Again Well being and Palletizing: A Worrying Connection

Again well being is a big downside for manufacturing and logistics corporations. However, what are you able to do in case your staff are taking plenty of day without work from again ache?

There isn’t any denying that handbook labor is tough on the human physique. We have now reported earlier than that 35% of workdays misplaced to damage are brought on by musculoskeletal issues, of which again ache is one sort.

The issue is that we want our staff to carry out handbook labor! Or will we?

Duties like palletizing are integral to the working of the enterprise. In case your merchandise aren’t packaged and palletized, they can not be despatched out to your clients.

However, the hyperlink between again well being and duties like palletizing is simply too necessary for us to disregard.

The worrying downside of again ache in manufacturing and logistics

Regardless of the final development in direction of desk work lately, handbook labor nonetheless performs an enormous half within the trendy world.

In manufacturing and logistics, duties like palletizing are sometimes probably the most strenuous bodily work that individuals can do. Staff must pack heavy packing containers and containers onto picket pallets for a lot of hours on finish.

Even when packing containers weigh just a few kilograms, the extraordinary repetition of the duty takes its toll. The individual has to bend and transfer their again whereas stacking packing containers on the pallet. This results in awkward again posture which is likely one of the prime causes of decrease again ache

One worldwide analysis examine discovered that decrease again ache accounts for one-third of all disabilities arising from occupational threat components. One other examine discovered that, at anybody time, decrease again ache impacts 12-30% of the inhabitants within the USA.

5 frequent causes of again ache and the way they apply to palletizing

Listed here are 5 of the commonest causes of again ache in accordance with the UK Well being and Security Govt and the way they apply to the duty of handbook palletizing:

1. Lifting heavy or cumbersome hundreds — Lots of the packing containers and containers which are used to ship merchandise are fairly heavy. Nevertheless, they may not be heavy sufficient to justify utilizing a crane or forklift. Which means that human staff have to raise them unaided.
2. Repetitive duties — Palletizing is extraordinarily repetitive. It simply entails stacking packing containers on prime of one another in an everyday sample time and again.
3. Bending, crouching, or stooping — If you find yourself beginning to fill an empty pallet, it’s common to bend or stoop to put the packing containers onto it. As you attain increased layers at waist stage, it will get simpler to do that with out bending awkwardly.
4. Stretching, twisting, and reaching — We have now heard tales of staff climbing ladders to put packing containers onto the upper ranges of pallets. This results in a associated threat issue for again ache — stretching or reaching. Even in the event you handle to eradicate bending or reaching dangers, the twisting motion that is usually wanted whereas palletizing may also be a threat.
5. Being in place for a very long time — Over the course of an extended shift, standing in the identical place subsequent to a pallet could cause a pressure on the again. When mixed with the opposite dangers listed, this may be fairly damaging.

You may scale back a few of these dangers by making the duty extra ergonomic.

The issue is that duties like palletizing are arduous to make extra ergonomic with out making them much less productive on the identical time.

The standard aid for palletizing-induced again ache

How are you going to scale back the impression of palletizing-induced again ache?

Certain, you would simply settle for the sick days brought on by the accidents. Nevertheless, this would not be respecting again well being of your staff and will trigger them important well being issues lengthy into the long run.

One resolution to scale back the chance of palletizing is to enhance the ergonomics of the handbook process.

The standard method to enhance palletizing ergonomics is so as to add a raise desk. Raise tables are pneumatic, hydraulic, or electrical platforms. The pallet sits on prime of the platform and the employee can actuate the desk to lift and decrease it. This helps them to maintain the pallet at an optimum top.

The issue with raise tables is that they scale back the productiveness of the duty. It takes time to maneuver the desk up and down. Which means that staff palletize packing containers extra slowly. If they’re rushed, they may additionally abandon the function and simply stack the packing containers usually, which once more places pressure on their again.

Robotics and again well being: How palletizing robots may help

What in the event you may keep away from any threat to the again well being of human staff?

A highly-effective method to scale back the chance of again damage is simply to take away the handbook process fully. Many corporations are shifting away from handbook palletizing for that reason.

Robots can carry out palletizing extra rapidly and persistently than human staff. They take the strenuous bodily process from the employee, permitting that individual to maneuver to extra rewarding duties. And it is now simpler than ever so as to add a palletizing robotic to what you are promoting.

With collaborative robots, you possibly can match the system neatly alongside your current handbook processes. As they’re small, cobots occupy a lot much less area than the standard palletizing robots.

Take away again ache from handbook labor with a robotic

If you wish to scale back the chance of again damage and enhance the again well being of your palletizing staff, you will get began in a short time.

Simply try our product web page to examine folks in related conditions to you who’ve improved their palletizing course of with a cobot.

Lots of our customers have expressed how pleased their staff had been to take away the job of handbook palletizing from their process load. And their backs will thank them in the long run!

How has again damage affected folks in your office? Inform us within the feedback under or be part of the dialogue on LinkedIn, Twitter, Fb, or the DoF skilled robotics neighborhood.