In manufacturing, safety is always a major concern. Hazards that come with the territory of a manufacturing line or shop floor can pose a serious threat to the health and well-being of your employees.
Not only is it important that your employees can work safely, but neglecting preventative safety measures can add up to massive costs, including:
Manufacturing professionals agree – a comprehensive safety program is essential to a healthy, productive workplace. Developing systems that promote good manufacturing ergonomics is part of a good safety program.
Poor ergonomics in equipment and workstations lead to problems over time, causing just as many, if not more costly problems than if you'd just invested in the right practices in the first place.
With poor ergonomic considerations, both repeated long-term strain and sudden accidents can cause musculoskeletal disorders, leading to problems in your company. Even something as simple as bad posture hurts employee health and happiness over time.
Encouraging ergonomic practices through company policy is a good start for a healthier and safer workplace. To have real effect, however, culture must be cultivated from the top of the company down.
Telling employees to follow safe practices with their work often has minimal success unless they see those attitudes reflected in supervisors and management. Giving workers education on how to work safely, while also ensuring that they have the right tools to do so, will foster a positive culture where the entire organization proactively seeks out more safe and healthy work practices.
There are many ways that shop floor safety can improve through proper ergonomics, but some of the easiest "quick wins" are:
While this is common advice in computer-intensive office jobs, it is also hugely beneficial for many of the repetitive motions that often cause long-term injury on a shop floor.
You’ve heard the advice that workers who sit all day need to take breaks every 30 minutes to stand up and move. But what about workers on a shop floor who stand all day?
According to Cornell University Ergonomics Web, standing all day has its own risks:
“...it is more tiring, for men with ischemic heart disease it increases the progression of carotid atherosclerosis because of the additional load on the circulatory system. Prolonged standing at work also increases the risks of varicose veins... So standing all day is unhealthy. The performance of many fine motor skills also is less good when people stand rather than sit.”
Ergonomists have been aware for some time that standing to work can induce more fatigue than sitting. This is because it places about 20% more pressure on the circulatory system and the legs and feet.
To address this, many industries provide their employees with ergonomic:
Everybody in manufacturing has heard this, but is it really in practice in your organization?
Proper lifting not only involves squatting to ensure that the majority of stress is on your legs instead of your spine, but also lifting loads closer to you. Lifting from far away may cause you to actually strain your back more as you rise.
Check out this slideshow presentation from the Mayo Clinic that breaks down the technique’s steps:
If you want a healthier and safer workforce, you have to provide workers with the right tools to get the job done. There are many equipment-based solutions available for workplace ergonomics.
Considering the risks of your specific worksite and providing the right equipment will allow employees to work more safely and productively.
Training is the beginning of company culture. Without proper training, any company directives about safe practices can die on the vine.
Educate employees on how to use the tools you provide them to maximum effect. Continually stress the importance of implementing ergonomics best practices for manufacturing.
Involve employees regularly by offering safety goals and rewards and engaging in community activities like specific ergonomic stretches for manufacturing workers.
An ergonomic assessment checklist helps identify and address potential safety issues before they become a problem.
Designed to help employers evaluate the physical environment of their workplace, typical ergonomic checklists include assessment of:
Train your employees to follow proper manufacturing ergonomics, then show them you care about it through policies and actions.
Successful implementation of ergonomics best practices for manufacturing includes:
You'll be well on your way to increasing production with a safer, healthier work environment.
To learn more ergonomic tips and tools for manufacturing, download our free e-book:
(This article was originally published in May 2021 and was recently updated.)