When assembly workers at a tissue products plant were discovered employing a novel, though potentially dangerous, solution to a worktable height problem, finding a safe solution became critical. At SCA Tissue North America LLC in Bellemont, AZ, tissue products undergo packaging after production at an assembly area that involves manual manipulation of the products and operation of a wrapping machine. The table and equipment in total weigh approx 1,000 lb and are fixed in height.

After a new employee was hired, plant engineer Steve Morrison  became aware that the height differential among the operators on each shift, using the same workspace, created a potentially unhealthy and unsafe condition. The taller operators could not work as well or as comfortably as others for whom the height was more appropriate.

Morrison was disconcerted to find that the operators had taken the matter into their own hands, fashioning a makeshift height adjustment solution consisting of four steel blocks which, when inserted under the table legs, would raise the table to the ideal height for the taller operators. The problem for SCA management was that the table was very heavy, so there was a potential for injury when the mechanics would lift it to insert the blocks.   

Finding a Safer Solution

Searching for a more elegant and safer solution for a high volume, important function in the plant, Steve contacted ErgoSwiss, a manufacturer of ergonomic hydraulic table lift systems. The solution provided by ErgoSwiss involved a simple, manually operated pump and four cylinder/leg system that is easily attached to the existing table legs, providing up to 1,000 lb capacity and 8 in. of travel. Each cylinder is built into a square aluminum tube with four threaded hoes for attaching the tube to the leg. Attached to the underside of the tabletop, the pump is operated by a manual hand crank that moves the tabletop smoothly and silently 10 mm per turn. The system was provided with all tubing assembled, connected, and ready to operate.

SCA’s operators now can modify the height of the work surface to their individual needs so that the dangerous and time-consuming block solution is no longer necessary. A further benefit to the ErgoSwiss solution is that the operators can change the height throughout the day as they perform the operations in order to reduce the effects of repetitive stresses.