Ergonomic Designs: Positions and Movement

Posted February 14, 2022

Is it time for you to design ergonomics into your shop floor tasks?

The world of manufacturing produces many products, and with many products come many procedures. Because the manufacturing world has such a variety of procedures, ergonomic designs are not one size fits all, especially when we consider the variety of positions and movements required. However, each position and movement can be ergonomically tailored if we consider and follow ergonomic guides and principles.

Standing

Some procedures are best performed whilst standing. When designing a standing workspace, it’s important to take the level of work and its intensity into account. Heavy work is done most ergonomically around waist level so that a worker can utilized their anatomy and body structure to perform at it’s peak of strength and endurance. Light work positions are most ergonomically performed from abdomen to chest level, all to reduce stress on the neck and shoulder structure. Precision work should be placed at shoulder height to eye level in order to allow for a clear line-of-sight to the operator.

After looking through various types of work, we notice that many tasks require multiple steps and types of work to perform the sequence of the work task. This problem can many times be remedied by implementing a multi-axis work positioning device that enables the operator to quickly, efficiently, safely and ergonomically correct transition between tasks without the risk of bodily injury. But even with such aids, it is important to offer the operators a variety of tasks with adequate breaks to avoid the development of any musculoskeletal disorders.

Sitting

Sitting work will be under the umbrella of light or precision work as sitting is not conducive to doing any heavy labor safely. Sitting work stations still require customization as everyone is built differently and consequently needs different accommodation. Things to consider when building a sitting station are posture, spine support, and lumbar support. Spines naturally have an S-shaped curve and need to be supported by the chair so the spine have plenty of cushion for lumbar support. A sitting workstation, must also offer comfort while offering good posture and additional stress to any parts of the body. While sitting work positions in general are less stressful to the human body than standing positions, still adequate breaks should be implemented.

Conclusion

There are multiple things to consider when designing workstations and work task positions. The intensity of work, frequency of work, and the various movements required to complete the task are all important factors to consider.

Is it time for you to design ergonomics into your shop floor tasks?

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ergonomics, Material Handling Equipment, work positioners, workplace safety

Frequently Asked Questions

Is standing all day better than sitting all day?

Neither is good. Prolonged standing loads the legs, feet, and lower back, and prolonged sitting loads the spine and stiffens the hips. The thing that helps is changing position through the shift, which needs a workstation that supports both rather than a preference for one.

How often should an operator change posture?

Often enough that no position is held long enough to become uncomfortable, which for most people means a change every twenty to forty minutes. The practical version is designing a job so posture changes happen naturally within the work, rather than relying on people to remember.

What makes a posture neutral?

Joints sit near the middle of their range rather than at the end of it. Elbows close to the body, wrists straight, head level, and back supported by its own curve rather than held against a bend. Work presented at the wrong height is what usually pushes a joint out of neutral.

Does movement help or does it just spread the load?

It genuinely helps. Static loading restricts blood flow to working muscles and fatigue builds faster, which is why holding a light object still can tire an arm faster than moving a heavier one. Varied movement keeps circulation going and delays fatigue.

What single change helps most in a standing job?

Getting the work surface to the right height for the task. Almost every complaint in a standing job traces back to a surface that is too low, which causes bending, or too high, which causes raised shoulders. Anti-fatigue matting helps, but it does not fix a height problem.

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