Rodney Powell - WorkSafe WA - Cost effective solutions to manual handling problems

Manual Handling

The Cinderella Hazard

Rodney Powell

Senior Scientific Officer (Ergonomics)

[email protected]

MH Fatalities

1994 WA: 6 x 167 kg sheets of glass

1998 WA: 15 x 29 kg sheets of wire mesh

2002 NSW: 4 - 5 x 60 kg sheets particleboard

2007 WA: 220 kg slab of engineered stone

2007 NSW: 20 x 70 kg sheets of glass

2008 WA: 20 x 46 kg sheets particleboard

Reg 3.4 concerned with allhazards associated with manual handling

From my

perspective:

Sometimes OSH people rely too much

on JSAs

Do accident investigations when a risk

assessment is more appropriate

From my

perspective:

Vocational Rehab. people too much into

“medical model” & focus on RTW mods

rather than what caused injury & not

asking why do it in the first place?

Start

here

I am not endorsing any specific

products.

Photos are shown to give examples only (& maybe provide some inspiration)

OUTLINE

My overview of MT risk assessment

Overview of Risk Controls

How to develop your own solutions

(Participative Ergonomics)

Where to find solutions (Resources)

What is “Manual Handling”/a ”Manual Task”?

What is “Manual Handling”/a ”Manual Task”?

Lifting Carrying

Pushing Pulling

Holding Restraining

Holding fixed posture

Holding awkward posture

Repetitive movements

Occupation

Duty 1

Task 1

Activity Activity Activity

Task 2

Activity Activity

Duty 2

Task 3

Activity Activity Activity Activity

Weight/

Force

PERSON

Understanding the risk

Weight/

Forcex

Actions &

postures

PERSON

Posture has a major influence on forces exerted on the spine.

The Effects of Body Weight, Posture

& LoadActivity Force

Standing upright 100 %

The Effects of Body Weight, Posture

& LoadActivity Force

Standing upright 100 %

Sitting erect 140 %

Twisting 450 132 %

Bending Forwards 300 171 %

Sitting bending forwards 190%

Standing upright & 10 kg in each hand 142 %

Bending forwards 300 & 10 kg in each hand

279 %

Weight/

Forcex

Actions &

postures

PERSON

Weight/

Forcex

Actions &

posturesx

Repetition/

Duration

PERSON

Weight/

Forcex

Actions &

posturesx

Repetition/

Duration

PERSON

“Direct Risk Factors”

Weight/

Forcex

Actions &

posturesx

Repetition/

Duration

PERSON

“Indirect Risk Factors/Sources of Risk”

Weight/

Forcex

Actions &

posturesx

Repetition/

Duration

PERSON

Nature of the Load

Weight/

Forcex

Actions &

posturesx

Repetition/

Duration

PERSON

Nature of the LoadWork

Organisation

Weight/

Forcex

Actions &

posturesx

Repetition/

Duration

PERSON

Nature of the Load

Work Environment

Work

Organisation

Weight/

Forcex

Actions &

posturesx

Repetition/

Duration

PERSON

Load Size, Shape & Nature

Work Environment

Work

Organisation

Characteristics of the Employee

Tools & Equipment

Often the risk is a function of a number of tasks with similar postures,

actions or movements

+ +

+

++

Occupation

Duty 1

Task 1


Task 2

Activity Activity

Duty 2

Task 3


Task 4


Duty 3

Task 5

Activity Activity

BAD NEWSOften the injury is cumulative and

there are no big problems

GOOD NEWSThere can be lots of simple solutions

OUTLINE

A quick overview of MT risk assessment





ELIMINATING

MANUAL HANDLING

TASKS

Implementation Cost: $24.4 Million

Implementation Cost: $24.4 Million

• 24% reduction in back injury claims

• 41% reduction in days lost due to back injury claims

• Payback within 5 years

Canadian Extended

Care Facility

Hoist installation

Cost: $344,000

Paid back in decreased Workers’ Compensation claim costs within 2 ½ years

US study:

6 Nursing Homes introduced hoists, repositioning aids & “no lift” policies

Cost: $158,556

Repaid in 3 years in decreased workers’ comp. costs

Workers’ comp. claims from patient aggression also decreased by 72%

Direct W. Comp premium costs

www.slp.wa.gov.au

Workers’ Compensation Policy Premium Rates 2010/2011

Industry Rate Max. Rate

Bricklaying Services 4.28% 8.56%

Plumbing Services 3.12% 6.24%

Hospitals 1.91% 3.82%

Structural Steel Fabrication 2.96% 5.92%

Nursing Homes 3.55% 7.10%

Meat Processing 4.28% 8.56%

Supermarkets 2.19% 4.38%

Replacement Labour Costs

Based on 2007/2008 MH LTI data:

1 in 26 is off work for 1 day;

1 in 19 is off work for 1 week;

1 in 3 is off work for 1 month;

1 in 4 is off for > 3 months.

