Testing Mental Workload with Applying the NASA-TLX Method

Abstract

The demands of production targets often make the operators get high pressure and cause mental workload. Decreasing performance of workers might be from the excessive mental burden. A test of mental work load was conducted at London Sumatera Indonesia Company (LSI Co) in North Sumatra of Indonesia. It aimed at evaluating the workload experienced by the production floor operator With National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) method. It used six workload indicators, namely mental demand, physical demand, temporal demand, performance, effort and frustration level and work sampling. The test with NASA-TLX was for operators on the production floor. The study result revealed that the highest workload happened to reception station at 82.33% (whinch rope whinch operators).  Data result shows that productivity time is 87.1% - 91,3%. The high load of work on the operator, so it needs to be given a suggestion of improvement that is the provision of additional rest time on the sidelines of work time, operator rotation, shift arrangements and individual operator's work habits when working.