. The results are extremely useful for both researchers and entrepreneurs. The bibliometric analysis shows that interest in the ESG paradigm has grown considerably in the last three years. Furthermore, through the analysis of 13 key documents, it emerges that (i) the European community is pushing significantly towards the adoption of ESG practices through new regulations, (ii) the link between industrial operations and carbon emissions can no longer be neglected within the factory of the future, and (iii) significant efforts are still needed to standardize, in terms of variables and KPIs, the adoption of ESG-centric strategies.

No abstract