ERGONOMIC ASSESSMENT REPORT
Ergonomic Assessment Report of Manual Handling Tasks.
Prepared for
the sun Newspaper sdn bhd
TABLE OF CONTENT
TABLE OF CONTENT
1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3
2.0 INTRODUCTION 6
3.0 OBJECTIVE OF THE REPORT 7
3.1 Outcomes
of the Assessment Program 8
3.2 Structure
of this Report 8
4.0 METHODOLOGY 9
4.1 Tasks
Assessed in this Reports 9
4.2 Assessment
Locations 9
4.3 Dates
of Assessments 9
4.4 Analysis
of Tasks 10
5.0 JOB HAZARD ANALYSIS RESULTS 11
5.1 Overview
of Manual Handling Tasks. 11
5.2 Unloading
Bundles from the Truck 12
5.3 Wrapping
Newspapers 17
6.0 RECOMMENDATIONS 21
7.0 CONCLUSIONS 24
1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report
summarizes the identification, assessment and control of manual handling
hazards associated with the delivery of newspapers by Safety and Health Office
of The Sun newspaper.
The assessment
process involved a comprehensive review of delivery tasks at the Kuala Lumpur
and Rawang depots with multiple visits over four days at each location (i.e.
Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday). Refer to the methodology section for
more details regarding the assessment process.
The worksite
assessments yielded a quantified level of task demands for a range of newspaper
delivery tasks, particularly, unloading the delivery truck, operating the
wrapping machine, loading the delivery vehicle and delivery of wrapped/bundled
newspapers.
Some of the
significant features associated with the worksite assessments include the weight
of the bundles of newspapers that are unloaded from the truck. Bundles of
newspapers were stacked up to five bundles high on the delivery truck (even
when there was empty storage space on the truck – so four bundles high could
have been achieved).
The weight and
dimensions of wrapped newspapers was measured (refer to tables i & ii
respectively).
ASSESMENT DAY
|
ASSESMENT LOCATION
|
||
|
KUALA LUMPUR
|
RAWANG
|
SAMPLE NEWSPAPER
|
MONDAY
|
.24 kg
|
.22 kg
|
|
WEDNESDAY
|
.42 kg
|
.34 kg
|
|
SATURDAY
|
1.04 kg
|
1.09 kg
|
1.070 & 1.270 kg
|
SUNDAY
|
.72 kg
|
.59 kg
|
|
|
|
|
|
Table i: Average weight (kilograms) of
individual newspapers.
ASSESMENT DAY
|
PAPER DIMENSION
|
|
|
Width
|
Height
|
Monday “crease end” first
|
42.45mm
|
34.05mm
|
Wednesday “crease end” first
|
49.25mm
|
41.70mm
|
Saturday “crease end” first
|
78.5 mm
|
66.20mm
|
Saturday “feather end” first
|
69.45 mm
|
67.75 mm
|
Sunday “crease end” first
|
66.20mm
|
55.40mm
|
Sunday “feather end” first
|
64.33 mm
|
53.75 mm
|
Table ii: Average height and width
(millimeters) of cross section of Advertiser (& Sunday Mail) for each of
the four sample days (Kuala Lumpur & Rawang combined). Width = width of
cross sectional area of newspaper wrapped. Height = height of cross sectional
area of newspaper (wrapped)
The Results
section of this report has outlined significant ergonomic risk factors
associated with the newspaper delivery tasks. These risk factors are
particularly related to dimensions of the weekend papers (Advertiser and Sunday
Mail) when combined with the repetition, volume and manual handling aspects of the
delivery process. In particular, there are significant risks associated with
the delivery/throwing of the larger dimensioned and heavier Saturday Advertiser
and Sunday Mail newspapers.
The
recommendations for managing the identified risks include the following:
- Unloading Delivery Trucks
1.1
Maximum of four bundles high on trucks
1.2
One bundle to be lifted at a time and carried from the
truck.
1.3
Use trolleys to transfer bundles from trucks to
wrapping machines.
- Feeding Wrapping Machine
2.1
Stand to one side of support stand when feeding
the wrapping machine.
2.2
Review guarding on some wrapping machines.
