TlLT TOWARD SAFETY AND PRODUCTIVITY

摘要

Kaiser Aluminum, which has been providing aluminum components to the aerospace, manufacturing and industrial markets since 1946, produces several different types of aluminum automotive parts at its facility in South Carolina. During the manufacturing process, parts are transported to workstations in large wire baskets for further processing like stamping, bending and heating. To get a part, a worker bends over and reaches down into a basket to lift it out. As the level of parts in a container drops, workers must bend lower and reach deeper. This action can not only cause fatigue and strain, it can rob valuable time from the production process. Concerns about the potential for employee back injuries and production-line bottlenecks led Kaiser management to investigate ergonomic solutions for their workers and an improved production process for their business. Company managers met with equipment suppliers to evaluate the current manufacturing process and identify solutions. During the equipment evalu- ation phase, an animated 3-D video showed exactly how tilters (Presto Lifts, www.prestolifts.com) could solve ergonomic and production issues.