An evaluation of manual material handling of packaging materials and associated injuries at Company XYZ

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to evaluate current manual material handling methods and alternative methods that could be used in handling the roll stock at Company XYZ. The company is a leader in the food industry producing over 15 million cases product a year. The company paid $136,000 for back injuries that occurred in the facility. The goals were evaluate the potential of back injuries to workers while manually handling roll stock evaluate the effectiveness of automated methods of material handling to reduce injuries while handling roll stock. The methods used in this study included: 1. Met with safety coordinator and reviewed accident records for the FY 98 to FY 99 periods. 2. Met with employees to discuss what methods were being used to lift roll stock and the accidents that were occurring. 3. Conducted testing of back movement and measurement of the lifting using the LMM and Wagner force gauge. 4. Met with employees to evaluate results and discuss suggested solutions to the problem. 5. Met with management to review the results and to bring in hoist on a trial basis. 6. Conducted testing of back movement using the hoist. With the data presented in this paper, the addition of a hoist at all of the manual roll stock locations would reduce the injuries and costs.