2.3
Feed Advertiser and Sunday Mail “feather end
first” into wrapping machine to reduce cross sectioned dimensions of wrapped
newspapers.
2.4
Use earplugs when using wrapping machine.
- Loading Strapped Bundles of Newspapers
into Delivery Vehicles
3.1
Limit roped bundles to one bundle of newspapers
that are loaded into vehicle.
3.2
Follow task specific manual handling tips for
this task.
3.3
Follow design tips for paper catchment
container.
- Newspaper Requirements
4.1
Keep cross sectional area of wrapped newspapers
to a maximum of 55mm
4.2
Keep weight of wrapped newspapers below a
maximum limit of 0.6 kg.
- General Systems of Work
5.1
Agreement needs to be achieved regarding the
maximum number of newspapers that can be thrown per person in the delivery
process.
The current level of throwing per person is too high, particularly given
the over-weighted and dimensioned Saturday Advertiser and Sunday Mail. An
estimate of 200-300 papers thrown per person (provided newspaper
recommendations are followed – section 4) would be a more realistic
requirement.
Thank you for
asking me to undertake this ergonomic assessment program.
Please do not
hesitate to contact me if you have any queries regarding this report.
Yours sincerely,
Mohtar Muhammad
Nazmie
Safety and
Health Officer
The Sun
Newspaper.
2.0 INTRODUCTION
Manual handling
injuries represent some of the most frequent and significant of the injuries
sustained by the number of staff of the The Sun newspaper in relation to the
distribution of newspapers.
The process of
delivering the newspapers involves a broad range of manual handling activities
which includes lifting of heavy and bulky loads such as bundles of newspapers
and in contrast, highly repetitive hand/arm movements that are associated with
the wrapping and throwing of individual newspapers.
This report
provides a synopsis of the identification, assessment and control of the manual
handling hazards associated with the tasks performed by the staffs of the The
Sun Newspaper during the distribution of newspapers.
This section of
the report provides an outline of the following background information related
to this project:
- This
section of the report provides an outline of the following background
information related to this report:
- The
outcomes of the proposed assessments;
- A
review of the structure of this report.
2.1 Background
Information
Factory
and Machinery Act (FMA) 1967 has stated that:
“No person shall be employed to
lift, carry or move load so heavy as to be likely to cause bodily injury to
him”
This
assessment report has followed the same approach outlined in the Occupational
Safety & Health Act (1994) in terms of the identification, assessment and
control of manual handing hazards that are associated with the distribution of
newspapers by staff of The Sun newspaper.
As
noted in the Executive Summary there is a set of requirements for “Handling
Procedures” in section 8.5 of the Factory and Machinery Act (FMA) 1967 in
relation to following safe work practices during the delivery of newspapers. As
previously noted, there is also a requirement for the manufacturer of the
newspapers to provide a product that is safe for those it contracts to
distribute that newspaper. The previously mentioned handling assessment
requirements as outlined in the Occupational Safety & Health Act (1994)
were used in this assessment report.
As
outlined in the methodology section of this report, all aspects of the
distribution of newspapers by staffs of The Sun Newspaper were assessed in this
report. The newspapers can be lifted up to six times by one person in the
distribution process. This accuracy can significantly increase the risk factors
associated with the newspaper delivery process. That is, the risk factor associated
with repetition becomes increasingly hazardous when combined with the high
volume of newspapers distributed and the increasing weights and dimensions of
the newspapers.
3.0 OBJECTIVE
OF THE REPORT
The aim of this
assessment report was to assess hazards associated with each of the tasks
performed by staff of the The Sun Newspaper during the distribution of
newspapers.
Some detail is
provided in relation to the level of risk associated with each of the tasks
that were assessed. Risk control recommendations are also provided in relation
to each of the tasks that have been examined in this assessment process.
Appendix A of
this report summarizes the risk assessment matrix used in the assessment of the
job tasks.
3.1 Outcomes of the Assessment Program
There
are two main outcomes for this report. The first is associated with the
assessment of tasks performed by staffs of the The Sun Newspaper. This report
provides an accurate assessment of “where we are now” in relation to the manual
handling risks that are presented during the distribution of the newspapers.
