The Ergonomic Difference
Technology continues to develop and be engineered to improve productivity and decrease the physical strain on employees in the workplace. The easiest way to understand the difference implementing ergonomic solutions will make is to use contrasting examples of a production floor with and without ergonomic devices and procedures.
Let’s compare two situations:
Scenario A
A production floor’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is:
- An employee manually retrieves a 60 pound part from its packaging
- The employee lifts the part from its packaging onto a hand truck
- The employee pushes his hand truck to his workstation while balancing the load duing transit
- The employee lifts the part onto his workstation and begins to secure it in place
- The employee performs one portion of his task with the object
- The employee unfastens the object
- The employee adjusts the position of the object and secures it again
- The employee continues this manual manipulation until he completes his work task
- The employee unfastens the object
- The employee lifts the object and places it back on his hand truck
- The employee wheels his hand truck to the next station like painting
In this scenario, we can see at least seven unique instances where the employee manually handles the object. Three of these instances, at a minimum, require the employee to manipulate this object without any mechanical assistance. Every time, the likelihood of an accident resulting in injury to the object, person, or both are present. Of course, this example may represent an extreme scenario that virtually eliminates any mechanical advantage with the exception of the hand truck. However, when we compare this scenario with a production process that has implemented ergonomic solutions, we will immediately recognize the differences.
Scenario B
A production floor’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is:
- An employee uses a motorized lift/transporter, like the Ergo Tranz with a customize end-effector, to securely lift the 60 lbs. part from its packaging.
- The employee pushes his light weight Ergo Tranz to his workstation
- In his work area, the employee uses a multi-axis work positioner, like the Ergo Chief, to manipulate the object into any desired position
- The employee secures the object on to the Ergo Chief and releases it from the Ergo Tranz
- By pushing buttons on the Ergo Chief positioner, he adjusts the object to any desired positions and this way perform the work in a secure and comfortable way.
- When he has completed his work tasks ,the employee pick the object back with his Ergo Tranz and moves it to the next station, like painting.
If we compare these two scenarios, we can easily see the difference in the number of times the employee touches the object. In the first situation, without ergonomic intervention, we see the employee manually manipulating the object at least seven times, with at least three of those times manually enduring the entire weight of the object. In the latter situation, we see the employee never having to manually manipulate the object..
In each and every instance when an employee is required to manually lift or manually manipulating an object, the likelihood of damage to object as well as injuries to the human body is likely to occur. Clearly both of these hurt the bottom line and this is why implementing ergonomic solutions makes such a difference. Take the time to analyze, evaluate, and implement ergonomic solutions in your workplace and realize that
Good Ergonomics = Good Economics
Contact Us to discuss how our ergonomic product solutions will improve your bottom line.
