5 Steps to - Humantech · 2018. 11. 5. · Deepesh Desai, Director of Consulting and Ergonomics Engineer for Humantech, leads and directs a team of engineers to develop, manage,

Ergonomics done right.®

Industry Spotlight Series

By Deepesh Desai, CPE and Jeff Sanford, CPE

E-book

Preventing Musculoskeletal Disorders in the Automotive Industry

5 Steps to

About VelocityEHS | HumantechHumantech, a VelocityEHS solution, was founded with the single focus of improving the lives of the working population. For nearly 40 years, our approach has changed how organizations use the science of ergonomics to improve workplace performance.

We are the largest consulting team of board-certified professional ergonomists in North America. Humantech consultants combine expertise in ergonomics with practical industry experience and the skills of professional services delivery. We listen well, work hard, and evaluate ourselves based upon your success.

Our software solutions help you take control of your ergonomics process. Humantech’s proprietary assessment and solution tools, e-learning, and central online system give you a faster, more effective and efficient way to manage ergonomics corporate-wide.

A team of highly-qualified professionals with skills in e-learning and software development, industrial and graphic design, sustainability, and information technology supports our consulting staff.

Copyright 2018 Humantech, Inc.

5 Steps to Preventing Musculoskeletal Disorders in the Automotive Industry

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The Humantech System® is an all-in-one solution for managing workplace ergonomics in industrial environments.

Learn more at www.humantech.com/thesystem

LEARN Online TrainingBuild knowledge quickly. Access 7 interactive online training modules covering everything from principles of ergonomics to design guidelines. You choose which modules are appropriate for your teams.

DO The Job Improvement ProcessGain skills to assess and fix jobs. Once the online training is finished, your teams will work alongside our certified professional ergonomists to assess and improve problem jobs.

MANAGE Data and ReportingVerify and track progress. With The Humantech System, ergonomics process owners can easily monitor the activities of the ergonomics team, track the status of improvement plans, and generate reports.

L E A R N D O M A N A G E

the Find and fix your high-risk jobsquickly with our experts at your side.









About the Authors Deepesh Desai, CPEDeepesh Desai, Director of Consulting and Ergonomics Engineer for Humantech, leads and directs a team of engineers to develop, manage, and sustain global ergonomics programs using software solutions for Fortune 1000 clients across a broad spectrum of industries. Recent client engagements include Cardinal Health, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, GlaxoSmithKline, Inteva Products, Land O’Lakes, Tesla, and ZF Group.

Deepesh has over 15 years of experience developing strategic enterprise client partnerships, helping clients improve productivity and quality and reducing injury/incident costs. He has worked with clients to improve the lives of their working populations using industrial engineering and ergonomics principles.

Deepesh received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pune in Maharashtra, India. He also received a Master of Science degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering, focusing on Occupational Ergonomics and Safety, and a Master of Education degree focusing on Occupational Ergonomics and Biomechanics, from Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. Deepesh has achieved recognition as a Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE).

Jeff Sanford, CPEJeff Sanford, Director of Consulting and Ergonomics Engineer for Humantech, leads a team of ergonomists to develop, manage, and sustain global ergonomics programs using software solutions for Fortune 1000 clients across a broad spectrum of industries, including food and beverage, automotive, aerospace, pharmaceutical, and steel. Recent client engagements include Cummins, DENSO, Tower Automotive, Flex-N-Gate, Moen, Airbus Helicopters, Griffith Foods, and Wells Dairy.

Prior to joining Humantech, Jeff worked as a divisional ergonomics engineer within the seating systems division of Lear Corporation. Managing ergonomics issues at nine U.S. facilities, launching new products, and solving ergonomics issues arising from products, workstations, processes, and packaging were some of his responsibilities.

Jeff received a Bachelor and Master of Human Kinetics degrees and a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Windsor in Windsor, Ontario. He has achieved recognition as a Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE).







Copyright 2018 Humantech, Inc. Share this E-book!www.humantech.com


ContentsIntroduction ..................................................................................................... 2

1. Determine Need ......................................................................................... 4

2. Align to an Improvement Process ............................................................... 6

3. Get Leadership Commitment ...................................................................... 8

4. Launch and Sustain Improvements ............................................................ 9

5. Track Progress ......................................................................................... 12

Final Thoughts .............................................................................................. 13

Additional Resources .................................................................................... 14






5 Steps to Preventing Musculoskeletal Disorders in the Automotive Industry | Page 2


IntroductionTime is the true leading form of currency in the automotive industry. All efforts, whether by operations, engineering, quality control, or safety, are geared toward achieving the shortest cycle time and the highest throughput. So, how do quality and safety issues impact production time?

