Ergonomics in Manufacturing: A Guide to Seamless Integration

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Ergonomics in Manufacturing: A Guide to Seamless Integration

August 28, 2024

The primary goals of manufacturing are to achieve high throughput, best quality and increased efficiency at the lowest cost possible. Amidst these goals, ergonomics is often overlooked as sometimes it can be difficult to maintain a balance between optimum production flow and ergonomics considerations. However, ergonomics in manufacturing especially, cannot be a second thought as workers’ wellbeing directly impacts productivity and efficiency.

In this article, we will discuss the best ways to integrate ergonomics in manufacturing, so your workers’ well -being and your production targets are not compromised.

Understanding the Risks

Before we move on to how to integrate ergonomics in manufacturing, it is important to understand the common hazards and their consequences. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the most common manufacturing health hazard due to poor ergonomics practices. These disorders can directly impact muscles, tendons, nerves, and joints.

Repetitive tasks: Performing the same task, which includes manual material handling and repetitive tool operations, often results in bad working postures and awkward movements. Repetitive tasks can cause permanent muscle and joint problems. You can replace manual material handling with equipment to reduce the risk of injuries and fatigue. According to research by a health company, people who work in manufacturing industries, assembly lines, and construction work are most likely to develop Carpal tunnel syndrome due to repetitive wrist movements.
Awkward postures: Awkward postures include bending upper body, neck, and wrists. They also include leaning arms on sharp edges and deviating from natural body position. Research by Nurhanisah Mh describes awkward postures as one of the major ergonomic issues. They affect workers’ performance and contribute to errors. Research also suggests that pain in the neck, shoulders, lower back, and thighs due to awkward posture is highly correlated with physical fatigue. Increase in pain makes it difficult to concentrate and reduces productivity.
Forceful exertions: This hazard concerns tasks that require significant physical effort. Examples include lifting heavy objects, pushing loaded trolleys, picking and placing pallets during transportation, and other similar actions. These can cause injuries like muscular sprains and strains and long-term muscular wear and tear. It can also cause tendonitis, which is the inflammation and irritation of the tendon. Tendonitis accounts for 2735 work injuries annually and if left untreated it can cause disability.
Vibration: Vibration is one of the most pertinent risk factors in manufacturing, as mentioned in a study by the University of Gavle. Exposure to vibratory tools for a longer duration can cause hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) amongst other issues such as circulatory problems, nerve damage, and chronic pain in areas exposed.
Slips, trips, and falls: slippery surfaces, walkways with obstacles, improper placement of equipment, and inadequate lighting can cause slips, trips, and falls. Tools slipping from hands while in use can also cause severe injuries to workers. These hazards are quite common in the manufacturing environment and often occur due to poor workspace layout.

The Cost of Poor Ergonomics in Manufacturing

The cost of not implementing ergonomics in manufacturing can manifest in poor product quality, less efficiency, productivity and operational mayhem. As the American Society of Safety Professionals describes workers in pain often yield defective products, spend more time on rework, and produce high waste levels. Moreover, not to forget, workers’ compensation due to medical issues. As per the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the total cost of work injuries is as follows:

Types of injury	Total Cost
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome	$64,953
Dislocation	$157,899
Fracture	$115,197
Hearing Loss (occupational disease)	$39,538
Multiple Physical Injuries Only	$164,096
Multiple Injuries Including Both Physical and Psychological	$257,623
Puncture	$58,388
Sprain	$64,022
Strain	$67,248
All Other Occupational Disease	$99,231

So, how much do you save when you implement ergonomics in manufacturing?

According to a study by Lynn Mc. Atamney, incorporating good ergonomics practices in manufacturing reduced the percentage of rejected parts from 8.9% to 5%, and the company saved $20,000 annually.

The research of Yoew and Sen on the effects of ergonomics intervention on defect rates is particularly encouraging. Their study concluded that improving workstation design reduced the defect percentage by 3.0%, leading to a substantial annual saving of $574,560 on the rejection cost of defective boards.

Similarly, research by Mc Atamney and Corlett demonstrated that the application of Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) can reduce the proportion of rejected and reprocessed parts by 45% and 22%, respectively, which can lead to significant cost savings.

These are just few examples of how paying attention to ergonomics in manufacturing not only improves safety, but also has a positive impact on the bottom line.

