COMPETE

3 Tep Tips f e r a H e a i t i i y ,
P r e d u c t i v e W e r i ( p i a c e
By taking an objective, quantitative look
at your warehouse or DC you'll find
ways to make a lasting difference in your
quality of work and life.
By Jos h Ke r s t
P
hysical overexertion is the leading cause of the most seri-
ous nonfatal injuries and illnesses involving days away from
work, according to the Workplace Safety Index (Liberty Mu-
tual, 2008). Because warehouses and distribution center (DC) op-
erations have an abundance of ergonomie challenges, and because
peak order fulfillment periods tend to exacerbate these issues,
warehouse workers are among the top three highest-risk occupa-
tions for sprains, strains and low back disorders. These findings
make a compelling business case for companies to systematically
address the root causes of ergonomie issues in the workplace.
Mos t Common Inju r y Ins t i ga t or s
> Product storage heights that are too low or too high.
Retrieving products from the floor, elevated shelving, inside
truck trailers, or from underneath storage racks increases a work-
er's risk of overexertion due to torso bending/twisting and awk-
ward upper extremity positions.
> Poorly-designed packing and sorting workstations.
Work benches and workstations often require extended reaches
to access packaging material or products along conveyors. These
workstations often lack adjustability and require prolonged sit-
ting or standing in awkward postures that increase ergonomie
risk factors, such as back bending and extended reaches.
> Poor flow management of goods through the warehouse.
Lean principles are applied throughout most organizations but
they are not always seamlessly integrated with ergonomics. Ex-
amples of this include using partial, double, or triple slotting stor-
age techniques to maximize shelving space so that the greatest
amount of product can fit in the smallest amount of warehouse
space. This type of slotting can increase ergonomie risk factors
such as bending and elevated reaches. In addition, workers may
bend at the torso to reach under low racking, or they may be re-
quired to forcefully pull out containers from under product stacks
to access the appropriate item needed for order fulfillment.
> Excessive walking while navigating narrow and con-
gested aisles. Modern warehouses are larger than ever before and
the majority of workers' time is spent in travel. Narrow width and
congested aisles can add to this labor intensive activity, requiring
order pickers to stop farther from the designated pick slot and
carry items longer distances to pallets or carts. This can lead to
employees overloading themselves by carrying multiple parcels
around obstacles to limit the number of trips.
4 4 I MATERIAL HANDLING & LOGISTICS | J ANUARY 2 0 1 3 www. mh l h e ws . c o m
Fit Work to Worker
As a practicing ergonomist who has spent a lot of time in this
tough environment, the common trends I have seen driving the
increase in ergonomie concerns are those listed above. However,
these trends do not have to gain popularity. Adhering to one
ergonomie principle can not only reduce injuries and illness in
the workplace but can lower workers' compensation costs and
improve worker morale and productivity.
The primary principle of ergonomics is to fit the job to the
physical and cognitive capabilities of the worker. Proper ergo-
nomie applications in warehouse and DC environments can
translate into a safer and more efficient workplace. Some of
the factors influencing companies to consider ergonomie im-
provements include the following:
> The relentle.ss push to do more with less;
>" Offering a higher number of stock keeping units (SKUs)
that may include vastly different product sizes and storage
requirements;
>- More consolidated DC networks (e.g., fewer buildings)
using larger footprint (e.g., 1 million square feet) all-in-one fa-
cilities that include single line orders, multiple line orders, unit
loads, bulky non-conveyable orders, and individualized value-
added services like gift wrapping;
> Shifts in peak processing periods driven by an increase in
e-commerce order fulfillment and through post-holiday redemp-
tion of gift cards;
> An increasing number of older workers, those aged 55
years and older, in the workforce with a significant increase of
female employees between the ages of 65 and 74.
Simple changes can be implemented to assist even the most
cost-conscious and conventional organizations that have mini-
mal plans for expansion.
Three Top Tips
1. Improve Storage and Product Access
An ergonomie principle frequently shared with warehouse
employees is the adage, "If you cannot shake hands with your
work, it is unfriendly." The best method to keep warehouse work
user-friendly is to position SKU access to high frequency items
inside the "handshake zone" (heights from 37" to 47", within
16" from your body). Here are some of the current best practices
for keeping warehouse work friendly and efficient:
> Use single slotting for the most frequently handled items
and optimize access within the comfort zone (24" to 62" work
heights) and ideally in the handshake zone.