The second outcome is to provide detailed recommendations in relation to
strategies that could be implemented to reduce the level of risk associated
with the previously mentioned manual handling tasks.
3.2 Structure
of this Report
There
are three main sections following this part of the report. The first is the
Methodology section, this is followed by the Results section and the last is
the Recommendations section.
The
Methodology section summarizes the means by which the data was collected for
this program. The Results section provides a synopsis of the data which was
extracted from the assessment process and determines the level of risks for
individual tasks. Finally, the Recommendations section provides a series of
risk control strategies that need to be implemented to control the risks which
were identified in the Results section.
The
Bibliography section lists the reference documents which were used in the
research related to this report and the Appendices references materials which
have been developed as part of the assessment process.
4.0 METHODOLOGY
4.1 Tasks Assessed in this Reports
Table
1 summarizes each of the tasks which were assessed in this manual handling
program.
Task Number
|
Task Name
|
1
|
Unload bundles of papers from delivery trucks & load
|
|
next to wrapping machine.
|
2
|
Wrap individual newspapers.
|
3
|
Load newspapers (wrapped and bundled) into delivery
vehicles.
|
4
|
Distribute papers from vehicle to client locations by
either
|
|
throwing individual paper or lifting bundles.
|
Table 1: Tasks assessed in this
program.
4.2 Assessment Locations
Our
contacts and locations for the two on-site ergonomic assessments were as
follows:
1.
Indera Putra, Kuala Lumpur Depot, Setiawangsa.
2.
Ramayana Sundra, Rawang Depot, Bukit Sentosa.
4.3 Dates
of Assessments
Table
2 summarizes the dates of the assessments at each of the two locations.
Day of
|
Kuala Lumpur
|
Rawang
|
Assesment
|
|
|
Saturday
|
22nd April, 2015
|
8th April, 2015
|
Sunday
|
23rd April, 2015
|
9th April, 2015
|
Monday
|
24th April, 2015
|
10th April, 2015
|
Wednesday
|
26th April, 2015
|
12th April, 2015
|
Table 2: Assessment dates for both
Henley and Lonsdale locations.
4.4 Analysis
of Tasks
The
newspapers were weighed using digital scales or a digital strain gauge. During
each testing night a sample of ten Advertiser (or Sunday Mail) newspapers would
be measured. The length (this is a constant at 410mm), the cross sectional
dimensions (height and width) and the weight of the individual newspapers (when
wrapped) were measured. I also measured an additional sample of five newspapers
on the Saturday and Sunday with the “crease” side fed in first. The main test
sample on Saturday and Sunday was with the “feather end first” being fed into
the wrapping machine. This provided a comparison of the cross sectional
dimensions of the newspaper when it was wrapped, depending on which side was
fed into the wrapping machine first. We also measured the Weekend Malaysian on
the Saturday site visit and the Malaysian newspaper during the week assessment
days (Monday & Wednesday).
We
were able to quantify the number of newspapers delivered to our sample
distributor and were also able to quantify the number of newspapers that were
rolled during the distribution process by our sample distributor.
During
the site visits we were able to undertake an analysis of tasks at the
distribution depots and also went out on delivery runs from both the Henley and
Lonsdale depots.
Finally,
I undertook follow up visits to particular locations on the delivery runs that
I assessed to measure clearances and fence heights to gain a further
understanding of the risks associated with throwing newspapers at particular
locations.
Figure 1: Weighing the individually
wrapped newspaper
5.0 JOB HAZARD ANALYSIS RESULTS
This section of
the report summarizes the results of the on-site assessments at the Kuala
Lumpur and Rawang depots.
5.1 Overview of Manual Handling Tasks.
Table
1 summarizes the manual handling tasks that are involved with the distribution
of newspapers by staff of The Sun Newspaper.
Task Number
|
Task Name
|
1
|
Unload bundles of papers from delivery trucks & load
|
|
next to wrapping machine.
|
2
|
Wrap individual newspapers.
|
3
|
Load newspapers (wrapped and bundled) into delivery
vehicles.
|
4
|
Distribute papers from vehicle to client locations by
either
|
|
throwing individual paper or lifting bundles.
|
Table 1 (repeated): Tasks assessed in
this reports.
