Page 46 - Occupational Health & Safety, October 2018

MATERIALS HANDLING
Making the Business Case for Ergonomic Materials Handling Lift Tables
The business benefits of ergonomics extend beyond the management of musculoskeletal disorders.
BY THOMAS R. CUTLEER
rgonomic lift tables and work positioners for pallet handling, assembly work stations, welding booths, and adjustable height work- er platforms are transformative in improving
Lean Six Sigma and the
Ergonomic Conversation
Because more than 70 percent of all manufactur- ers have a formal or informal lean manufacturing or lean Six Sigma initiative, the implementation of De- fine-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Implement-Control (DMAIIC) methodology related to ergonomics can- not be overestimated.
And because a lean enterprise views itself as part of an extended value chain, focusing on the elimination of waste between manufacturers, suppliers, and custom- ers while supporting safety is a worthy conversation.
Murdoch also argues that, too often, operations and safety professionals have been denied money for ergonomic improvements and grow discouraged. Because ergonomic products are often seen as a cost and antithetical to lean, many have seen their strategic ergonomic plan unsupported by upper management.
“Knowing how to capture the financial benefits of ergonomic initiatives and the ability to perform a cost benefit analysis is essential in today’s business climate to demonstrate how ergonomic solutions affect the bottom line. Few lift table companies assist in devel- oping a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis to justify the ergonomic solution,” Murdoch noted.
The business benefits of ergonomics extend be- yond the management of musculoskeletal disorders. Through the integration of ergonomics into business processes, improvements in quality, efficiency, em- ployee satisfaction, and profitability are also realized. Using participatory ergonomics and macroergonom- ics strategies, ergonomics can be integrated into other initiatives such as Six Sigma, total quality manage- ment (TQM), sustainability, safety, and support in achieving business objectives.
Thomas R. Cutler is the President & CEO of Fort Lau- derdale, Florida-based, TR Cutler, Inc. (www.trcut- lerinc.com). Cutler is the founder of the Manufacturing Media Consortium including more than 6,000 jour- nalists, editors, and economists writing about trends in manufacturing, industry, material handling, and process improvement. Cutler authors more than 500 feature articles annually regarding the manufacturing sector and is the most published freelance industrial journalist worldwide. He can be contacted at trcut- ler@trcutlerinc.com and can be followed on Twitter @ ThomasRCutler.
safety and productivity.
While there are many ergonomic lift tables and
work positioners on the market, selecting the correct ergonomic equipment depends on the application. Vendor expertise adds value to the selection process to be certain ergonomics are properly addressed as well as cycle times and duty cycles that will speed pro- duction and productivity.
Alfacon Solutions—SSLAB, Standard Scissor Lift
Boosting facilities’ efficiency and productivity, while protecting employees, mandates manufacturers stop forcing the worker to fit the task. According to John Murdoch of Alfacon Solutions (www.AlfaconSo- lutions.com), which offers custom-built, engineer-to- order lift tables, “Ergonomics must be included into lift table designs allowing the task to fit the worker. Typical applications include lifting a worker or the item to the appropriate height to comfortably com- plete a task. Selecting the correct ergonomic product for manufacturing or warehousing workforce is a hall- mark of 2018 materials handling.”
Employees at risk of injury at a facility can cause additional workers’ compensation costs, increased benefits usage, and downtime by cutting corners when ergonomically innovative industry products are readily available.
Plant managers, operations managers, industrial engineers, manufacturing engineers, and health and safety coordinators recognize that ergonomic lift ta- bles improve the bottom line.
42 Occupational Health & Safety | OCTOBER 2018
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ALFACON SOLUTIONS