Ergonomics at workstations
Spot the movements that wear operators down and cost time, then redesign a workstation with the people who work at it, following a simple, verifiable workstation analysis.
This course is aimed at team leaders, methods technicians, continuous improvement facilitators and shop floor managers who see operators bending, twisting and walking all day long without anyone counting these movements. It does not replace training by an ergonomist; it provides the Lean foundation for acting on a workstation as early as next week.
By the end, you will be able to tell a useful movement from an imposed one, apply the rules of motion economy, check a workstation's dimensions and environment, conduct a movement-by-movement workstation analysis with the operator, test the solution on a mock-up and lock in what works in a standard.
What you will be able to do
- Name the three costs of a poorly designed movement: non-value-added time, fatigue and MSDs, accident risk
- Apply the rules of motion economy to a real workstation: two hands, range, force, pivoting, gravity, tools
- Check the design points of a workstation: dimensions, reach zones, adjustments, handling aids, noise, lighting, PPE
- Conduct a five-step workstation analysis, from filmed observation to a full-scale mock-up
- Lock in the gains in a standard, a training plan and a maintenance plan, then measure the result at two weeks
The path
- The movement that costs three times over 4 min
- The rules of motion economy 4 min
- Designing or redesigning the workstation 4 min
- Workstation analysis in five steps 5 min
- Making the gain last 3 min
Prerequisites
No methodological prerequisites. Knowing a workstation in your shop from the inside is enough. Having completed the module on the seven wastes helps to place motion Muda, without being essential.
The closing quiz
The topic ends with a 7-question quiz, and a certificate is issued on success.