Reducing Repetitive Strain in Packaging Lines: Practical Adjustments and Automation Aids
Manual warehouse tasks, especially in packaging lines, can take a physical toll on employees. Constant lifting, reaching, and twisting often leads to repetitive strain injuries that reduce the availability of your workforce and slow operations.
However, you don’t need to accept injury as an unavoidable side effect of running a warehouse operation. Making the right adjustments to your workspace and implementing automation can protect your team while improving your operation’s efficiency.
Repetitive strain injuries develop when workers perform the same motions over and over. While each lift, twist, or reach might seem minor on its own, these movements overwork specific muscles and joints, causing them to deteriorate over time.
Common repetitive strain injuries include:
- Tendonitis
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Back and shoulder pain
- Muscle spasms
These injuries can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to heal, and often require workers to refrain from certain repetitive tasks while they recover.
Research shows that 24% of warehouse workers report low back pain as a result of repetitive strain. This doesn’t just hurt your employees. It hurts your operation by leading to extended worker leaves and reduced productivity.
While reducing repetitive strain injuries in your operation may seem like a daunting task, simple ergonomic improvements can make a huge difference for your employees.
Adjust workstation heights
When employees lift heavy objects from the floor, they’re bending down and lifting the weight of their entire upper body in the process. This is what frequently causes lower back injuries. Instead, workers should lift from waist level.
Offering adjustable platforms for your employees lets them position heavy objects at the right height, reducing unnecessary bending and strain.
Rotate tasks regularly
Performing the same task and motion over an entire shift is an easy way for an employee to overuse a certain muscle. But when workers perform varied tasks throughout their shift, they use different muscle groups. This prevents any single area from becoming overworked and significantly reduces the risk of a repetitive strain injury.
Train employees on proper technique
Many injuries happen because workers don't know the safest way to lift, carry, or position materials. Regular training on lifting techniques and best practices can prevent problems before they start.
Using automation and/or robotics where appropriate is a great way to lighten the physical burden on your employees.
Automation works best when it assists employees with physically demanding or repetitive tasks in your operation. Think of it as a tool to help your workforce stay healthy – not a replacement for skilled workers.
In order to decide where automation could be useful, start by identifying injury hotspots. Where do repetitive strain injuries occur most often? Look for tasks that involve:
- Repeated heavy lifting
- Constant bending or reaching
- The same motion performed dozens or hundreds of times per shift
The right automation will be able to protect the health of your workforce while boosting throughput. Once you determine the injury hotspots in your operation, you’ll need to decide which robot or machine best fits your needs.
Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs)
AGVs and AMRs are robots that transport materials across the warehouse floor. These eliminate the need for workers to manually move heavy pallets – removing one of the most injury-prone tasks from your operation.
The main difference between AGVs and AMRs is that AGVs rely on pre-set tracks, while AMRs can move freely. AGVs are best for operations with fixed workflows that rarely change, while AMRs offer flexibility for more dynamic operations.
Strapping or packaging is a specific but critical pain point in many operations. Manual strapping requires workers to bend, lift, and apply straps repeatedly throughout the day. Quality automated systems handle this process consistently, freeing workers to focus on tasks that require human judgment and skill.
Quality automation systems enable you to reduce injury rates while improving packaging speed and consistency. This investment pays out over time in higher throughput, reduced downtime and better employee retention.
EAM-Mosca specializes in reliable, high-quality strapping solutions designed to maximize speed and efficiency. Reach out to our team to learn how our systems can protect your workforce while improving your operation’s performance.
