Find Out How One Manufacturer Is Winning the War Against CTDs

At Frito-Lay, a high rate of soft tissue illness about a dozen years ago led to a corporatewide effort to reduce hazards.

BLR spoke to safety coordinator Pat Zimmer at Frito-Lay’s Kirkwood, New York, plant, who told us about the company’s ergonomics program.

One of the most effective components of the program at the Kirkwood plant, according to Zimmer, is an ergonomics team of about 25 employees. They receive special training and assist with a variety of tasks, from helping with workstation setup to analyzing discomfort and recommending ergonomic fixes.

Other features of the program:

• Preshift stretching helps workers warm up and reduces the changes of strains and sprains. Aided by posters showing proper movements, members of the ergonomics and safety committees lead the brief stretching sessions. The focus is on the upper body, back, and legs.

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• An early intervention program prevents small ergonomic concerns from turning into painful, costly cases. A physical therapist and an occupational therapist serve the plant part-time, and employees can request their services.

• The plant’s 30-60-90 evaluations are also highly effective. At each of those new employee milestones, a trainer reviews the employee’s work habits with an eye for ergonomics and other functional aspects of the job. Results are reviewed during a closed-door session with the employee, the trainer, and the manager.

• A review of all new equipment for ergonomic risks by in-house engineers and maintenance personnel is another important part of the program. As needed, they will change heights, adjust wheels, alter handles, or improve adjustability before new equipment is installed on the floor.

Zimmer recommends that any employer seeking to improve manufacturing ergonomics should get rank and file employees involved. "It makes a huge difference when employees take ownership of the program rather than me or a manger. When they own it, they will run with it."

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