Sheltered Workshop Producing Wooden Pallets and Containers
The expert was asked by a regional organization to conduct an ergonomic evaluation of a sheltered workshop that produced wooden pallets and specialty wooden shipping and storage containers. A sheltered workshop is a facility that allows mentally challenged adults to perform actual paying work during the day, which for many provides valuable therapy.
The sheltered workshop under study produced wooden pallets and containers. The process started with “raw” lumber that was then assembled into the desired product that was then palletized, banded and shipped. The workers used a wide range of powered and unpowered hand tools to cut, form and secure the products and then band and ship them out. One section of the facility was focused on pallet construction and large wooden containers and the other section was on more specialized wooden containers and related products. In both sections, workers were adults, were considered as trainable and knowledgeable but unable to live by themselves. Some workers had been working at the facility since it opened some 25-years earlier. In this facility, as in many similar facilities, work groups are supervised and trained by a “normal” lead worker.
The expert began by discussing the desired goals with the director and supervisory personnel and then with floor supervisory personnel. The goal of the request for assistance was to help the organization reduce the potential for musculoskeletal disorders in their workers, improve the work flows and train all floor and supervisory personnel in basic ergonomics. These goals were complicated in some respects as many employees, while able to work and understand what they were to do could not express themselves on how they felt, making understanding of what was a difficult task for the worker or a task that was creating pain more complicated.
In the training to the shelter personnel, the basic concepts of workstation ergonomics as it would apply to a wood products manufacturing facility were extensively discussed along with critical ergonomic risk factors to be aware of. The expert then observed each of the major production areas and workstations along with observing work flows in the entire facility. Review and discussion of the activities with the work cell supervisors and leads and the observations indicated that they had addressed nearly all of the most apparent and common safety, health and ergonomic hazards present in the use of powered equipment and had further reduced potential hazards by judicious placement of workers in tasks that were well within their capabilities to comprehend and perform. A few remaining issues were related to personality issues with the workers (they wanted to do some tasks in a particular way, not un-safely, but in a divergent manner from what was taught). This was addressed by physical changes in the work stations, placing tools such as nail guns on tool positioners that limited their use to the desired area and changes in the location of work in process and raw materials, forcing workers to do work the intended way.
Observation also revealed there was a real potential for serious musculoskeletal injuries from manual materials handling (the use of human power for lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling of loads) due to the tendency for some of the younger female (and male) workers to work with what would be considered risky work loads and work paces, even though demonstrating “ideal” lifting postures. This issue will take more time to address as the workers in question were quite proud of their work competence but did not understand the hazards presented by the heavy loads and work pace they set for themselves. In addition, the supervisors and managers were unaware of such hazards, having only had classical safety and basic “how to safely lift” training in school and in company orientation. This issue was resolved by more discussions/training of the managers, supervisors and leads and development of specific recommendations to immediately change work flows to reduce or eliminate the potential for overwork conditions and practices developing.
To see the resume of the expert associated with this case study, see the link below.