The
results of the assessments for each of the four tasks are presented in this
section of the report. The following aspects of each task are reviewed in the
Results section:
1.
Task description.
2.
Job task elements.
3.
Risk factors.
4.
Conclusion.
5.2
Unloading
Bundles from the Truck (Medium – High Injury Risk Rating)
Figures
2 – 3 illustrate the unloading of bundles of newspapers from the delivery
truck.
Figure 2: Drivers unloading papers from
the truck.
Figure 3: Reversing truck into sorting
depot.
Task Description – Unloading Bundles from
the Truck
This
task requires people to grasp a bundle of newspapers with two hands (generally
one hand on each of the two straps), lift the bundles from the truck and take
them to the wrapping machine. On occasion, some people would grasp one bundle
of newspapers in each hand.
The
height of the side of the trucks that were measured varied between 930mm (Isuzu
truck) to 1280mm (GS Transport truck). Generally, the papers stacked 4 bundles
high on the truck brings the total height of the bundles on the truck to
1.96metres above ground level.
On
one occasion a truck had x5 bundles high which brought the height of the top
bundle to 2,280mm above ground level.
The
height of the individual bundles of newspapers varies but it is generally
between 170mm and 210mm at the point where the straps cover the bundle. The
bundle height slightly increases beyond the strap tension on the bundle.
The
weight of the bundles varies according to the type of newspapers and how many
newspapers are loaded within the bundle. Table 3 summarizes the weight of the
bundles of newspapers for each of the four sample nights for both locations.
The
bundles are unloaded from the truck, carried approximately between 2-15 meters
and placed next to a wrapping machine. Alternatively, on the second delivery,
the bundles (those which are not to be wrapped individually) may be lifted
directly from the truck into the vehicle which is parked within 3 meters from
the truck (Rawang Depot). A third variation is that bundles can be unloaded
from the truck and placed on a trolley and then the trolley pushed to a
wrapping machine for the newspapers to be processed.
Table
5 summarizes the number of bundles of Advertisers taken from the trucks and
processed at each of the two locations which were assessed in this report.
At
both locations there is quite clearly an increase in the numbers of bundles of
Advertisers processed on Saturday, and Sunday Mails processed on Sundays,
compared to other days. On Saturday there were two people working for the
sample distributor but on the other days there was only one person involved
with the distribution of the newspapers (for the sample distributor).
There
is some assistance provided by the truck driver in relation to re-distributing
the papers towards the edge of the truck and in fact unloading some newspapers
from the truck. However, the majority of newspapers are unloaded by the
newsagent distributors from the truck to their vehicle or wrapping machines.
ASSESMENT DAY
|
ASESSMENT LOCATION
|
|
|
KL Depot
|
Rawang depot
|
Monday
|
13.44 kg
|
13.20 kg
|
Wednesday
|
15.12 kg
|
14.96 kg
|
Saturday
|
15.6 kg
|
15.0 kg
|
Sunday
|
14.4 kg
|
15.93 kg
|
|
|
|
|
|
Table 3: Average
weight (kilograms) of bundles of newspapers.
ASSESMENT DAY
|
ASSESMENT LOCATION
|
||
|
KUALA LUMPUR
|
RAWANG
|
SAMPLE NEWSPAPER
|
MONDAY
|
.24 kg
|
.22 kg
|
|
WEDNESDAY
|
.42 kg
|
.34 kg
|
|
SATURDAY
|
1.04 kg
|
1.09 kg
|
1.070 & 1.270 kg
|
SUNDAY
|
.72 kg
|
.59 kg
|
|
|
|
|
|
Table 4: Average
weight (kilograms) of individual newspapers.
ASSESMENT DAY
|
ASESSMENT LOCATION
|
|
|
KL Depot
|
Rawang depot
|
Saturday
|
135
|
180
|
Sunday
|
107
|
77 bundles rolled
|
Monday
|
20
|
21 bundles rolled
|
Wednesday
|
35
|
31 bundles rolled
|
|
|
|
|
|
Table 5: Number of bundles unloaded by
one distributor.
Job
Task Elements – Unloading Bundles from the Truck
The
key job task elements for this task are unloading the bundles of newspapers
from the truck and transporting them to either the wrapping machine or delivery
vehicle.
