Workplace injuries are a multi-billion dollar dilemma, especially for the manufacturing and production industry. These injuries result in:
- Lost productivity
- Increased insurance premiums
- Legal expenses
All of which cost companies time and money. The cost of preventing these injuries before they happen is always lower than the cost of dealing with injuries after they occur.
One of the most cost-effective ways to reduce injuries is by improving workstations. This is the area where workers spend most of their day and where most injuries occur. Improved workstations result in a reduction of liability and increase employee productivity.
- Workstation Planning
Liability reduction starts with proper planning. Understanding how people interact with the work environment helps you understand how injuries are likely to occur. The workstations should be designed to provide easy access to tools, materials, and equipment to avoid overreaching, stretching, and stooping. The more a worker has to move, the more quickly they’ll fatigue. Once fatigue sets in, poor body mechanics take over, and injuries become much more likely. Keeping the workstation compact, with everything in easy reach, reduces fatigue and increases productivity.
- Customized Work Benches
Once you have a primary workstation designed, you should introduce options for personalization. Employees may need different setups depending on their experience, height, weight, hand dominance, disability, and other factors. A “one-size-fits-all” approach usually doesn’t fit anybody as well as it should. Moving tools, storage bins, lighting, and displays allows employees to set up a bench that works best for their particular needs and preferences. If a worker is fighting against their workbench, they’ll get less done and be more prone to injuries. If the workbench feels like a natural extension of their abilities, the worker will enjoy a productivity increase while you enjoy a liability reduction.
- Ergonomic Equipment
Ergonomics is about adapting the workspace to the worker instead of vice versa. Injuries don’t always occur in a single instant. For example, lifting light boxes hundreds of times a day can be just as damaging as lifting a heavy box once if done the wrong way. Ergonomic equipment reduces the strain on workers, allowing them to be more productive, safer, and more comfortable. Ergonomic equipment can include everything from vibration-absorbing tools that prevent repetitive stress injuries to lift-assist devices that prevent musculoskeletal injuries from overexertion. Any or all of these devices will make for a safer workplace and help keep employees happy and in good health.
- Safety Training
The best workstations and equipment will only help with liability reduction if workers are using them correctly. Standardized, repeatable workplace training programs are essential to reducing injuries and increasing productivity. Too often, employees are trained on an ad-hoc basis by whoever happens to be available at the time. This generally results in wide discrepancies in training from one employee to the next. Everyone needs to work from the same playbook, and the training must be reinforced regularly. Waiting until an injury occurs to conduct refresher sessions is more expensive and less effective than doing them on a regular set schedule.
The Benefits of Responsibility
There was a time when these ideas were viewed as burdensome to employers. However, numerous studies have shown that basic accommodations for employee comfort increase productivity and reduce injuries. The money spent on improved workspaces and equipment is always repaid in production. The liability reduction that goes with ergonomic design helps:
- Cut legal and insurance costs
- Cower employee absenteeism
- Boost morale
Across the board, these improvements more than pay for themselves.
Ergonomic Torque Arms
The Mountz ergonomic torque arms improve safety, production, and quality control during the assembly process of electric and pneumatic screwdrivers. Power tools generally produce unwanted torque reactions that transfer to an operator’s hand. The daily repetitive process of fastening screw after screw with a power tool exposes operators to the risk of repetitive stress injuries. The ergonomic design of the linear torque arm reduces RMI (repetitive motion injury) and CTS (carpal tunnel syndrome).
The ergonomic arm prevents side load and cross-threading by securely clasping the power tool and keeping it in a perpendicular alignment. The linear arm extends horizontally, and arm length is adjustable. Providing ergonomic solutions for your assembly line workers lessens fatigue, prevents injuries, and boosts productivity. Simple and safe to install, the torque reaction arm is ideal for aerospace, electronics, automotive, and medical manufacturing lines, where operator safety is critical. Suitable for low to medium torque applications.
The Mountz ergonomic torque arms improve safety and process reliability. To see our full range of products, shop our store. Contact us anytime to ask a question. To inquire about price, request a quote. If you’d like to see our equipment in person, schedule an appointment. To get the latest torque-related news, follow us on LinkedIn.
