Reducing the physical strain of work has a positive effect on employees’ well-being as well as production quality and output. Screwdriving technology and the related equipment help to improve work ergonomics in many ways.
There Is Good Reason to Reduce Physical Strain
Repetitive tasks as well as awkward and static working positions are some of the most common causes of physical strain at work. Even if you’re not lifting heavy weights or doing heavy work, the strain may still be considerable if it constantly targets the same areas of your body.
Common consequences include persisting musculoskeletal problems, absences due to sickness as well as problems with production quality and output.
The employer is responsible for assessing the risks linked to work-related physical strain, designing ergonomic working methods and workstations as well as providing the employees with training in safe working methods. If necessary, occupational health can help. On the other hand, employees should not be shy to highlight potential issues. If the work itself can’t be facilitated, you should seize any opportunity to improve things.
Industrial assembly work is a good example of this kind of repetitive work often performed in uncomfortable positions. You can facilitate work and reduce work-related strain, e.g. by taking breaks at appropriate intervals, designing workstations in an ergonomic way as well as job rotation. That said, from a holistic point of view, the most sensible option is to change the way the work is carried out and, in this, technological screwdriving solutions are an excellent aid.
Download guide about benefits of screwdriving technology
Screwdriving technology offers several different options for facilitating and speeding up the work as well as improving quality.
Screwdriving Solutions Enable Tools to Be Handled in an Ergonomic Way
For starters, thanks to technical screwdriving solutions, the employee no longer needs to perform circular motions manually. That alone greatly reduces the physical strain of work.
Another important factor is that there is less need to support the tool. Holding up a screwdriver causes a constant static strain on the arms and shoulders, with vertical screwdriving particularly strenuous. Various support stands and balancers can take the weight off the employee, help to keep the tool in the right position and free the employee to concentrate on controlling the process.
When the employee doesn’t need to waste energy on holding the tool, they can better focus on accuracy. As a rule, the same applies to all ergonomic work: when tasks are comfortable to perform, it is easier to concentrate on quality. In production, this is evident in flawlessness and fewer complaints.
Equipment That Improves the Ergonomics of Workstations
When a workstation is designed as well as possible from an ergonomic perspective, efficiency and quality improvements are natural by-products. For instance, a workstation designed for component assembly could look something like the one on the right-side image.
The Deprag workstation in the picture includes, e.g. screw-feeding automation and visual aids for the employee. What is noteworthy from the viewpoint of ergonomics is that the entire weight of the screwdriving tool rests on the stand and the workstation is height-adjustable, which results in a good working position and helps to minimise the physical strain of work.
Each screwdriving workstation is individually tailored to the customer’s needs. For more information on automatic screwdriving solutions, please call us on +35810 778 1400 or contact us by email on info@pneumacon.fi.