Essay Example on Ergonomics in Manufacturing: Assessing Risks & Improving Productivity

Ergonomics is referred to as the science that involves the design of the workplace bearing in mind the workers capabilities and limitations (Cox, Howell & Lee, 2019). Ergonomic assessment of any workplace is vital, especially in terms of reduced costs and improved the productivity of the workers. Poor design of the workplace predisposes the workers to ergonomic hazards (Stack, Ostrom & Wilhelmsen, 2016). In this work, I shall examine the ergonomic risks experienced in the manufacturing industries.

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Some of the manufacturing industries are often accompanied by extreme temperature and noise. Due to these factors, workers are regularly exposed to disorders such as musculoskeletal disorders, heat stress, heat stroke, heat exhaustion, among others in the workplace (Joshi, 2018). Furthermore, the design of the tools used in these manufacturing industries predisposes the workers to work-related disorders (Cox et al., 2019). For instance, I have witnessed in the manufacturing industries the use of inefficient lifting, pushing, and pulling tools. These ineffective tools and equipment result in a lot of strain for the workers. This causes musculoskeletal disorders.

Furthermore, the workers located within specific points in the industries such as the kiln are often exposed to very high temperatures (Joshi, 2018). Some of them are exposed to such conditions quite a long time such that they suffer from heat stroke, which is the inability of the body to regulate itself from the increased environmental temperatures. Some of the workers are exposed to extremely low temperatures, such as dear the deep freezers (Stack et al., 2016). This has often resulted in cold stress, which is the inability of the body to recover from the freezing temperatures.

Again, in these industries, workers are exposed to increased noise levels for an extended period. The noise is often because of poor engineering designs like isolation of the noise-prone areas using thick walls. The longtime effect of the long period of exposure to the high levels of noise is often both audiometric and the non-audiometric. The audiometric effects include; the permanent hearing loss, headache, and mood changes of the workers (Cox et al., 2019). In turn, the productivity and the concentration span of the workers are reduced.

Additionally, some of the workers in the industries often stay in an awkward condition for quite an extended period. This is always in the form of prolonged bending, twisting of the body parts, squatting or even kneeling. Staying in a stationary position for a long time also causes fatigue of the joints. The workers who are often exposed to these conditions include workers at the conveyor belts, the maintenance engineers, among others (Cox et al., 2019). The long period of exposure to such conditions often, result in straining of the muscles of the workers. This ergonomic hazard could be mitigated through the redesign of the task and the furniture of the workplace.

Moreover, in the manufacturing industries, the workers are sometimes exposed to increased vibration of the tools and the equipment used in the production. The continued exposure to these conditions through gripping and grasping often causes exhaustion and fatigue of the hands, wrists, and the legs. This could be avoided through the insulation of the body parts exposed to the condition.

Lastly, the workers are always involved in forceful motions through pulling, pushing, and lifting heavy objects (Joshi, 2018). This results in exhaustion of the workers and muscle straining, among others. To avoid the effects of staying in stationary positions for a long time could be mitigated through redesign of the task as well as the assignment of more staff to ease the job (Cox et al., 2019). It is important to note that the significant symptoms of the ergonomic disorders include the unexplained weakness, soreness, and pains, stiffness, numbness, loss of coordination, among others. However, appropriate redesign of the processes should do to mitigate the adverse effects that it could have on the workers.

References

Cox, G. S. P., Howell, G. S. P., & Lee, G. S. P. (2019). Ergonomic Risk Evaluation of Wine and Spirit Industry.

Joshi, S. K., (2018). 1634b Brick kilns of Nepal: recognizing the hazards.

Stack, T., Ostrom, L. T., & Wilhelmsen, C. A. (2016). Occupational ergonomics: A practical approach. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.