What are the implications for your workplace?

Cost: $117,950

Saving: $89,230 pa in annual

plant, labour & maintenance

savings

Cost: 1-2 rows of boxes

Labour Savings:

$22,540 pa

ELIMINATING

MANUAL HANDLING

ACTIVITIES

Occupation

Duty 1

Task 1


Task 2

Activity Activity

Duty 2

Task 3


Task 4


+ how much time do employees spend fetching & looking for tools?

Max. MH Frequency Rate is

about 8

Weight/

Forcex

Actions &

posturesx

Repetition/

Duration

PERSON


Work Environment

Work

Organisation


Tools & Equipment

INCREASING THE WEIGHT

OR

SIZE

BEFORE

50 kg bags of

soybean meal

AFTER

850 kg bulk bags

Decreased damage through handling (increased product quality

Less time to unpack (forklift)

BEFORE

AFTER

Cost: $83,500

Labour Saving: $63,000 pa

DECREASING THE WEIGHT

OR

FORCE

UK Building Company:Switched from 50 kg to 25 kg cement bags

Saved ₤ 1,500 per year in reduced wastage

2 side lifts (of a 20 kg total load) can reduce lower back compression by up to 1/3

?? HARMONISATION ??

Changing the way things are stored

Use Levers

18 kg

4.5 kg

Installation of pre-cast concrete steps at the London 2012 Olympic Stadium

Force required: 82 kg

BEFORE



AFTER

LIFTING

& HOLDING

AIDS

Manipulators &

Vacuum Lifters

CIBA Specialty

Chemicals of

Kwinana uses one

for bags.

LTI’s dropped from 7

pa before to an

average of 2 pa after

A perfect vacuum

could support 10

tonne/m2

Manipulators &

Vacuum Lifters

Stupid Behaviour

or inadequate MH Aids?

Tool Balancers

Decreased forced by 90%

Doubled productivity

WHEELS

(turning a lift

into a push)

Re-inventing the wheel

is not a bad thing!

Or bigger wheels

+ there are powered tugs

(+ eliminate forklift risk)

TROLLEYS

Photo: SafeWork SAPhoto: DEIR

Photo: WorkSafe Victoria Photos: WorkCover NSW

http://www.materialshandling.com.au/pc-37-16-large-refrigerator-handtrucks.aspx

http://www.materialshandling.com.au/pc-37-16-large-refrigerator-handtrucks.aspx

http://www.hercules.com.au/hd330.htm

http://www.hercules.com.au/hd330.htm

Worker designed trolley doubled output

Breakage of

bricks

decreased

by 5%

Laying rate

per gang

increased

by 20% to

25%

CONVEYORS,

ROLLERS

&

BALL TRANSFER TABLES

Vertical Blind Maker.Boxes of slats 34 – 68 kg manually slid into bulk racks.Introduced miniature rollers & guides.25 W.C claims per year None in year afterwards

Two Person

Lifts?

Weight/

Forcex

Actions &

posturesx

Repetition/

Duration

PERSON

Vacuum Lifters re-visited

(Posture + weight if shared)

Weight/

Forcex

Actions &

posturesx

Repetition/

Duration

PERSON


Work Environment

Work

Organisation


Tools & Equipment

Don’t have to bend down as far

Weight/

Forcex

Actions &

posturesx

Repetition/

Duration

PERSON


Work Environment

Work

Organisation


Tools & Equipment

Mid-thigh height: 780 mm

Hip height: 945 mm

Elbow height: 1115 mm

Shoulder height: 1450 mm

6% suffered from low back pain at a 4 ½ year follow-up compared to 16% or workers who did not use these controls

BEFORE AFTER

BEFOREAFTER

London Olympic stadium.

80,000 seats, 4 bolts per seat

Two holes drilled at a time

Less need to carry drills

Reduced noise exposure

BEFORE

Pull along vacuum cleaner with a 23 cm head

AFTER

Self-propelled vacuum cleaner with a 69 cm head.