● With just-in-time manufacturing, frequent quality issues lead to line stops, which means lost time and resources. In addition, the rework required to make up for poor quality further reduces throughput.

● Safety incidents also lead to lost time—time away from work, retraining, and absenteeism—and ultimately to more production challenges.

With this mind, everyone involved in the automotive industry is looking for stability, predictability, and consistency in terms of the 4 Ms: manpower, machines, materials, and methods. The industry accomplishes this by practicing a very simple, yet powerful, philosophy of “design in and design out” across its operations: design in the good (quality, optimal setup, just-in-time supply chain, machine guarding, reducing burden on employees, etc.) and design out the bad (lack of resources and availability, waste, unreliability, risk, etc.).

Another concept the automotive industry lives and breathes by is continuous improvement. This is necessary, given the scope and size of its operations. Rarely does a single best solution exist—the so-called “silver bullet.” Instead, automotive companies design, produce, improve, and continue to improve on a regular basis.

These unique aspects of automotive manufacturing are also the keys to success when addressing workplace ergonomics. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) caused by poor working conditions are a huge concern within this environment. The nature of repetitive work, the complexity of assembly processes, use of numerous and varied tools and workstation setups, parts positioning, and product design all pose significant challenges for the worker, be it at OEMs or tier 1, 2, or 3 suppliers.








This e-book provides you with the core elements you need to identify and prevent the causes of MSD injuries in the automotive industry. By sharing our experiences, proven approaches, and best practices, we are confident you will be able to establish an effective and sustainable ergonomics improvement process, or improve a current process. Designing your ergonomics program around the continuous improvement approach, while incorporating the design-in/design-out methodology, will help you realize solid results, improve the lives of your employees, and ultimately impact “time” as a leading currency. Following the steps highlighted in this e-book, our clients (in over 1,700 global locations) have seen an average reduction in MSD risk of 57% and an average reduction in MSDs of 55%, while spending $1,800 (USD) in median cost per improvement.

So, let’s get started.

Ergonomics, by definition, is designing the workplace to best fit the capabilities of people at work. Applied to controlling MSDs, this means first identifying and then reducing or eliminating the root causes of these injuries through the setup and design of tools, workstations, equipment, workplace, and products. Simply put, by practicing good ergonomics design, you can create a workplace that reduces exposures to MSD risk factors. Here are the five “must-do” steps to ensure long-term success.








1


Determine NeedStart by determining if poor ergonomics is a problem for your organization, and what specifically needs to be improved. Ask, “What problem are we trying to solve?” For most automotive operations, improving the ergonomics of the workplace is the solution to preventing MSDs. However, we could have titled this section “Determine Opportunity” because, in addition to injury reduction, ergonomics can also improve productivity, quality, and employee engagement and retention. By determining what performance problem(s) you need to solve, you will better focus your improvement process and know how to measure progress. This can be done by looking at records of past performance, including injury/illness reports, quality statistics, and production rates. Remember to engage your union representatives (if applicable) as you work through this step; working together will ensure the process is well supported across the organization.

Because preventing MSDs is a primary concern for automotive operations, determine where MSD injuries have occurred in the past (which workstations or tasks and the body segment injured), the severity of the injury (days away from work), and your current ability to influence within your organization. These indicators should help you decide if an ergonomics improvement process is needed, where efforts should be focused, and whether you can influence through designing in and/or designing out.

In addition to determining what to solve, take time to determine how you are prepared to solve it. Critically evaluate the the process, people, resources, and tools upon which your ergonomics improvement process is based. A gap analysis will help you make an objective and effective evaluation.








1


A gap analysis is a way to assess the difference between the current situation (where you are) and meeting the requirements and expectations of your improvement goal (where you want to be). We’ve found a gap analysis to be a critical step in planning a new ergonomics process or transitioning to a more effective one. Think of it as a diagnostic step. The results of a gap analysis provide everyone in an organization with a common understanding of the current situation and enable them to form a common vision for the ergonomics process. The key information resulting from an ergonomics process gap analysis includes the following:

● What are we not doing, or not doing well (what are the gaps)?

● What are we doing well (the things we can leverage, or the fits)?

● Where do we want to be (vision and goal for ergonomics and MSD injuries)?

For more information about conducting a gap analysis, check out the e-book Four Key Elements of an Ergonomics Gap Analysis.






https://www.humantech.com/resource/four_elements_gap_analysis/

https://www.humantech.com/resource/four_elements_gap_analysis/



2


Align to an Improvement ProcessLike quality, ergonomics improvement of the workplace is most effective when managed as a continuous improvement process. This has been demonstrated through benchmarking studies and research. In addition, studies show that effectiveness and understanding are improved when a familiar process model is used.

