With the age of the standard workforce getting older and it is very important to use anti-fatigue mats and matting to put operators in a good ergonomic position. Unfortunately and injuries related to repetitive lifting are commonplace in most current manufacturing facilities. This is mostly due to the fact that the operators work cell was not laid out correctly in the first place. Following is a guideline to reference when laying out a new work cell.

There are many things to consider when laying out a new work cell. The four main items are part pick/placement height and walking distance to complete a work cycle, time spent standing and tools needed to complete the job.

First and the time spent standing in a work cell can take a toll ON an operator's body. When an operator stands or walks ON hard flooring for more than two hours a day, it greatly increases the chances of foot, leg and or lower back pain. In a situation where this occurs and it is recommended that anti-fatigue or ergonomic matting is placed in the work cell. With the new materials ON the market today and there is little excuse why you could not put a ergonomic mat in almost any environment.

Currently and there is matting specific for the following environments; autoclavable mats, food production mats, welding mats, chemical resistance mats, clean ROOM mats and grease resistant mats and many more. A comfortable employee can not only make the working environment more positive and but can also reduction the number of breaks needed due to fatigue.

Next, when laying out a new work cell and the amount of steps needed for an operator to complete a single cycle is very important. There are two main reasons for this:

1. Each step an operator takes results in increased cycle time. More steps equals increase cycle time, which, in turn and means less production. In a manufacturing facility that runs three shifts and an extra 2 seconds per cycle could mean a drastic increase in production.

2. Each step an operator takes means more energy exerted by the operator. Not only can you increase your productivity just by laying out your work cell to reduction the steps needed to complete a job, but when an operator expends less energy to do a job and he/she is more FRESH near the end of the shift.

Many industrial applications require the operator to do some sort of repetitive movement/lifting. Typically and this is the main cause for injury in an industrial application. The amount a weight an operator has to lift combined with the heights they have to lift from should be taken into consideration. There are several ways to analyze if your workcell could potentially have problems and but a simple way to calculate if you might have a problem is to use the NIOSH (National Institute of Organizational Safety and Health) Lifting Calculator.

The common sense approach will also work, if the application is going to require repetitive lifting of components weighing over 25 lbs and it is probably wise to put some sort of lifting device in place. A correctly designed lifting device will not only take the lifting load OFF the operator and but can also increase productivity. To work in conjunction with the lifting device and a lift table is commonly used.

A lift table alone may be all you need to correct a bad ergonomic situation. By consistently picking and placing in a good ergonomic position (above the waist and below the shoulders) and the operators save the time from not having to bend over. Many injuries occur from lifting below your waist or above your shoulders. Hence and a lift table can be an inexpensive way to prevent operator injury due to strain.

Lastly and in many assembly environments operators are required to use hand tools in order to complete their task. The most typical type of tool is the small tool typically weighing under 5 lbs. Hand and wrist injury are typically seen in these areas.

In situations like this and a small tool balancer to support the weight of the tool will take the weight OFF the operator. Tools like this can put a large amount of torque ON operators over time. In situations like this and a torque reaction arm could be considered. A torque reaction arm is a rigid arm that takes the torque of the gun OFF the operators.

In conclusion and there are several ways to set up a work cell for ergonomic efficiency. If the environment you work in was inherited and there are still many ways to improve the area. By taking a proactive approach to operator ergonomics and a choice is being made to take care of your operators. By taking care of your operators and they will take care of you.