Threefold saving in time required

BEFORE

Less discomfort &greater accessibility.

Work time decreasedby 50%

AFTER

BEFORE

Reduced handling. Total removal,repair & reinstallation timereduced by 33%

AFTER

BEFORE AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

68% less time indoors64% less time outdoorsPotential saving on rubber bands $420,000 pa

In the past non-

office workers only

got hand-me-down

chairs

BEFORE

46% of time spent in “hazardous postures”

48% of time spent in “marginally hazardous postures)

AFTER

93% of time spent in “marginally hazardous postures)

Time taken to fill a crate: 41% less

Weight/

Forcex

Actions &

posturesx

Repetition/

Duration

PERSON


Work Environment

Work

Organisation


Tools & Equipment

Work Environment Controls

Housekeeping

Common Law Case

Ward v/s Eagle Mining

Employee carrying two “quite heavy” cartons. Could not see hole in paving.

Tripped and fell onto her wrists.

Awarded $431,393 damages


Housekeeping

Layout

UK Case

Product bin heights changed in factory

(Cost: ₤4,000)

Payback in 2 ½ weeks through decreased work time & decreased wastage


Housekeeping

Layout

Plant & vehicles

Impact from stepping down from trucks:

up to 2.16 BW

Jumping down:

up to 7.1 BW

BEFORE

AFTER

Took 10 minutes longer to

load containers (45 mins v. 35 mins)

But containers filled to 95% capacity (v. 89%)

Saving in transport

costs: ₤48,000 p.a.

Weight/

Forcex

Actions &

posturesx

Repetition/

Duration

PERSON


Work Environment

Work

Organisation


Tools & Equipment

Work Organisation Controls

How many times are things handled?

Sometimes it makes more sense to focus on the product rather than the employee

BEFORE

Beer delivered to garage, then transported to rear of shop, then sold at counterSpirit producer sells 6,500

cases of beer per year to staff

AFTER

Customers pay for beer in shop & collect direct from garage

54% decrease in the distance walked

Work Procedure

1. Run to verge & pick up household’s full crate

2. Carry crate to truck & empty it

3. Return crate to verge

4. Run to next house

5. Repeat steps 2-4

Work Procedure – buy 1 extra crate

1. Run to verge with extra crate, drop it & pick up household’s full

crate

2. Carry crate to truck & empty it

3. Run to next house

4. Repeat steps 2-3



Where are things stored?




41 kg




How well are things maintained?




How well are things maintained?

Can the sequence of work be improved?

Software

How many mouse clicks, tabs etc?

> 6 mouse clicks to save stuff in the correct folder

1 mouse click to save stuff in the correct folder

US Phone Company Directory Assistance

US Phone Company Directory Assistance Centres

0.6 second improvement in processing time.

Over 1 year across 5 states this resulted in a saving of $3 million

PPE (?)

http://www.tokentools.com.au/category10_1.htm

http://www.tokentools.com.au/category10_1.htm

OUTLINE


Estimating the costs of injury





Advantages of Participative Ergonomics

PRACTICAL

BENEFITS

Reduced injury risk

More cost-effective

solutions

ORGANISTAIONAL BENEFITS

More employee

ownership

Greater perceived

management commitment

Improvements to trust,

communication, support,

Culture (?)

Finish Study at at engineering plant. Did a bunch of improvements. Sick leave fell by 25%

But you need the right training!

Employees need to:

Understand the risks

Motivated & empowered to suggest solutions

If you only train employees how to lift the box, they’ll never think outside it!

In summary

Complete task elimination may be

cost-effective

Or bits of tasks

& don’t forget MH is also

pushing and pulling

& don’t forget levers

Reducing the weight can also

have other benefits

& don’t forget MH is also about

postures

& think outside your industry

Train employees to think outside

the box

OUTLINE


Estimating the costs of injury





www.commerce.wa.gov.au/Worksafe

Industries > Construction > More information

http://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/Worksafe

www.osha.gov/SLTC/ergonomics/success_stories.html

http://ergo.berkeley.edu/casestudies/

Copies in the WorkSafe library

QUESTIONS?

[email protected]

Rodney Powell - WorkSafe WA - Cost effective solutions to manual handling problems

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Transcript of Rodney Powell - WorkSafe WA - Cost effective solutions to manual handling problems