Many automotive companies have specific elements of their ergonomics process built into their union contracts. Often, most of these elements are negotiated, and from our experience, it is important to align them with the process model shown below.

For decades, agencies and professionals have told employers to develop an “ergonomics program.” Traditionally, the program approach includes many elements (management commitment, training, hazard assessment, medical management, etc.), but they are not connected or arranged in any order, owned by a few people (safety staff, safety committee, and medical), and difficult to sustain over time. The activities have also been siloed, periodic, reactive, and lacking an overall strategy and a system to track them. From a high-level strategy, decide whether to develop a process that targets design in, design out, or both.

In contrast, a continuous improvement process for both design in and design out presents these elements as sequential steps, engages many within an organization, is integrated into other existing business systems, and is a repeated cycle of improvements that help sustain activity and results over time.

This e-book focuses on the details around the design out aspect of ergonomics. A future e-book will review the design in elements.

Unfortunately, there is no single best continuous process model to recommend for managing ergonomics. Automotive companies today use a broad range of models, such as Six Sigma, safety management system, Total Production Management, Quality Improvement Process, and some company-specific models. Although they have different names, all of these process models are based on the continuous improvement (CI) steps of Plan, Do, Check, and Act. The best model for your company-specific ergonomics improvement process is the CI model that is most familiar to your organization. The ergonomics improvement process, and elements of each of the four steps, are further described in the e-book The Ergonomics Job Improvement Process: Four Steps to a Better Workplace.






https://www.humantech.com/resource/humantech-benchmarking-study/

https://www.humantech.com/resource/ergonomics-job-improvement-process-four-steps-better-workplace/

https://www.humantech.com/resource/ergonomics-job-improvement-process-four-steps-better-workplace/



2


But a process is only as effective as the people involved. Successful ergonomics improvement processes are not owned solely by the safety department and/or the medical staff. They are owned by, and the responsibility of, people in several roles (both union and management).

The key people are those who

● have expertise or influence to assess MSD risks,

● identify and make workplace improvements or adjustments,

● ensure plans are implemented and tracked, and

● make decisions on funding improvements, managing MSD injuries (when they do occur), and leading the process.

Many automotive operations have union representatives involved in safety and other employee matters. These should include area managers, engineers and maintenance, and subject matter experts (ergonomics team members, ergo analysts, etc). If your union contract is set and does not include all of these roles, define an appropriate process for the ergonomics team member or ergo analyst to collaborate with the right resources within the existing organizational structure. The key is to have a process to enable these activities using the right resources, rather than having dedicated positions. We can’t emphasize this enough; it is important to engage union representatives in the planning and roll-out of an ergonomics process.

Taking time to plan and agree on roles and responsibilities in your organization is critical in this planning step. It ensures that there is an owner for each element of your ergonomics improvement process, helps avoid duplication of effort and gaps in coverage, enables clear and consistent communication of performance expectations, provides a way to hold individuals accountable, and creates the learning objectives for ergonomics training.








3


Get Leadership CommitmentIt is absolutely critical to engage your top leaders and your union representatives in launching or enhancing the ergonomics process. Remember to position ergonomics beyond reducing incidents or injuries; focus on improving operations and impacting time through higher productivity and better quality.

Grassroots ergonomics programs (those driven by line employees) are well meaning but not effective, efficient, or maintained as the organization and business change. We do know from benchmarking and working with leading automotive companies that when top leaders and union representatives endorse, integrate, and actively pay attention to an ergonomics improvement process, results are achieved. Getting their commitment means getting all the key players into a working session to discuss and agree on the plan for launching and sustaining the process. Describe the improvement goal, metrics, process, and roles and responsibilities you’ve developed, explain how the process will work, and let them review and modify the plans to adopt as theirs. In addition, they must commit to goals and (people) resources, visibly lead deployment, and sponsor the ergonomics process.

Getting commitment from a key influencer(s) is critical to gaining the level of support and involvement of others within the organization. If people high on the organizational chart are actively supporting and tracking MSD risk reduction and ergonomics improvements, they’ll motivate others to conduct assessments, make improvements, and design low-risk tools and tasks. In union shops, engaging key union leaders is critical, as they may influence all members.

