occupational safety and health considerations in Union Locks Co

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH

CONSIDERATIONS IN UNION LOCKS CO.

Heba Herbawi (1034667)

Tasneem Ali (1031259)

Aya Shahin (1031173)

OBJECTIVES

1- Introduction.

2- Cumulative Trauma Disorders in the manufacture.

3- Data Collection and Analysis.

4- Discussion.

5- Injuries.

6- Conclusion.

THE UNION CO. FOR LOCKS INDUSTRIES

Union Locks Co. is a Jordanian leading company specialized in manufacturing a variety of top quality locks and hinges fitted on doors and cabinets, rollers and locks for aluminum frames, etc. The company was established in 1984 being the first in its field in Jordan and the Middle East. Union Locks provides the local and Arab markets with its high technical quality of related products covering 75% of the demand for construction and hardware supplies.

This company has gotten the certificate of conformity to the international standards ISO9001 in 2008.

THE UNION CO. FOR LOCKS INDUSTRIES

The departments in the plant:

1- The casting department.

2- The presses department.

3- The plating department.

4- The assembly department.

INTRODUCTION

This project aims to identify the prevalence of

Cumulative Trauma Disorders (CTD’s) and

injuries that face the labors in the Union

manufacture, to provide them with proper

instructions.

CUMULATIVE TRAUMA DISORDERS (CTD’S)

* CTD’s go by many different names: RSI's (repetitive strain injuries), WRMSD (work-related musculoskeletal disorders), as well as by the specific diagnoses.

* They are caused by ergonomic risk factors such as force, posture, repetition, vibration, and others.

* These can be broken down as disorders that affect muscles, tendons, nerves, blood vessels, bones, or a combination of these.

CTD’S CAUSES IN UNION CO.

1- There are 6 working days among the week(9 working hours per day, with 30 minutes lunch break).

2-Awkward body posture and poor chairs design(plating department doesn’t have any chairs at all).

3-The material handling process are almost manual.

4- Bad lifting and carrying habits .

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

The data were obtained with a questionnaire and by direct observation. The questionnaire was prepared based on the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire .

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

The questionnaire has three sections . In the first section there were items to determine musculoskeletal pains in different parts of the body .

In the second section information was collected about

age, education, marital status, number of children living with women and their ages and smoking behavior.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

In the third section of the questionnaire, there were

items about their work characteristics:

number of hours worked per day , total year of

employment , they were also asked “how often

they feel pressured because of their work” and “at

what hours of the work they feel most exhausted” .

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

(PRESSES)

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS(PLATING)

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS(ASSEMBLY)

DISCUSSION

a) Sitting and chair design:

According to the International Labor Organization, the following are some ergonomic guidelines for sitting work:

SITTING AND CHAIR DESIGN:

1- The worker needs to be able to reach the entire work area without stretching or twisting unnecessarily.

2- A good sitting position means that the individual is sitting straight in front of and close to the work.

3- The work table and the chair should be designed so that the work surface is approximately at the same level as the elbows.

4- The back should be straight and the shoulders relaxed.

5- If possible, there should be some form of adjustable support for the elbows, forearms or hands.

SITTING AND CHAIR DESIGN:

DISCUSSION

b) Standing workstation:

Here are some guidelines to follow when standing work cannot be avoided:

STANDING WORKSTATION:

1- If a job must be done in a standing position, a chair or stool should be provided for the worker and he or she should be able to sit down at regular intervals.

2- Workers should be able to work with their upper arms at their sides and without excessive bending or twisting of the back.

3- The work surface should be adjustable for workers of different heights and for different job tasks.

4- If the work surface is not adjustable, then provide a pedestal to raise the work surface for taller workers. For shorter workers, provide a platform to raise their working height.

STANDING WORKSTATION:

5- There should be a mat on the floor so the worker does not have to stand on a hard surface. A concrete or metal floor can be covered to absorb shock. The floor should be clean, level and not slippery.

6- Workers should wear shoes with arch support and low heels when performing standing work.

7- There should be adequate space and knee room to allow the worker to change body position while working.

STANDING WORKSTATION:

The job should be designed to allow the worker to keep the arms low and the elbows close to the body.

STANDING WORKSTATION:

A chair, footrest, a mat to

stand on, and an adjustable

work surface are essential

components for a standing

workstation.

DISCUSSIONc) Hand tools and controls:

The following are some ergonomic guidelines when dealing with hand tools and controls:

HAND TOOLS AND CONTROLS:

1- Avoid holding a tool continuously in a raised position or gripping a heavy tool. Properly designed tools allow the worker to keep the elbows next to the body to prevent damage to the shoulder or arm and bend the wrists.

