A Conceptual Model Proposed for the Planning of Industrial Facilities Free from Barriers

The production (or industrial) engineer’s role allows the planning of industrial facilities in a way to eliminate or minimize different forms of barriers that can appear during the phase of planning the facilities, making the industrial worrk environment accessible for disabled people or people with mobility impairments. Though, the main reference works used as national and international reference for the planning of industrial facilities have insufficient or inexistent content about the necessary adaptations to make these individuals’ inclusion possible. This research intends to fill this gap through a model that can be used as guide for the planning of industrial facilities to make the project accessible from the conception. This model was developed considering the necessary demands to the inclusion, through the incorporation of related information from outside the factory (social environment) to the workstation. Therefore, these demands were identified by different means: i) bibliographical research based on legislation, effective normative instructions, inclusion models and project techniques; ii) in a participative way with professionals of different areas of performance, part of assistance entities and from the disabled people; and; iii) a case study accomplished in an industry that works with disabled people. The elaboration of a model compatible with the language used in the engineering area was searched, which was denominated “Conceptual Model for the Planning of Industrial Facilities Free from Barriers”. The final considerations show the existence of demands for inclusion even related to the production system and work organization, suggesting that integrative solutions, as the one of the proposed model, should be used in the formation of the future production engineers.