With the ever-increasing need for operator safety
and enhanced efficiency, equipment manufacturers, processing and
packaging lines have to work towards guaranteeing a safe and
productive working environment. In packaging industries equipment such
as capping machines ,bottle capping or even screw capping systems
have been manufactured with due consideration on operator efficiency
and safety during operation.
The human interface where the machine passes on the
product to you for action is one point where ergonomics and safety
considerations are implemented. In equipment design and operation,
consideration must be given to the speed of the machine versus the speed
where the operator picks item from the line to another section or for
loading on for relocation. These considerations are also important in
design phase of process industries and adequate measures applied.
There are several ergonomic factors in industry and they include;
Posture
It is a major determinant of risk of injury in an
operation. Certain postures are associated with higher incidence of
injury. In working terms, it is the orientation of the interface between
the machine or tool and the person. People rarely have a sense of
good posture at work. You may think you are in good posture due to
comfort, but some tissues such as the particular cartilage and
vertebral discs are imbalanced hence fatigued. Filling and capping machines used in rapid operations must be engineered to achieve this comfort level to the user for efficient operations.
The forces relating to the joints are important in
determining efficiency and injury avoidance. When the force exceeds
the tissue tolerance, then an injury occurs. Repeated and cyclic
forces such as someone picking and dropping product causes reduced
tolerance to the tendons, vertebral end plates and inter—vertebral
discs.
This is the object to be moved from one point to
the other. Occupational safety regulations state the maximum weights
than you should lift. The posture at which the weight is lifted is
also a risk factor that can lead to injuries. In a busy packing
process, the repeated lifting and dropping operation must be carefully
analyzed for safety concerns. This may not be a major factor in cases
where filled volumes are low but important in batching processes.
This is a critical consideration in every aspect of operation. Joint position is preferred at the “lower psychological load”. This allows for;
- Proper distribution of the biomechanical load
- Attainment of efficient force vectors by the musculotendinous units as well as reduced friction and pressure on the joints.
- The joints are able to offer efficient load distribution all over the body.
There are many ergonomic factors in any industry
setup, depending on the nature of operation. Good work place design,
maintaining comfortable postures, comfortable working rate and use of
breaks during work can greatly enhance work efficiency and safety.
Liquid filling machine
and vial capping machines are designed in ways that observe ergonomics
during operation. Installation of speed regulators in certain
equipments is one effective way in which manufacturers ensure that
ergonomics are achieved.