2- Make tool handles easy to grip. Handles should also have good electrical insulation and they should not have any sharp edges or sharp corners. Put soft plastic covers on handgrips to reduce slipperiness.

HAND TOOLS AND CONTROLS:

DISCUSSIONd) Heavy physical work:

Guidelines for heavy physical work:

HEAVY PHYSICAL WORK:

1- Reduce the weight of the load.

2- Make the load easier to handle.

3- Minimize twisting of the body.

DISCUSSIONLift and carry properly:

To avoid the risks of carrying and lifting it is important to be able to estimate the weight of a load, the effect of the handling level and the lifting environment.

LIFT AND CARRY PROPERLY

NIOSH Lifting Equation: 

LC (51) x HM x VM x DM x AM x FM x CM = RWL

Task variables needed to calculate the RWL:

* H = Horizontal location of the object relative to the body.

* V = Vertical location of the object relative to the floor.

* D = Distance the object is moved vertically.

* A = Asymmetry angle or twisting requirement.

* F = Frequency and duration of lifting activity.

* C = Coupling or quality of the workers grip on the object.

LIFT AND CARRY PROPERLY

The NIOSH lifting equation always uses a load constant (LC) of 51 pounds, which represents the maximum recommended load weight to be lifted under ideal conditions.

LIFT AND CARRY PROPERLY

Position of the back and legs:

1- Lift the object close to your body.

2- Tense your stomach and back muscles.

Position of the back and legs

LIFT AND CARRY PROPERLY

3- Stand close to the object.

4- Keep your feet apart.

Position of the legs

LIFT AND CARRY PROPERLY

Position of the arms and grip:

1- Try to grasp the object

firmly using your whole

hands at right angles

to your shoulder.

2- Lift with both hands

if possible.

LIFT AND CARRY PROPERLY

Lifting to the side:

1- Lifting a weight and twisting the body at the same time increases the risk of back injury.

2- Place your feet in a walking position, one foot pointing slightly in the direction of the lift. Lift the object and then shift the weight of the body onto the foot in the turning direction.

LIFTING TO THE SIDE:

LIFT AND CARRY PROPERLY

Lifting upwards (above the shoulders):

1- Place your feet in a walking position. First raise the object to chest level. Then begin pushing upwards by moving your feet out in order to get the object moving and shift the weight of your body onto the front foot.

2- For many people a suitable lifting height level is 70 to 80 centimeters. Lifting something off the floor can be three times as strenuous.

LIFTING UPWARDS (ABOVE

THE SHOULDERS)

LIFT AND CARRY PROPERLY

Lifting with others:

* People who often lift things together should be more or less equally strong and they should practice lifting things together. The lifting movements must be made at the same time and at the same speed.

* The maximum weights recommended by the International Labor Organization are:

Men: occasionally 55 kg., repeatedly 35 kg.

Women:  occasionally 30 kg., repeatedly 20 kg.

LIFTING WITH OTHERS:

* Do not lift anything if you have backache. Once the pain has gone, start lifting with caution and gradually practice.

LIFT AND CARRY PROPERLY

Carrying:

Carrying places most strain

on the back of the neck

and the upper limbs, the

heart and the circulation.

 Carry objects close to your

body. Spread the weight

evenly over both hands.

CARRYING: * Check whether the object can be shifted on a conveyor belt,

wheels or a trolley.

* Make sure you do not try to shift an object that is too heavy on your own.

* There are proper hand grips.

* The floor is not slippery.

* There are no obstacles in your way and that there is sufficient lighting.

INJURIES

While observing the manufacture, some injuries were found in the casting and presses departments, they are burns and cuttings, respectively.

INJURIESSeveral reasons caused finger cuts:

1- Lack of sufficient training.

2- Lack of attention.

3- Personal issues.

4- Overload.

5- Culture.

INJURIES

To avoid the burns in the casting department, a good attention must be paid to the standards of safety clothes.

INJURIESClothing:* Your clothing should regulate the temperature

between the air and the heat generated by your body.

* Clothes must not be so loose, or so long or flapping as to be dangerous.

* Gloves should protect your hands and help you to get a good grip.

* Footwear should be sturdy, non-slippery and have broad soles.

* The uppers should protect your feet from falling objects.

INJURIES

CONCLUSIONImprovements can be made by properly designing or

redesigning the way jobs are performed, the content of job tasks, the methods in which equipment is handled or set up, the way work schedules are set, the equipment used to perform a job, etc.

Positive changes in these areas or others can help to prevent injuries and illnesses (physical or psychological) caused by a lack of attention to ergonomic principles in the workplace.