Ergonomically Design Push Cart to reduce stress induced by operator at Toyota Tsusho Philippines
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
In the manufacturing industry, a material or a product must be moved from one place to another. In some companies, it is done through the use of automated material handling machines, but most often, it is done by manual effort like pushing/pulling, and lifting. All along, carts had always played a significant role in the transportation of materials (Torres, 2010). Manual efforts had always been a center of study for many people because of the possible risks that the workers are vulnerable to. Considering the fact that carts are machines yet it has only aided workers in transporting materials through wheels but the occupational risks that is present still pertains. In this case, ergonomics which is the science of designing the job to fit a worker and not the other way around (OSHA 3125), had taken place in order to delineate a safe work environment for a worker. Together with this come several other fields of sciences that contribute into other aspects of work like physiology, biomechanics, psychology, anthropometry, industrial hygiene, and kinesiology.
Nowadays, industries have needed higher production rates to be competitive and secure the longevity of the business. Like any other profit-based organization, as much as possible, cost from inefficient work hours and accidents or injuries afflicted to its workers. Pushing/pulling and lifting materials with regard to its size, shape, and weight, together with the distance of the origin to the target location can cause serious physical injuries and disorders to the worker especially when it is coupled with poor machine and tool design, or improper use of the good ones. The most prominent disorders at work are called musculoskeletal disorders or MSDs which are injuries and disorders that relates to the muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments, joints, cartilages, and spinal discs (Twain, 2009). As determined by Fernandez (2005), there are basically two (2) main types of
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
In the manufacturing industry, a material or a product must be moved from one place to another. In some companies, it is done through the use of automated material handling machines, but most often, it is done by manual effort like pushing/pulling, and lifting. All along, carts had always played a significant role in the transportation of materials (Torres, 2010). Manual efforts had always been a center of study for many people because of the possible risks that the workers are vulnerable to. Considering the fact that carts are machines yet it has only aided workers in transporting materials through wheels but the occupational risks that is present still pertains. In this case, ergonomics which is the science of designing the job to fit a worker and not the other way around (OSHA 3125), had taken place in order to delineate a safe work environment for a worker. Together with this come several other fields of sciences that contribute into other aspects of work like physiology, biomechanics, psychology, anthropometry, industrial hygiene, and kinesiology.
Nowadays, industries have needed higher production rates to be competitive and secure the longevity of the business. Like any other profit-based organization, as much as possible, cost from inefficient work hours and accidents or injuries afflicted to its workers. Pushing/pulling and lifting materials with regard to its size, shape, and weight, together with the distance of the origin to the target location can cause serious physical injuries and disorders to the worker especially when it is coupled with poor machine and tool design, or improper use of the good ones. The most prominent disorders at work are called musculoskeletal disorders or MSDs which are injuries and disorders that relates to the muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments, joints, cartilages, and spinal discs (Twain, 2009). As determined by Fernandez (2005), there are basically two (2) main types of