> Ensure that employees have access to at least three sides
of a pallet, if feasible. Emphasize this point with fork lift drivers
who move pallets in and out of slots. Pallets that are too close in
proximity may not give employees enough clearance to easily
reach the items at the rear. Therefore, extended reach postures,
or stepping onto or around pallets, to retrieve product is neces-
sary. This method increases the likelihood of potential slip/trip
and fall injuries.
> Train employees to use pyramid de-palletizing techniques
rather than layer picking to minimize extended reaching.
> Use drawer-style racks or pallet dollies to slide the bottom
rows of pallets out to bring work closer to the employee.
> Raise work heights through methods such as raised bottom
shelving, adding sacrificial pallets under loads, or raising the
forks on powered industrial trucks to improve load access.
> Use gravity-fed flow racks to reduce the space consumed
for slower moving products.
> Use load leveling carts and rolling canvas totes with spring
bottoms to keep loads at handshake height.
> Consider high lift (>30") pallet jacks to be used as portable
lift tables.
> Use low-profile pallet turntables for high volume pick ar-
eas; scissor lifts are most useful and typically cost-justified for
the highest-moving products.
> Consider lighter weight plastic pallets and use a pallet dis-
penser to limit manual handling.
2. Provide Ergonomie Warehouse Workstations
>- Today's packing or order processing workstation or work-
bench is frequently intertwined with the overall warehouse sys-
tem, and the equipment, materials, and supplies storage need to
coincide with the flow of the work.
> Provide adjustable height stations to accommodate differ-
ent sizes of operators. Be sure to provide preferred reference
marks for employees to easily and consistently position tables.
> Store knock down flat product supplies vertically, like li-
brary books, instead of flat, like folded laundry.
> Mount peripherals such as keyboards, HMI screens, tap-
ing, or packing material on adjustable arms to unclutter the
worksurface.
> Use box edge flaps to improve access and reduce awkward
upper extremity positions.
> Use tilt stands to improve loading access.
> Provide anti-fatigue matting and foot rails for standing op-
erations to reduce static loading.
> Use LED lighting to improve the visual environment.
> Use conveyor-mounted deflect bars to move product close
to the side edges to reduce reaching.
3. Optimize warehouse layout and order picking equipment
> Integrate ergonomics with warehouse management sys-
tems (WMS) so that optimal slotting can be done based on con-
tainer characteristics such as weight, size, and throughput. Ad-
ditional recommendations include the following:
> Review the wai'ehouse and DC slot-management system to
optimize the flow of goods through the warehouse and to ensure
that pallets are placed in full slots according to case weight and
movement speed of the product.
> Increase the width of aisles where fast-moving product is
located. This will allow pallet jacks to get closer and will reduce
the distance the loads must be earned.
> Stagger the start times for employees at the begirming of
www. mh l n e ws . c o m | J ANUARY 2 0 1 3 | MATERIAL HANDLING & LOGISTICS | 4 5
COMPETE
the day so that fewer workers access the same slots at the same
time. Small start time differentials can provide adequate spacing
for sufficient disbursal during order picking.
> Use a preventive maintenance program for existing pallet
jacks and carts. This requires periodically checking the working
components of all pallet jacks and carts so they are kept in good
condition and within the push and pull requirements.
> Consider vertical carousel lifts or systems that use the
"goods-to-person" principle to eliminate walking times.
> Provide intelligent assist devices; these computer con-
trolled devices enable employees to lift, move, and position
loads more quickly and intuitively.
> Build in ergonomie criteria, such as rotating and vibration
reducing seats and high visibility masts, into the purchase or
lease specifications for powered industrial trucks.
The Future Warehouse and DC
Technology and different warehouse layout options are mak-
ing it easier for companies to design their space to overcome
ergonomie challenges. WMS improvements, such as pick-to-
light, pick-to-voice, or even pick-to-feel systems, can minimize
walking distances, reduce errors, and reduce multiple handling.
Also consider alternative warehouse floor plan designs, de-
pending on the prod-
uct and del i very
methods. Innovative
layouts, such as the
Flying V, Fishbone,
or Chevron, reduce
dual-command travel Chevron Layout
by almost 10%, when
compared to a traditional warehouse with a middle cross aisle,
and by up to 15.5% when compared to a traditional warehouse
without a middle aisle (Gue and Meiler, 2008).
These are just a few potential ergonomie improvements for
warehouse/distribution centers. When you take an objective,
quantitative look at this environment, you will see that there are
opportunities, and that you can indeed make a difference. MH&L
osh Kerst, CPE, CIE, is an ergonomist and vice president with
Humantech, Inc. (www.humantech.com), an ergonomics con-
sulting firm in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
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