How to front the physical distancing requirement within workforce scheduling: empirical investigation through an optimization model

This work is focused on workforce scheduling for assembly lines with the additional constraint of workforce distancing. The aim is to warrant the necessary safety and health requirements due to COVID-19. The research stems within an industrial case in which a methodology has been developed with the objectives of i) developing a constraint optimization model considering the social distancing of workers as part of the workforce scheduling requirements and ii) investigating how the workforce distancing can affect certain production performances. Through an empirical investigation the impact of distancing on workforce allocation is appraised in terms of daily production capacity. Then, different distancing thresholds are assessed to seek the optimal balance among production performances and safety requirements. The research resulted in a tool able to adapt the scheduling sequence to those health/safety situations where the production manager needs to minimize losses in terms of production capacity, warranting the safest working conditions. © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.