Case Study
Workplace design for a warehouse worker at a workshop for commercial vehicles

The company is a brand-independent workshop that repairs commercial vehicles (e.g. trucks and buses) with its 18 employees.

The man has a visual impairment and is sensitive to glare. His vision has steadily deteriorated over the past few years and is 20 percent with glasses. He has limited ability to perceive visual information and therefore requires more time to perform certain tasks, with increased errors. His degree of disability (GdB) is 50 and he is legally considered severely disabled.

The man is a car mechanic and has worked for the company for many years. After his vocational training, he initially worked in the workshop area until he was transferred to the warehouse due to his visual impairment.

The car mechanic works mainly in the spare parts warehouse as a warehouse clerk and, if required, in the workshop area on a conventional lathe for turning out brake drums.
As a warehouse clerk, his activities include:

• ordering the required spare parts from the vehicle manufacturer or wholesaler on the PC via spare parts programs of the manufacturer and wholesaler,
• checking the incoming goods or the spare parts and the delivery papers,
• entering the spare parts on the PC via hand scanner and barcode in the warehouse management software,
• storing the spare parts in the shelf warehouse or on the shelves marked with barcode and article number in plastic storage bins, cartons or loose,
• the retrieval and booking of the spare parts in the warehouse management software on the PC via hand scanner and barcode and
• the output of the spare parts to the workshop and customers

In order for the employee to be able to perform his work tasks and visually perceive the required information, the monitor workstation in the warehouse area was equipped as follows:

• a software for magnification and higher-contrast display of screen contents for working on the PC,
• a screen reader or Camera reader for the enlargement and higher-contrast display of documents in paper format (e.g. delivery notes) and a corresponding
• two large screens, one for the PC and one for the camera reader,
• two monitor swivel arms for optimal positioning of the large screens in the viewing area and simultaneous income of an ergonomic working posture,
• a large character contrast keyboard and
• a dimmable workstation light that can be adjusted to the lighting requirements for better illumination.

In the warehouse at the shelves or at the sales counter, he also uses an electronic magnifying glass or a small mobile screen reader to identify spare parts or article numbers, for example.
If necessary, he is also used on a conventional lathe in the workshop, as he has a great deal of experience in turning out brake drums. For this purpose, a small zoomable camera, which is protected in the stainless steel housing against the penetration of dirt and liquid (e.g. coolant), was installed on a tripod at the lathe. The camera shows the machining area or the turning tool on the brake drum, since the employee cannot satisfactorily see the tip of the turning tool, for example, when scratching it and the quality of the surface during machining. The images from the camera are transmitted to a flat screen via a control device. The flat screen was attached to the lathe by means of a swivel arm. To read the scales on the lathe, he uses the electronic magnifying glass for magnification - so he can make the appropriate adjustments for machining. For the actual inspection of the machined brake discs or compliance with the permissible tolerances, he uses a caliper gauge with a large digital display and a dial gauge, which is attached to the lathe for inspection via an articulated stand with hydraulic clamping. The dial gauge is read with the aid of the electronic magnifying glass.

The assistive products used for suitable for disabled people were supported by the pension insurance for participation in working life. The pension insurance asked the Technical Advisory Service of the Integration or Inclusion Office for administrative assistance, which then provided on-site advice to the employer and communicated its design recommendations to the pension insurance.