Assembly - December 2008 - (Page 52) ASSEMBLY Workstations The Human Side of Lean Ergonomics plays a key role in workbench design. uring a soft economy, some manufacturers look the other way when it comes to ergonomics. Unfortunately, the risk of injury is a constant threat on assembly lines—it’s not something that goes away when times get tough. In fact, some experts argue that a sound ergonomic strategy D Ergonomic workstations should accommodate both sitting and standing tasks, in addition to easily accessible tools. Photo courtesy Bosch Rexroth Corp. By Austin Weber Senior Editor makes more sense than ever in a slow economy, because it leads to less fatigued workers, lower insurance costs and less downtime for injured employees. Ergonomics has always played a key role in cost-effective workstation design. However, some signs indicate that it has taken a backseat in recent years, especially compared to earlier this decade when ergonomics was a hot-button issue. In November 2000, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA, Washington, DC) announced a sweeping ergonomics proposal. But, the controversial Clinton administration ergonomics rule was repealed in Congress shortly after George Bush became president in early 2001. In April 2002, OSHA unveiled a revised ergonomics plan that focused on developing guidelines for reducing repetitivestress-related injuries. Since then, ergonomics has assumed a lower profile, with fewer repetitive strain cases being reported. The National Council on Compensation Insurance Inc. (NCCI, Boca Raton, FL) claims that the frequency of carpal tunnel syndrome claims has fallen over the past decade. That phenomenon may be directly connected to all the proactive steps that manufacturers took to ensure that their assembly workstations addressed ergonomic issues and concerns. “Some companies reactively implement an ergonomics program due to cumulative trauma disorders, absenteeism, high turnover or poor product quality,” notes Kurt Greissinger, product marketing manager at Bosch Rexroth Corp. (Buchanan, MI). But, he says manufacturers typically launch proactive ergonomic campaigns when they are faced with the threat of government regulations, which was the case earlier this decade. “Today, managers have a greater appreciation and understanding of the value and the insurance ergonomics provides,” adds Erica Rice, marketing director at Production 52 ASSEMBLY / December 2008 www.assemblymag.com http://www.assemblymag.com
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