Honors Program
Document Type
Thesis
Date of this Version
Fall 10-28-2019
Citation
Stan, Shane L. (2019). The Business Case for Industrial Safety: Revealing the Comprehensive Value of Ergonomic Investments for Manufacturers in Industry 4.0. Undergraduate Honors Thesis. University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Abstract
How can today’s manufacturing enterprises construct, implement, and optimize modern safety initiatives in a manner that will present maximum return on investment and facilitate enterprise growth? Furthermore, how can these manufacturers assure individual ergonomic investments become part of a larger strategy to facilitate organizational change in safety? This work addresses these questions by placing industrial ergonomics in a business improvement context which comprehensively presents the financial returns and growth opportunities poised by modern safety initiatives. Additionally, to further strengthen the business case for industrial safety, an ergonomic action planning framework is established to guide the creation of holistic safety programs and to propagate organizational change. Altogether, the essential elements of an informed business proposal for safety modernization investments are formulated alongside a compilation of the financial opportunities made possible by these investments. In the end, actions to improve industrial ergonomics are presented as strategic and necessary for enterprise advancement and retained competitiveness. Furthermore, it is concluded that the case for manufacturing safety is no longer one of obligation or cost avoidance, it is one of comprehensive business improvement as ergonomic modernization protects productivity, the bottom line, and, most importantly, people.
Included in
Corporate Finance Commons, Ergonomics Commons, Industrial Engineering Commons, Industrial Technology Commons, Manufacturing Commons, Operational Research Commons, Operations and Supply Chain Management Commons, Strategic Management Policy Commons
Comments
Copyright Shane Stan 2019