Risk Factors – Unloading Bundles from the
Truck
The
following risk factors have been identified for this manual handling task:
·
Reaching above shoulder height (Medium Injury
Risk Rating)
·
Repetitive manual handling (High Injury Risk
Rating)
·
Carrying the bundles (Medium Injury Risk Rating)
·
Bending and reaching forwards (Medium Injury
Risk Rating)
In
this particular case there is a significant interaction between the job task
risk factors. That is, whilst the bundles of newspapers are at or about 15kg in
weight, they are quite bulky in terms of their dimensions, lifted through
extreme ranges of movement (lifted from above shoulder height and down to
ground height) and there is a high volume of manual handling. This creates a
medium risk manual handling scenario.
Repetition (High Injury Risk Rating)
Table
5 indicates highly repetitive manual handling associated with lifting the
bundles of newspapers from the trucks to the wrapping machine and vehicles.
What
also needs to be considered is that whilst these risk ratings have been
ascribed to unloading the bundles of newspapers from the truck to the wrapping
machine there is repeated lifting of the newspapers within the delivery
process. That is, the newspapers are lifted up to six times during the
distribution process (table 1). For example, as illustrated in Table 5, 107
bundles of Sunday Mail newspapers were delivered to one distributor at the
Rawang Depot. If each bundle weighed approximately 15.3 kg (20 newspapers per
bundle at approximately .76kg per newspaper) this would produce a total net
weight of lifting the papers through the delivery process of 1,626.4kg lifted
from the truck per shift. If the newspapers are lifted six times in the
distribution process, this brings the total amount lifted through one night of
the distribution of Sunday Mails for one agent to 9,758.4kg.
Similar
extrapolations of data can be applied to each of the data sets presented in
Table 5. Quite clearly, on the Saturday and Sunday runs in particular, there is
a very high level of repetition of lifting with a significant risk of injury
from the combination of repetition and other previously mentioned risk factors
associated with this work.
Carrying Newspapers (Medium Injury Risk
Rating)
One
of the trucks does not fit into the distribution depot at Rawang and so it is
parked outside. This increases the distance over which the newspapers need to
be carried to the wrapping machine. Generally, the newspapers are carried
between 4 and 6 meters between the truck and the wrapping machine if the truck
is parked inside the depot. However, if the truck is parked outside the depot,
the distance increases from 4 to 12 metres. This extra distance, particularly
in light of the repetition of the task, can increase the manual handling risk
factors associated with this work.
Bending and Reaching Forwards (Medium
Injury Risk Rating)
There
can be significant forward bending associated with lifting a bundle of
newspapers from the truck (particularly if the truck driver has not pushed the
bundle to the edge of the truck prior to it being lifted). There is also some
bending below mid-thigh level required to place the bundle onto the trolley or
placed on the floor next to the wrapping machine.
The
interaction of the repetition of this task combined with the reaching forwards
and the biomechanical loading on the spine that is related to lifting the
papers off the truck, carrying them and loading them next to the wrapping
machine, would result in a high potential for risk of injury. These risk
factors would be further increased if one person lifted two bundles of
newspapers (particularly, if combined with unsafe manual handling practices).
Conclusion – Unloading Bundles from the
Truck
There
are significant risk factors associated with the reaching above shoulder
height, repetition of the task, carrying the bundles of newspapers and bending
and reaching whilst load-bearing the bundles of newspapers. The interaction of
these previously mentioned risk factors has resulted in a risk rating of medium
to high being associated with this job task.
5.3
Wrapping
Newspapers (Medium Injury Risk Rating)
Task Description – Wrapping Papers
As
illustrated in figures 9, newspapers are placed on a stand which is
approximately 780mm in height. The bundles of newspapers, as previously noted,
are between 190 & 210mm in height. The papers are lifted individually from
the bundle with a bilateral pincer grip and fed into the wrapping machine. The
machine wraps the paper and ejects it automatically into a collection bin which
is located directly adjacent to the wrapping machine.
Figure 4: Feeding papers into the
wrapping machines.
