Ergonomic Issues Involved - Case Study Example

HHE Report No. HETA-92-0073-2337 analysis 1. Ergonomic issues involved One of the leading ergonomic issues discussed in the report is the disclosure of the feeder on the BCS towards similar probable ergonomic risks. These risks reflect perils those feeders on ECA OCR machinery encountered. Apart from the likely perils aspects linked to sleeving and catering to stackers of the machinery, the sweeper on the ECA CBS also exhibited similar ergonomic risks as the sweepers on the ECA OCR. This posed another ergonomic issue that made all ECA feeders become exposed to similar risk aspects that did not cater to the supplementary roles performed by the DBCS feeder. Occasional support from the OCR sweeper did not decrease the monotony and redundancy of the task. Instead, the amount of work was increased, causing another ergonomic issue. Sweepers on the ECA DBCS were not simply exhibited to similar risks as the sweeper on the ECA OCR. Nevertheless, these sweepers were needed to implement additional shaft flexion when sweeping the lowest row of stackers. The extensive reaches when attempting to reach the top rows causes another ergonomic issue due to the increase in the amount of effort required. With stacker depths of 18.5 inches and elevations of 34.5 inches, the ECA OCR and BCS machinery seemed to be of improved ergonomic designs, unlike the DBCS sweepers that caused another DBCS problem for the entire task (Hales, Habes and Grant, 1993, p. 12). 2. The research conducted (and what type of study) NIOSH investigators recorded visual media of employees using the ECA BCS and OCR machinery at the GMF situated in Merrifield, Virginia. The research was an observation research that required reporting to review the amount of wok required to perform and finish the set tasks. 3. The findings One of the key findings that were made from this research is that mail arranging is a weakly redundant task. With the speed controlled by a human employee, certain work aspects can end in distress or exhaustion. Some of these work aspects were discovered to be reaching to seal the mail, lengthy phases of standing or slanting against a wall or a stand stool. Nevertheless, slanting the seat-pan forward was observed to make the worker decrease the reaching lengths and sustain the torso in a nonaligned position. Consequently, this work possible poses little dangers for the musculoskeletal ailments. Additionally, the padded seats seem broad enough for most workers. Another key finding of the study is that work that imposes biochemical pressure on the employees in this job criterion are lifting plates from the cages to the feeder counter and clutching and conveying the mail from a plate to the OC machinery. Lifting plates from the bottommost levels of the mail carrier creates a hazard of low back harm. Whereas lifting plates from the topmost levels creates hazards of shoulder harm (Hales, Habes and Grant, 1993, p. 14). Another finding made in the report is that fewer stackers on the feeders end of the machinery leaves the lowest tier on the plate shelf regularly unused. A peculiar aspect of the plate shelves that they are inclined away from the sweeper. This alignment elevates the height of the bottommost plate that is helpful. Another finding discovered was that it also increases the reach to the highest plate (Hales, Habes and Grant, 1993, p. 14). One of the precise worries and findings in the report was the manual effort required to press down every mail tray following the removal of mail from one stacker. Mail trays wee also discovered to pivot gates that give a stop for the mail as the stackers fill. It has been implied that heftier or counter-weighted mail trays would correspondingly fall back following the removal of the organized mail. Recommendations One of the recommendations made by the report towards the situation is a probable plan to achieve an objective that would include a weight sensitive stacker container. When the container is full, it can eject its contents into another bin situated either beneath or next to the container where a mobile conveyor can transport the mail away. Another recommendation made was raising the lowest levels of the mail carter to decease the effort required in the task. The staff can also use smaller carriers or carters that have spring-measured flattening systems that raise the weight as plates are removed. The bottommost load height ought to be in a spectrum of 26 to 32 inches, and the total stack heights are not supposed to surpass 60 inches (Hales, Habes and Grant, 1993, p. 18). Another recommendation made in the report is the replacement of aged PB OCR with the ECA OCR. The ECA OCR machinery would decrease employee coverage to ergonomic stressors in three manners. These manners include the feeder table being elevated much higher, the stackers would be higher and narrower and the plate shelves would be situated beneath the stackers. These design efforts and aspects would reduce reaching, bending and lifting effort in the course mail sorting. Another recommendation made is assigning extra sweepers to the machinery, especially the DBCS. The time spent working on machinery like the DBCS could to be deceased. This measure can need recognition of easier task work operations for employees revolving out of the feeder and sweeper positions. Rest breaks could also be offered for workers on machinery, especially the DBCS. One means of amplifying the rest time is to process more mail in the means by which certain sectors are organized. The mail was also recommended to be sorted out in lesser lots so that machinery involved could occasionally shut down, with the feeder and sweeper leaving the stackers. This would permit one or both effort-providers to leave the work zone and return unfilled mail carters in return for full ones. The last recommendation made the NIOSH investigators was the removal of tasks performed by the machine operatives that can be finished in other sectors of the mail building (Hales, Habes and Grant, 1993, p. 20). 4. Any other significant point The outline of the stackers on the DBCS machinery is an important withdrawal from excellent ergonomic design. This is because the existing design causes extreme positions by the workers are the lead cause of low back and upper extreme musculoskeletal ailments. This design is arranged by 102 stackers organized in three tiers with non-changeable aspects that might end in extreme flexion of the torso and shoulders for all workers (Hales, Habes and Grant, 1993, p. 19). Please include comments on the following: I. What did you learn in this review? Physical letter cataloging is likely to create a risk for musculoskeletal ailments because work on the computerized mail dispensation machinery is possibly hazardous to workers (Hales, Habes and Grant, 1993, p. 25). This hazardous nature is based on the design faults and high volume capabilities of this machinery. II. What more would you like to have seen discussed? The pie diagrams used by the sweepers in the Denver DBCS and the Merrifield ECA OCR were not aimed at accommodating the various sizes of workers and contribute to the biomechanical perils of the task involved (Hales, Habes and Grant, 1993, p. 25). References Cannon, L. (1981). Personal and Occupational Factors Associated with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. J. Occup. Med. 23(4):225-258) Hales, T. R., Habes, J. and Grant, K. A. (1993). This Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) report No. HETA-92-0073-2337. Denver: Hazard Evaluations and Technical Assistance Branch Read More