There are four best practices discussed in more detail in the e-book Four Ways to Ensure Leadership Commitment to Your Ergonomics Process.






https://www.humantech.com/resource/four-ways-to-ensure-leadership-commitment-to-ergonomics/

https://www.humantech.com/resource/four-ways-to-ensure-leadership-commitment-to-ergonomics/



4


Launch and Sustain ImprovementsSo far, we have discussed getting a good idea of your needs, aligning the overall program with a process, agreeing on the focus, and gaining commitment. The real value of your ergonomics process is to implement engineering improvements, to improve ergonomics conditions in the workplace, and reduce MSD injuries. For the existing workplace, this typically includes identifying jobs and tasks where people are exposed to high levels of MSD risk factors, making changes to the workplace to reduce those exposures, and then verifying that the risk has been reduced to an acceptable level; this is the job improvement process. Typically, these are actions completed by subject matter experts (SMEs) who have been trained to use assessment and design tools to lead risk-reduction efforts. SMEs can range from employee representatives on safety and ergonomics teams to supervisors, continuous improvement group members, and engineers.

Launching and maintaining your ergonomics improvement process involves a few general steps.

Develop skills and knowledge of people supporting ergonomics Continuous improvement teams, engineers, and SMEs must learn the job improvement process, have access to valid assessment and solution tools, and receive training in how to apply these tools to make effective workplace improvements. This is best accomplished through training in ergonomics concepts and principles, and hands-on learning by doing.








4


Apply the job improvement process in the current workplaceAs mentioned earlier, MSDs cannot be prevented unless the workplace is changed to reduce the conditions that cause them (see our Position Statement on Physical Risk Factors for Musculoskeletal Disorders). The job improvement process involves four simple steps:

● Find It. Conduct a quantifiable MSD risk assessment on job tasks of concern to determine the level of exposure to MSD risk factors, the types of MSD risk factors present, and the body segments affected. This will help you anticipate where MSD injuries are most likely to occur and identify which tasks need improvement. Several valid MSD risk assessment tools are available; whole-body assessments should be used on all tasks. Manual handling and lifting task assessments should include a determination of exposures to the back and spine. Our clients in the automotive industry have done over 30,000 assessments in their facilities; one of the key findings from this data is that improper equipment or tool design seems to be the leading direct cause.

● Fix It. Using the prioritized results of risk assessments, implement engineering controls (workplace changes) that reduce the awkward postures, high forces, and long durations to an acceptable level of risk. To make these changes so that the workplace fits the capability of the people at work, use ergonomics design guidelines. The guidelines help engineers and SMEs design and adjust workstation reaches, weights, and forces to be within acceptable ranges to reduce MSD risk. From our data across the automotive industry, the median cost of improvements tends to be around $1,800, with fewer than 15 days required to implement these improvements.






https://www.humantech.com/position-statements/#physical-risk-factors-musculoskeletal-disorders

https://www.humantech.com/position-statements/#physical-risk-factors-musculoskeletal-disorders



4


● Check It. Always complete a follow-up assessment to compare the “before” risk score with the “after” risk score. This is the only way to determine if the workplace change reduced the level of MSD risk to an acceptable level. Our clients in the automotive industry have seen an average reduction in risk of 56%. This illustrates the importance of the follow-up analysis.

● Sustain It. Changing processes and workstations or relocating equipment can undo a prior workstation improvement. Monitor the workplace to ensure that the ergonomics improvements are maintained and used. Incorporate improvements into a workstation standard operating procedure. For example, a lift assist used to transfer and position a windshield can be documented in the standard operating procedure, but remember to also include the time required to use the lift assist, so that employees can still do the job within the set cycle time.

Leverage technology and software platformsUse a cloud-based system that will enable you to electronically track assessments, direct causes, improvements, and follow-up assessments. The system should help you monitor and manage the ergonomics process from one to hundreds of locations across the globe and should be accessible from any device, including smart phones and tablets. This is key, especially in the automotive industry, given the size of operations; paper-based assessments and spreadsheet-based action tracking is tedious and quite often duplicates efforts. It’s all about using your resources in the smartest possible way. The system must serve the needs for the location, as well as the entire company.

Report MSD risk reduction measures to leadership“What gets measured gets done.” This is true for all aspects of a business (quality, productivity, product, etc.) and true for ergonomics. For MSD reduction, the most critical metric to track is the reduction of MSD risk level (during the Check It step). To help you get the right support and attention, especially in the automotive industry, present time savings along with risk reduction.

More information about MSD and ergonomics process metrics is provided in the Additional Resources section of this e-book.








5


Track ProgressVisibility of your ergonomics process is critical for sustaining it across time, getting buy-in, and maintaining momentum. Over the years, we’ve heard that well-planned ergonomics programs have fizzled and faded because people did not see or hear about them. The lesson here is to communicate, demonstrate value, communicate, show progress, communicate more, and keep it visible. This means regular tracking and communication on two levels: individual workstation improvements (micro) and organization-wide improvements (macro).