Challenges of Integrating Ergonomics in Manufacturing

No doubt, integrating ergonomics in manufacturing comes with lots of benefits. However, despite the benefits, the implementation could be challenging, which is why often manufacturers don’t make ergonomics a priority. Here are some common challenges and some tips to resolve them.

Production Efficiency vs. Ergonomic Solutions: Optimizing production lines for speed and output can sometimes conflict with creating ergonomic workstations. Speed and efficiency, often require fast-paced assembly lines and compact workstations. Ergonomics solutions, on the other hand, need more space and controlled movements with adjustable workstations.
Cost Vs Benefit: Implementing ergonomic solutions may require initial costs for purchasing ergonomic tools and redesigning workstations and layouts. It can be challenging to convince management to invest in these expenses, especially when the benefit is not visible in the short term. The challenge lies in convincing decision-makers to look beyond the immediate fiscal year. You can demonstrate how these initial investments will turn into long-term savings, as they would reduce compensation claims and absenteeism and increase productivity.
Quantifying Benefits: The positive impact of ergonomics in manufacturing is documented in thousands of resources. Still, measuring the financial return on investment (ROI) directly after ergonomics intervention is challenging. Direct benefits of integrating ergonomics in manufacturing, like reduced injury rates and increased worker satisfaction, are not easily converted into monetary values. The process makes it difficult to secure funding for ergonomics issues in manufacturing industries.
Lack of In-House Ergonomics Specialists: Many smaller manufacturing industries do not have enough resources to hire full-time ergonomics professionals. In this scenario, existing employees have to take up the role without extensive ergonomics training. The lack of specialized knowledge can make it difficult to properly assess ergonomic risks, design effective solutions, and implement best practices.
Employee resistance: The resistance to change is quite common in a manufacturing environment. Workers are used to doing the work traditionally, even if it is uncomfortable. They resist changing to ergonomically beneficial routine because they fear reduced productivity (especially in piece-rate work) or simply because of human nature to work in a familiar environment. Getting employees to adapt to new ergonomic procedures may require training, clear communication, and addressing any initial discomfort. For example, once I was working with a textile manufacturing company. We introduce new practices to the sewing stations as per ergonomics law. Initially, many workers complained that this new practice made them slow, but with constant training and decreased stress and fatigue levels, they realized the benefits of the new method.
Balancing One-Size-Fits-All vs. Individual Needs: The dynamic environment of manufacturing industries often require standardization to sustain change. However, ergonomics interventions require flexibility to accommodate a workforce with diverse physical characteristics. Creating solutions that are standardized enough for efficient manufacturing processes and flexible enough to accommodate individual ergonomic needs is a complex challenge. For example, a manufacturer designs a workstation considering the average height of all workers, which is 5’4″. Now imagine a person with a 4’7″ height trying to work comfortably in that station. It can lead to discomfort and potential injury.
Integrating Ergonomics into Existing Workflows: Apply ergonomic principles to existing manufacturing lines can be complex as compared to installing new one. It may require temporarily shutting down the process for installation of new products and modification. It is especially challenging in old manufacturing facilities or in industries with long-established methods. For example, workers in a medical device factory are repeatedly getting strain injuries. Now the manufacturer cannot replace machines because of cost constraints, which is why legacy factory setups are one of the biggest challenges in implementing ergonomics.

Strategies for Seamless Integration

These are the few challenges you might face while implementing ergonomics intervention or modifying the current system according to ergonomics principles. These challenges could be demotivating, but there is always a way out! Here is how you can seamlessly implement ergonomics in manufacturing:

Building a Strong Business Case:

Implementing an ergonomic-friendly assembly line may initially slow the production rate, which is why it is difficult to get management onboard. Here is how you can convince them:

Focus on Long-Term Benefits: You can shift decision-makers’ focus from initial investment to long-term cost benefits of ergonomics. Also, you can show improved productivity due to lower employee turnover and reduced defective products. Compile a portfolio of case studies from similar industries that implemented ergonomics intervention and gained monetary profits.

Example: A study was conducted in the Brazilian shoe industry, where ergonomic interventions were performed. The interventions included noise reduction, substitution of solvents, and changing the layout of the production area and working hours. The results showed that savings after the intervention were US $433,347.

Quantify the Impact: You can explore other ways to quantify benefits. One method could be tracking injury rates, absenteeism, and productivity changes before and after implementing ergonomic solutions. Another would be to implement a tracking system to monitor Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) before and after ergonomic intervention.

