Meatpacking Cutting
Table
Dan’s approach differs
from that of the stereotyped consultant who conducts a study in isolation
from site personnel and then presents “recommendations” in a thick report.
Dan prefers to interact with employees, line management, and staff. The
quality of ideas goes up because of this interaction as does easy
acceptance of the changes. Furthermore, the dynamic interaction empowers
plant people to better solve problems themselves in the future.
The most commonly
expressed is for practical ideas in making improvements in tools,
workstations, equipment, and task design. Other approaches include
quantitative analyses to document the problems precisely or to measure the
benefits of a particular improvement. Understanding your goals is the key
to success, as shown in
Ergonomics Task Analysis — Picking the Right Tool.
Dan
has conducted evaluations in over 1300 different workplaces in his long
and successful career. His experience with the multitude of evaluation
techniques can be directly applied to meet your specific needs and goals.
Types of
evaluations
Identifying and prioritizing problems
Documenting
problems
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measurements and application of standard numeric guidelines
(e.g. biomechanics and force measurements, anthropometry, motion
analysis, and lifting analysis)
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Time and Physical Demands Analysis
(an innovative and powerful measurement technique that Dan developed)
Solving
problems
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standard techniques, such as brainstorming meetings and root
cause analysis
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internet searches for off-the-shelf equipment
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R&D on new equipment designs, including mock-ups and
prototypes
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work with equipment vendors
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custom tools, equipment, and workstations
There
is considerable background information and guidance on these techniques in
Dan’s books The Rules of Work and
The Ergonomics Kit for General
Industry.
Dan’s Problem-Solving
Capabilities
The
key to successful workplace ergonomics is, in simple words, the ability to
actually fix things. Dan’s experience in “fixing problems” brings
considerable depth and experience to your site:
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Off-the-shelf equipment — Full knowledge base of vendor information and
excellent relations with a variety of vendor companies and sales
representatives.
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Expertise in multiple industries — Photos and solutions from a variety
of workplaces and experience that promotes cross-fertilization of ideas.
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Custom equipment — Collaboration with draftsmen and machine shops to
build custom tools and equipment.
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Personal inventiveness — Dan has invented a number of pieces of
equipment to resolve unique problems.
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Analytic skills — Good statistical background and training in variety of
approaches to problem analysis.
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Quality and productivity techniques — Well-versed in current approaches
to operations and human resource management.
Nature of reports
Focus on practicality
Dan’s
written reports are designed to meet specific client needs and objectives.
That mean that reports are straight-forward, practical and based on
business needs — not written in "academese" or "consultese":
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Reports tend to be short and to the point, unless otherwise needed or
requested.
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Emphasis is usually on ways to make improvements, rather than simply
documenting the problem.
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Numbers and quantification of obvious risk factors are generally
avoided, unless serving a specific purpose.
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Reports typically include sketches of custom improvements, pictures from
vendor catalogs, or photos of similar improvements in other facilities.
PowerPoint Reports
Dan
often provides reports in PowerPoint format. PowerPoint reports focus on
photos of workplace issues and solutions, which typically increases the
usefulness of the report, in contrast to pages of written word.
Furthermore, the information is in a format that you can instantly bring
to a meeting to project on a screen and review the ideas. Written
comments are included in the “Notes Page” of each PowerPoint slide.
The
choice of report format depends on your needs and the objectives of the
report. PowerPoint reports are helpful in informal settings where the
goal is to identify ideas for improvement. More traditional written
reports are better for instances that involve formal documentation or
require a more polished appearance.
