In industrial manufacturing, ergonomics plays a vital role in the success of operators and assembly lines. Where repetitive motions, awkward handling, and uncomfortable, static postures are common, it is even more necessary to proactively protect workers’ health while also improving operational efficiency and reducing costs.
Atlas Copco has been a trusted supplier of ergonomic solutions since the inception of our ergonomics program for industrial power tools in 1958, with the goal of optimizing health, safety, comfort, and performance. Today, all our products undergo a comprehensive ergonomic review before they are launched. Discover the true capabilities of your assembly with ergonomic solutions from Atlas Copco.
Torque smarter, work safer. Join our on-demand webinar, Introduction to Torque Ergonomics, to discover how you can reduce strain, improve precision, and enhance efficiency today.
Ergonomics in the manufacturing sector
What is ergonomics? Industrial ergonomics involves the development and design of tools with a strong focus on human safety, comfort, efficiency, and performance. In the manufacturing sector, it’s about protecting your most valuable asset: your operators, ensuring that you can preserve their long-term health, reduce absenteeism, mitigate injuries, and achieve higher production output.
Repetitive actions
Loud noises
Awkward postures
Vibrational exposure
Examples of poor ergonomics include repetitive actions and motions, loud sounds and noises, awkward postures, and exposure to vibrations from industrial power tools. Although exposure to these may not cause significant harm to operators in the short term, prolonged exposure can have a major impact on their health and safety. When you consider that operators are typically working an 8-hour shift, five days a week—or sometimes more—the impacts of poor ergonomics can quickly become significant, increasing the risk of musculoskeletal disorders, injury-related absenteeism, decreased employee morale, and reduced productivity and efficiency.
Improve your industrial ergonomics today – visit our Ergonomics Library to learn more.
The Price of Poor Ergonomics
In the manufacturing industry, vibration-related injuries are common among manufacturers. In the US alone, approximately 2.5 million workers are exposed to hand-arm vibration (HAV) from their daily use of power tools, and the prevalence of hand-arm vibration syndrome ranges from 20% to 50%. Our goal is to minimize this. We strive to safeguard our most valuable asset and resource—our operators—while also enhancing assembly, profitability, quality, and efficiency.
It's evident that when your operators are performing at their best, your manufacturing facility will flourish. While the direct costs of poor ergonomics are substantial on their own, the indirect costs can be equally significant.
The initial cost of an injury can include rehabilitation, insurance, medical expenses, and even possible fines. These are real, tangible costs that you can see. However, you may not consider the indirect costs that can accumulate over time, such as decreased productivity, quality issues with your products, costs for training and replacing an injured worker, and even reputational damage afterward. These costs are situational and difficult to pinpoint, making it hard to determine their exact impact on your business, but their total consequences could surpass that of your direct costs.
Are you interested in learning how to determine the cost of vibration exposure in your assembly process? Use our Vibration Exposure Calculator to discover the cost to you.
By implementing solutions with effective operator ergonomics, you can start to protect both your workers and your business. Not only will this boost your productivity and maximize factory uptime, but you will also experience lower costs and reduced downtime due to operator injuries and fatigue. However, you might be wondering where to begin. There are various ways to enhance ergonomics in assembly depending on the application or industry. Let us explore these options.
What factors should you consider when enhancing ergonomics in your facility?
Creating an ergonomic work environment is more than just operator comfort—it’s also about safety, efficiency, and long-term success. When assessing your environment for areas of improvement, some of the most important elements to consider are environmental factors, task design, workstation design, and tool ergonomics. From improving operator safety within your facility to reducing fatigue, enhancing productivity, and more, ergonomic improvements can help secure your long-term success.
Environmental considerations
One simple way to improve ergonomics is by considering environmental factors. These can include lighting, noise, thermal conditions, and air quality. When these factors are met, better work quality, along with improved health and safety, can be expected.
Task design
In this case, the application itself may be causing harm. Every application is different, but all require some degree of operator ergonomics to protect workers. Factors such as heavy forces, repetitive motions, and poor posture can put unnecessary strain on operators. However, the right tools can help improve ergonomics.
Workstation design
Your workstations should be designed with your operators in mind. While a single design may work perfectly for one operator, it can be disastrous for another. Therefore, factors such as the type of production, its demands, the tools used, and each worker’s physical characteristics are essential to ensure your workforce operates effectively.
Tool ergonomics
Selecting the right tools has a significant impact on both the application and the user. The type of tool required for the application, along with its weight, reaction forces, handles, and trigger(s), is crucial for ensuring the appropriate tool is chosen for the job, as well as for the safety of your operators.
Ergonomic options within the Atlas Copco portfolio
Form factors – At Atlas Copco, we provide various form factors for a wide range of tools and solutions, designed to meet diverse application needs across all industries.
Pneumatic Tools
The power, weight, and vibration of a tool all influence your ergonomics. When it comes to pneumatic tools, you need a powerful tool to get the job done fast, but that doesn’t compromise on weight or vibrational exposure to do so. Discover how our Pneumatic Tools compare.
Low Reaction Tools
In industrial applications, reaction forces are particularly important, as they can cause a handful of serious injuries to operators. Without the proper tools or accessories, your operators will be at risk of injury or harm. Discover our range of Low Reaction Tools and how they ensure your operators remain happy and healthy.
Dual Trigger Feature
In manufacturing, a pinch point is any point at which a person or part of a person’s body can be caught between any part of a machine, leading to minor or severe injury. Dual triggers provide safety by requiring both hands to operate a tool. Learn how to better protect your operators.
Get Started with Better Ergonomics Today
Industrial ergonomics is crucial to your assembly process. From major or even minor health issues and injuries, absenteeism, low morale, downtime, high costs, and so much more, the more you invest in your operator ergonomics, the more your operators can invest in you and your business.
At Atlas Copco, our experts can help you discover and address ergonomic issues in your plant. Speak to an expert today to learn how you can reduce strain, improve precision, and enhance efficiency.