One
of the key variations in the wrapping process is that some distributors will
rotate the paper 180° and feed it into the wrapping machine “feather end
first”. Turning the newspaper prior to feeding it into the wrapping machine
(when required) results in the wrapped newspaper having a cross sectional
surface area which is circular. However, if the thicker newspapers are fed
through “crease end first” they tend to have a more oval shape. This is
highlighted in the dimensions of the newspapers which are summarized in table 7.
The
additional turning of the newspaper prior to feeding it into the machine
introduces an extra step in the process. However, it does reduce the cross
sectional surface area of the larger newspapers which is critical in reducing
the risk of overuse injury that is related to throwing the newspapers from the
vehicle during the delivery process.
ASSESMENT DAY
|
PAPER DIMENSION
|
|
|
Width
|
Height
|
Monday “crease end” first
|
42.45mm
|
34.05mm
|
Wednesday “crease end” first
|
49.25mm
|
41.70mm
|
Saturday “crease end” first
|
78.5 mm
|
66.20mm
|
Saturday “feather end” first
|
69.45 mm
|
67.75 mm
|
Sunday “crease end” first
|
66.20mm
|
55.40mm
|
Sunday “feather end” first
|
64.33 mm
|
53.75 mm
|
Table 6: Average height and width
(millimeters) of cross section of Advertiser (& Sunday Mail) for each of
the four sample days (KL & Rawang combined). Width = width of cross
sectional area of newspaper wrapped. Height = height of cross sectional area of
newspaper (wrapped). Data for ‘crease end’ first wrapping only.
Job Task Elements – Wrapping Papers
The
key job task elements for this task are as follows:
·
Bilateral pincer grip of the newspapers.
·
Twisting the spine when feeding the newspaper
into the wrapping machine.
·
Static muscle loading on neck and shoulders
related to prolonged fixed work procedures (Approximately 2 – 4 hours of
wrapping required per person each night depending on volume of number of people
wrapping).
Risk Factors – Wrapping Papers
Repetition
and over use related injury (Medium – High Injury Risk Rating)
An
example of the repetition of this task is reflected in the following
calculation:
·
Rawang Depot – Saturday night, 840 newspapers
wrapped in 150 minutes.
·
This corresponds to 840 newspapers wrapped every
9000 seconds
·
This corresponds to 1 newspaper being fed into
the machine and wrapped every 10.71 seconds.
The
very short cycle time, limited range of movement and repetitive work sustained
over a 2-3 hour period represents a significant risk of over use related injury
for this task.
As
figures 9 illustrate, there is a deviation of the hand downwards (ulnar
deviation) combined with the pincer grip and short cycle time for this task.
All of these movement elements are consistent with research which has
identified increased risk of over use related injury such as carpal tunnel
syndrome (Silverstein et al, 1987a & 1987b).
Static Muscle Loading of Neck and Shoulders
(Medium Injury Risk Rating)
In
order to process the high volume of newspapers, the wrapper will stand in the
position illustrated in figures 9 & 10 for approximately 2 – 3 hours per
night (depending on the volume of newspapers to be wrapped).
In
this case the neck is being flexed at approximately 40° and the arms extended
forwards which would result in a significant strain on the trapezius muscles
and this can increase neck and shoulder fatigue.
Conclusion – Wrapping Papers
The
short cycle time, repetitive hand/arm movements, deviated joint posture and
prolonged nature of the paper wrapping task means there is a medium injury risk
rating associated with the upper limb over use related injury (particularly
tennis elbow and carpal tunnel syndrome).
The
static muscle loading of the neck and shoulders will also contribute to the neck
and shoulder muscle fatigue which could be related to this task.
6.0 RECOMMENDATIONS
This section of
the report summarizes the risk control recommendations that can be implemented
to control the hazards that have previously been identified in the results
section of this report.
- Unloading Bundles from the Truck
1.1 Maximum height of bundles on trucks.
On
occasions, bundles are stacked up to five highs with unused storage capacity
towards the rear of the truck. A maximum of four bundles high should be stacked
on the truck.
1.2
One bundle
to be lifted at a time and carried from the truck.
Figure
6 illustrates contrasting styles of lifting bundles of newspapers from the
truck. It is generally recommended that only one bundle be lifted at a time
from the truck. This allows the operator to hold the bundle closer to their
body to reduce overall weight and better arm position when lifting the bundle.
