Automakers have set out since the late 1980s to fit the job to the worker, helping their people on their assembly lines avoid work-related injuries for longer, more productive and satisfying careers. Management has come to recognize that the musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) brought on in the course of the workday have been costly both to their employees and to the companies themselves.
The General Motors Saginaw Metal Casting Operations (SMCO) plant in Saginaw, MI is one example of this commitment to combat MSDs. For industrial engineer Glen Gross along with two UAW members, Wally Dupuis and George Torrez, evaluating and improving the countless tasks around the plant are their full-time jobs.
"GM is very proactive when it comes to preventing ergonomic problems," says Blake Taylor of JOMAT Industries, one of the materials handling distributors who work with the Saginaw plant.
"The day-to-day operation of this plant calls for our workforce to handle a lot of engine blocks and heads," according to Gross. "Our job is to analyze and set up workstations to reduce as much of the lifting and bending as we possibly can and prevent injuries."
With the constant design changes that dictate flexible assembly operations, the need to analyze how jobs are set up is never-ending.
Lift tables are among the tools the SMCO ergonomics team uses to attack the MSD problem. The work positioning and access these devices provide is crucial to reducing the exertion associated with repetitive motion activities that can aggravate injuries to the back and arms. "These lift tables," according to Gross, "allow workers' movements to stay within the 'ergonomic window'."
In one of the inspection areas, the GM plant uses an X3W36-40 Presto Lifts™ lift table to bring parts within reach. On this line, employees are handling L6 heads. The pallet load of 40 heads is brought up to the inspection line, with the top layer directly accessible to the conveyor belt. The tables have a wide scissors base to accommodate the 52 in. x 52 in. top size for typical pallet loads.
Inspection process involves the lead person pulling one of these 50 lb parts off the pallet and then reaming out access holes. Workers down the line check out other holes in the part against specification. Following inspection, the heads go off for annealing in the heat-treating area. As each layer of parts is sent downline, the lead person raises the lift table for access to the next tier. Little lifting force is used to move the heads onto the line.
The SMCO plant works closely with JOMAT Industries to provide lift tables and other equipment that meet the wide variety of needs within this huge facility.
"One of the reasons the plant uses Presto Lift tables, among the others that I offer," observes Taylor, "is that the units hold up fairly long."
When a new line is set up and one of their existing lift tables is be moved to that area, JOMAT reconditions the unit and insures the integrity of the table structure along with its moving parts.
"One of the features that minimizes repairs during reconditioning is the Presto Lifts tables have lifetime lubed bearings rather than a hot-rolled steel pin through a hardened bushing," says Taylor.
He credits this approach with reducing line-crippling breakdowns and service calls. Also important is the wide range of designs and styles offered by Presto Lifts, along with the company's AIS (Always In Stock) program that delivers units within 48 hours to keep plant improvements on time.
The attention that GM and other manufacturers in their industry have devoted to the ergonomics issue has paid off in reducing considerable costs associated with the problem and in adding years to the working lives of their employees. Versatile ideas such as Presto Lifts lift tables have played a role in making the workplace more ergonomically friendly.