Example: Neubert conducted a study in the automotive industry, where he changed the physical ergonomics of the workplace. As a result, reworking, scrap products, and health risks reduced and quality and productivity improved with a 20% return on ergonomics investment.

Collaboration and Communication:

Involve Employees: Research by Harvard University indicates that people tend to resist change less when they are involved in making it. So, it is better to involve other employees in the ergonomics assessment process and development of a solution. Not only would it make them feel heard, but also give you a new perspective on their problems. Communication would foster a sense of responsibility and ownership among employees, and they would naturally adopt new ergonomics solutions, considering them their own rather than a forced one.
Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Share your ergonomics intervention ideas with people from different departments. Work with safety professionals, human resource personnel and, management to develop a unified approach to ergonomics. The key here is to ensure everyone is on the same page regarding the importance of ergonomics.

Addressing Knowledge Gaps:

Invest in Training: Develop a training program to make relevant personnel understand the importance of ergonomics. The training can be interactive and include games or quizzes, so employees stay caught up during the training program. There can be certification programs for industrial engineers and safety managers to be well-equipped with relevant knowledge to identify ergonomic risks, design ergonomic workstations, and implement effective solutions.

Example: A study was conducted on a drill press operation process in which a workstation was redesigned as per ergonomics principles. The intervention was followed by a training program for workers to implement the intervention. Results showed that there was a 22% increase in productivity, and operator satisfaction scores.

Seek External Expertise: You can also join ergonomics programs and networks to learn about the best practices of other companies facing similar issues. For complex problems, you can collaborate with ergonomics consultants or specialists and discuss your issue with them. They provide valuable insights and guidance due to their experience and knowledge.
Start Small, Scale Up: You don’t have to go over the board and replace every workstation to apply ergonomics principles. You can always start with a pilot area or the most problematic one. Once impacts appear in that pilot area, you can replicate these practices in other production lines. Starting small makes it easier to measure the impact and gain buy-in before a large-scale rollout.

Example: A case study was conducted to improve quality through ergonomics intervention. First, the organization followed a pilot approach, applying changes to four machines for two weeks. When there was improvement in quality, the same approach was followed for all machines.

Find Low-Cost Solutions: Be creative while applying ergonomics intervention in manufacturing. Try and leverage cost-effective solutions rather than always relying on expensive equipment upgrades. You can use adjustable workstations that accommodate the 5th to 95th percentile of the worker population. Also, implement fixtures that allow for quick height changes and customization after every shift. Other than that, you can also use lifting aids.

Example: To implement cost-effective ergonomic solutions in the electronics industry, A research was conducted in the International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics in which the workstation was redesigned within the company’s budget. It was modified with a height-adjustable work surface to meet the task requirements.

Implement Modular Solutions: Redesign the workstation so that interchangeable components can be assembled quickly to meet different ergonomic requirements. Consider modular ergonomic solutions that can be adapted to different needs within the same work area.

Be Proactive: Incorporate ergonomic principles from the product design stage so you don’t have issues down the line. Establish and keep an updated “ergonomic design guidelines” document that can cited when designing new projects or process changes. This way, you do not have to retrofit expensive changes for ergonomics design.

Implementing Ergonomics in Manufacturing with Kaizen Copilot

Thanks to technology, it is becoming easier to integrate ergonomics in manufacturing. AI-powered software such as Kaizen Copilot makes it easier for industrial engineers to design safer shop floors. The software eliminates all manual data collection; all users need to do is upload a video of their process on the platform and Kaizen Copilots not only detects ergonomics risks but also recommends solutions.

The software comes with a comprehensive suite that conducts a wide variety of analyses including REBA assessment, RULA assessment, NIOSH Lifting Equation, Snook Tables, and Hand Insertion & Grip force.

This AI-driven approach saves time, reduces the need for specialized ergonomic expertise, and ensures a more consistent and thorough analysis across various manufacturing tasks. With its simplified ergonomic assessment process, Kaizen Copilot enables companies to proactively manage workplace ergonomics, which could reduce the risks of musculoskeletal disorders and enhance productivity.

Conclusion

Implementing ergonomics in manufacturing comes with its challenges, however the benefits make it worth the investment and effort. By leveraging advanced technologies such as Kaizen Copilot, manufacturers can swiftly integrate ergonomic practices in their processes without any disruption and build more secure and efficient work environments for their workers and increase profits at the same time.