This is a safer manual handling practice and reduces risk of injury.
1.3 Use
trolleys to transfer bundles from the truck to the wrapping machine.
A
wide assortment of trolleys is used to transfer bundles from the truck to the
wrapping machine. These include a variety of types of designs of sack trucks
and flatbed trolleys. These trolleys save a lot of excessive double handling
and carrying of bundles of newspapers and reduce the manual forces involved
with carrying materials.
- Feeding Papers into Wrapping Machine
2.1
Stand to one
side of support stand when feeding newspapers into the wrapping machine.
Figure
4 shows a reduced level of lumbar spine flexion as a result of standing to one
side of the paper stand when feeding newspapers into the wrapping machine. If
operators stand behind the stand it causes more lumbar spine flexion as the
operator has to lean forwards over a greater horizontal distance to feed the
machine.
2.2
Review
guarding on some wrapping machines
The
main cog and some moving parts are exposed on the wrapping machine shown in
figure 5. In contrast the wrapping has the cog and moving parts of the machine
covered, which reduces the risk of becoming entangled with the moving parts
during the wrapping process. The wrapping machines of the types illustrated
figure 5 should have the moving parts guarded like on the machine.
3.
Weight of
newspapers.
It is recommended that the maximum weight of the newspapers be in the
order of .6 kilograms with the current levels of volume of newspapers
distributed and thrown per person. Again, as discussed in section 4.1 of this
report, the level of risk associated with this task can be reduced by reducing
the repetition of the task per person. That is, having more people throw the
newspapers, thus reducing the volume of thrown newspapers per person. At the
current level of work load of throwing newspapers per person, the bulk of the
mechanical stresses on the person are significant, resulting in a high degree
of risk for the task as it is currently undertaken.
In summary, if the weight and dimensions of the newspaper are to exceed
that which is recommended in this report, then the volume of newspapers
distributed per person is to be reduced in order to significantly reduce the
risk of injury associated with wrapping and throwing the Saturday Advertiser,
Weekend Australian and Sunday Mail newspapers.
4. Newspaper dimensions
As noted in the Results section of
this report the risk of overuse injury increases with the weight and dimensions
of the wrapped newspaper, particularly in light of the highly repetitive
carrying and throwing actions used to distribute the newspapers.
It is recommended
that the cross sectional dimensions of the newspaper be kept at a maximum of
55mm in both width and height of the cross sectional area of the wrapped
newspaper. As noted in the previously mentioned Results section, this will
maximize the grip strength capability of the person to hold and maneuver the
wrapped newspaper with minimal risk of overuse injuries of the type that are
described.
Simply
folding the newspaper “feather end” first will not be enough in itself to
sufficiently reduce the cross sectional area of the weekend Saturday
Advertiser, Weekend Australian and Sunday Mail to a level that is safe to
distribute with the current methods and current volumes that are distributed
per person. Some of the risk associated with this can be reduced by reducing
the level of repetition of the task. That is, providing more people to perform
the task and thus reducing the number of papers for an individual to handle.
7.0 CONCLUSIONS
It is an
obligation on the company to ensure the safety of workers are in good
condition. It is also to create a climate of order and balance.
This report was
written to assess the real situation experienced by employees at The Sun
Newspaper Sdn Bhd. Lately, many workers complain of backache and headache
results of their work environment.
And with that
report by referring Occupational Safety and Health Act (Malaysia) try to ensure
that each area of work in the company is done by guided guide set by the
government.
Job Hazard
Analysis (JHA) is used extensively to identify potential causes of the
discomfort caused employees that affect their agronomic situation. This
analysis is also used to identify machines or machines that cause these workers
suffer from back pain and headaches.
And the findings
of this report also enables me as Safety and Health Officer suggested that the
best guideline to prevent recurrence of the above events. With a high level of
readiness employees can also improve employee productivity which benefits the
company.
May be produced
from these reports, appropriate measures may be taken by the company to resolve
the problems plaguing workers in the company. Recommendations provided in this
report can be used also been identified and agreed upon by the worker. And most
important of all, it's legally authorized government.
ATTACHMENT
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