Work 41 (2012) 1622-1624

1622 DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0362-1622

IOS Press

Successful integration of ergonomics into

continuous improvement initiatives
Kimberly Monroea, Faye Fickb and Madina Joshic
a
KM Ergonomics, LLC, PO Box 4920, Boulder, CO 80306, USA
b
Worksite Therapies and Consulting Services, PO Box, 210 Virginville, PA 19564, USA
c
Environmental Health / Safety Corporate Ergonomics, Raytheon, 6620 Chase Oaks Blvd, Bldg 4 MS 8524,
Plano, TX 75266, USA

Abstract. Process improvement initiatives are receiving renewed attention by large corporations as they attempt to reduce
manufacturing costs and stay competitive in the global marketplace. These initiatives include 5S, Six Sigma, and Lean. These
programs often take up a large amount of available time and budget resources. More often than not, existing ergonomics
processes are considered separate initiatives by upper management and struggle to gain a seat at the table. To effectively main-
tain their programs, ergonomics program managers need to overcome those obstacles and demonstrate how ergonomics initia-
tives are a natural fit with continuous improvement philosophies.

Keywords: lean, continuous improvement, ergonomics, integration, process

combining efforts, job analysis, and data collection

strategies, the time to document issues can be re-
1. Introduction duced enabling limited resources to be focused on
solution identification, implementation, and valida-
This technical presentation will review the chal- tion. This article provides case study examples of
lenges faced by three experienced ergonomics pro- strategies that have been used to integrate ergonom-
fessionals as they work with large U.S. based corpo- ics and continuous improvement within several large
rations to integrate ergonomics into continuous im- US corporations. Methods for overcoming obstacles,
provement initiatives. The benefits of process im- selling to management, and issues related to standar-
provement are well understood and widely recog- dization and sustainability are discussed.
nized by managers and engineers within manufactur-
ing. More often than not, those same manufacturing
organizations often have long term ergonomics 2. Effective ergonomics processes
processes that have made progress in areas of worker
safety, injury reduction, and design for manufactura- Six core elements have been documented as criti-
bility. However, the ergonomics process is most cal for the success of an ergonomics program (GAO,
often housed within the safety and health department NIOSH 1997). Each of these core elements is briefly
and not considered by engineering and management described below along with how that element ties in
as a necessary participant as they move forward with with continuous improvement initiatives (Monroe,
continuous improvement initiatives. 2006).*
Continuous improvement and ergonomics philos-
ophies share many common goals including worker 2.1. Management commitment
safety, waste reduction, and process improvement.
In order to efficiently and effectively implement suc- Management provides staffing and funding re-
cessful programs, it is vital that corporations elimi- sources for ergonomic initiatives. Management en-
nate housing the initiatives in separate silos each with sures that ergonomic efforts align with both site and
its own performance measures, injury reduction goals,
anticipated pay-backs, and return-on-investment. By *
Corresponding author. kmergonomics@aol.com
1051-9815/12/$27.50 © 2012 – IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved
 1623
K. Monroe et al. / Successful Integration of Ergonomics

corporate goals and strategies including process im- Specifically, increased productivity and quality can
provement. Their involvement has the psychosocial be tracked and quantified as a tracking metric.
benefit of demonstrating to employees the impor-
tance of safety and health within the organization. 2.5. Training and education
Management is able to require accountability for
ergonomics at all levels of the organization. This Training should be conducted across all levels of
ensures that ergonomics abatement is a priority as the organization. The content and length of training
engineers move forward with continuous improve- will vary for different groups as appropriate for their
ment efforts. role in the process. The training should be custo-
mized to the specific site work environment, conti-
2.2. Employee involvement nuous improvement methodology, and site specific
examples and workshops. This will increase partici-
Employees know their jobs better than anyone else. pant retention of knowledge and the effectiveness of
Trained employees can assist in analyzing jobs and the training program.
identifying waste in the process. Employee involve-
ment in solution development and implementation 2.6. Medical management
increases the likelihood that new tools and redesign
modifications will be well received and utilized as Ergonomic related injuries develop over time and
designed. Employees can also assist with training are cumulative in nature. The number and severity of
other employees on best practices and techniques that injuries can be minimized by encouraging early re-
reduce physical stress when performing job tasks. porting and intervention. This is a natural fit with
process improvement initiatives.
2.3. Identification of problem jobs

