Case Study 1. In the Canadian manufacturing plant of a global automotive company
with headquarters in Canada, a large number of engineering activities are carried out in
a wide range of areas. These activities include design, production of parts, assembly,
testing, and quality assurance.
Many of the manufacturing processes in the plant are performed using
automated technologies and equipment. People also perform some of the manufacturing
tasks and the plant employs over 400 workers. The decision on whether people or
machines will be used for a particular task is dependent on many factors, including
costs, time, quality, and worker health and safety.
The plant considered here produces many parts for vehicles and assembles them.
Among the parts produced are engine materials and parts, pumps, fans, some exterior
parts, and electronics components. The plant normally operates three shifts per day and
has production lines including machining equipment, conveyors and overhead cranes,
punch presses, and paint-spray booths. The plant utilizes electricity and natural gas
extensively.
Some workers at the plant have over the last six months been subject to several
different health problems. The following information has been received by the head
engineer at the plant.
a. In an assembly area that was installed recently, workers have to bend to the
ground throughout the day to attach several small parts onto a large and heavy
vehicle component. Some workers have begun to develop lower back pain, likely
due to repetitive bending. The problem has become so severe for one of the
workers that he has been told by his doctor to stay off work for two weeks so his
back can recover. The manufacturing engineers who designed the assembly
operation had wanted to use an automated system, but that option was deemed
not to be economic. So they used a manual operation but did not take into
account industrial ergonomics, as they had no expertise in that discipline.
b. An increased incidence of respiratory illnesses has been reported over the last
month by workers operating near the paint-spray booths. Many of the substances
used in the booths (paints, solvents, etc.) are known to be causes of the observed
respiratory illnesses. But the workers are not supposed to come into contact with
any of the substances because the paint-spray booths are designed to ensure that
all materials exit the plant through a high capacity ventilation system and that no
materials can leak back into the plant. No tests had been carried out on the
ventilation system, or on the air quality around the paint spray booths, so it is
with headquarters in Canada, a large number of engineering activities are carried out in
a wide range of areas. These activities include design, production of parts, assembly,
testing, and quality assurance.
Many of the manufacturing processes in the plant are performed using
automated technologies and equipment. People also perform some of the manufacturing
tasks and the plant employs over 400 workers. The decision on whether people or
machines will be used for a particular task is dependent on many factors, including
costs, time, quality, and worker health and safety.
The plant considered here produces many parts for vehicles and assembles them.
Among the parts produced are engine materials and parts, pumps, fans, some exterior
parts, and electronics components. The plant normally operates three shifts per day and
has production lines including machining equipment, conveyors and overhead cranes,
punch presses, and paint-spray booths. The plant utilizes electricity and natural gas
extensively.
Some workers at the plant have over the last six months been subject to several
different health problems. The following information has been received by the head
engineer at the plant.
a. In an assembly area that was installed recently, workers have to bend to the
ground throughout the day to attach several small parts onto a large and heavy
vehicle component. Some workers have begun to develop lower back pain, likely
due to repetitive bending. The problem has become so severe for one of the
workers that he has been told by his doctor to stay off work for two weeks so his
back can recover. The manufacturing engineers who designed the assembly
operation had wanted to use an automated system, but that option was deemed
not to be economic. So they used a manual operation but did not take into
account industrial ergonomics, as they had no expertise in that discipline.
b. An increased incidence of respiratory illnesses has been reported over the last
month by workers operating near the paint-spray booths. Many of the substances
used in the booths (paints, solvents, etc.) are known to be causes of the observed
respiratory illnesses. But the workers are not supposed to come into contact with
any of the substances because the paint-spray booths are designed to ensure that
all materials exit the plant through a high capacity ventilation system and that no
materials can leak back into the plant. No tests had been carried out on the
ventilation system, or on the air quality around the paint spray booths, so it is