As mentioned previously, changes to individual workstations can be measured immediately with a follow-up assessment. Results can be illustrated by showing the “before” and “after” risk scores with accompanying graphics. This visually communicates to employees that leaders support the job improvement process and that risk levels are being reduced. It also communicates to leaders (who fund the improvements) that risk reduction is on track with their improvement goal. This comparison can easily be shared on bulletin boards and internal TVs, and in newsletters and staff meetings.

Organization-wide improvements can be tracked and monitored through the ergonomics process measures and goals established by leaders. When ergonomics is integrated into the regular business dashboard and review process (quality, production, profit), its importance is elevated and shown to be endorsed by leaders. The risk reduction metrics are a common and consistent way to communicate the goal and progress of the ergonomics improvement process. The MSD risk level scores determined from assessments are easily collected electronically and are scalable for reporting at different levels. That is, they can be used to track the performance of the entire organization, a department, or even the jobs a single manager or supervisor is responsible for. Reporting at several levels shows managers their contribution to the overall goal, and provides them with an early-warning system of where the next MSD injury may occur.








Final ThoughtsThere is tremendous opportunity in the automotive industry for implementing improvements and demonstrating business impact using ergonomics principles, although a systematic and standardized approach with a link to the continuous improvement process is required. Taking a methodical approach to identifying and controlling exposures to MSD risk factors is key. We must rely on ergonomics (fit of the workplace) before relying on behavioral and work practice changes.

This approach has resulted in employers achieving significant positive results:

● 59% reduction in MSDs

● 79% reduction in lost-time injuries

● 50% reduction in average days away per injury

Time is the true form of currency in the automotive industry, and the design-out-risk approach minimizes hassles, improves quality, and thus drives value in the organization.








Additional ResourcesAmerican Industrial Hygiene Association (2008). Ergonomics Program Guidance Document – Aligned with ANI/AIHA Z10-2005. Fairfax: AIHA.

Canadian Standards Association (2012). CSA Standard Z1004-12: Workplace Ergonomics – A Management and Implementation Standard. Mississauga, ON.

Humantech, Inc. (2011) Benchmarking Study: Elements of Effective Ergonomics Program Management. White paper. Available from https://www.humantech.com/resources/whitepapers/

Humantech, Inc. (2016) Definition of Occupational Ergonomics. Position Statement. Available from http://www.humantech.com/resources/position-statements

Humantech, Inc. (2016) Hierarchy of Controls for Musculoskeletal Disorders. Position Statement. Available from http://www.humantech.com/resources/position-statements

Humantech, Inc. (2016) Managing Ergonomics as a Continuous Improvement Process. Position Statement. Available from http://www.humantech.com/resources/position-statements

Humantech, Inc. (2016) Physical Risk Factors for Musculoskeletal Disorders. Position Statement. Available from http://www.humantech.com/resources/position-statements

Humantech, Inc. (2017) Four Key Elements of an Ergonomics Gap Analysis. E-book. Available from https://www.humantech.com/resources/e-books/

Humantech, Inc. (2017) Four Steps to Deploying Your Ergonomics Process. E-book. Available from https://www.humantech.com/resources/e-books/

Humantech, Inc. (2017) Four Ways to Ensure Leadership Commitment to Your Ergonomics Process. E-book. Available from https://www.humantech.com/resources/e-books/

Humantech, Inc. (2017) Leading Workplace Improvement: 4 Key Actions by Business Leaders. E-book. Available from https://www.humantech.com/resources/e-books/

Humantech, Inc. (2017) The Ergonomics Job Improvement Process: Four Steps to a Better Workplace. E-book. Available from https://www.humantech.com/resources/e-books/

Humantech, Inc. (2017) Three Ways to Establish a Strong Foundation for Your Ergonomics Process. E-book. Available from https://www.humantech.com/resources/e-books/

Rostykus, W., Ip, W., & Mallon, J. Musculoskeletal Disorders: Five Common Management Approaches. Professional Safety. December, 2013

Rostykus, W., Mallon, J. (2017) Leading Measures - Preventing MSDs and Drive Ergonomic Improvements. Professional Safety. Volume 62, Number 9, September 2017, ppg. 37-42.






https://www.humantech.com/resources/whitepapers/

https://www.humantech.com/position-statements/





https://www.humantech.com/resources/e-books/








Documents

5 Steps to - Humantech · 2018. 11. 5. · Deepesh Desai, Director of Consulting and Ergonomics Engineer for Humantech, leads and directs a team of engineers to develop, manage,