Ergonomics programs traditionally have looked to 3. Carpenter

lagging indicators to first identify problem jobs. This
includes workers’ compensation records, incident Carpenter Technology Corporation is a global
investigations, and employee complaints. Other his- manufacturer of specialty steel products. At its
torical data related to process issues such as down- Reading, PA, USA location there are over 1,000
time and quality can be used to identify trends and hourly employees.
identify current issues that require immediate atten-
tion. 3.1. Background

2.4. Analyzing and developing controls for problem The current formal ergonomics initiative has been
jobs in place at the Reading plant since 2008 when the
number of injuries associated with musculoskeletal
Validated ergonomic job analysis tools can pro- risk factors was deemed unacceptable by manage-
vide benefits beyond the initial application to identify ment, including executive leadership. At that time,
and quantify ergonomic risk factors. They can also the decision was made to dedicate resources for the
assist in evaluating the impact proposed solutions development of a detailed ergonomics process under
will have on the process. This includes accounting the direction of the Health and Safety Department.
for the characteristics of the worker population as Simultaneously, efforts were underway by the Quali-
well as evaluating the effectiveness of workstation ty staff to initiate a formal 5S program. Over the
redesign options. next three years the Ergonomics and 5S initiatives
Ultimately, ergonomics can be incorporated as an worked separately from one another, both with vary-
integral part of the engineering design process allow- ing degrees of success. It was not until the full
ing for a proactive approach to ergonomics design weight of numerous organizational initiatives, includ-
and eliminating the waste associated with a tradition- ing Ergonomics and 5S, was felt by Production that
al reactive approach to ergonomic issues. Engineers dialog began about the need to streamline programs.
can then conduct a cost saving analysis as applicable
to demonstrate the impact that the ergonomic ele-
ments of their project have had on the bottom line.
1624 K. Monroe et al. / Successful Integration of Ergonomics

3.2. Ergo lean ty/ergonomics is just one of eight scorecard designed

to assess practices and behaviors that lead to im-
In the interest of “leaning” the various imple- proved quality, safety, productivity, and competitive
mented processes, opportunities to integrate Ergo- advantage. This annual assessment helps manufac-
nomics and 5S were identified and pilot cases were turing areas establish a continuous improvement
initiated. In addition to efficiencies realized on the roadmap that is sustainable and a more seamless er-
production floor (i.e. one work analysis, one inter- gonomically designed workplace.
view with operators, one interruption to operations),
the breaking down of organizational silos also was 5. Summary
observed. Borrowing from the medical rehabilitation
model in which an interdisciplinary approach to pa- Tying ergonomics in with site continuous im-
tient care is the standard, the benefits of an integrated provement processes is the best way to ensure a long
approach to this manufacturing organization are just term sustainable ergonomics process. It leverages
beginning to be recognized. Of greatest interest, is limited resources and makes the best use of employee
the methodology for performing an integrated risk and management time. Ergonomics program manag-
assessment which concurrently evaluates ergonomics ers may need to develop a “sales pitch” to initially
(safety), productivity, and quality, and begins work- get management support for their active involvement
ing on integrated solutions that consider the effects in continuous improvement initiatives. Once there,
on both up and down stream internal customers. they can build awareness by demonstrating the suc-
cess of ergonomics in a few key projects. Over time,
ergonomics will become an integral part of both the
4. Raytheon site culture and the continuous improvement process.

4.1. Ergonomics and design-in strategies

References
Raytheon has had a strong ergonomics program
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Publication No. 97-117. March, 1997.
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4.2. Ergonomics and lean

When asked to participate in the Raytheon Lean

Scorecard Initiative, we took full advantage. Safe-