Presented to 4th Annual Wholesale & Retail Trade Sector (WRT) Council Meeting

January 27, 2010

Obstacles in Implementing Obstacles in Implementing Workplace ChangesWorkplace Changes

Tim McGlothlin, MS, CPEExecutive Director

Jeff Hoyle, MS, CPESenior Ergonomist & Research Liaison

Agenda

• Introduction to the Center• Overview of the Demonstration project• Partnership with the EASE Council • Requirements for establishing a working

relationship (partnership) with a sector business• Status of the Center’s attempts to partner within

this sector • Vision of a successful project• Potential long-term benefits

Who We Are

• Founded in 1994• Housed in the Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial

& Systems Engineering at NC State University• The Center’s mission is to provide occupational

ergonomics consulting, training programs, research, and cost-effective ergonomic solutions for corporations to support their ergonomics efforts.

• The Ergonomics Center has grown into a nationally recognized and respected organization specializing in the field of ergonomics.

Current Partnerships • General Electric• GlaxoSmithKline• Gildan• Duke Energy• Evergreen Packaging (formerly Blue Ridge Paper

Products)• Starbucks Coffee • ATI Allvac• Eastman Kodak • Training Partner of the Institute of Industrial Engineers

NIOSH Manual Materials NIOSH Manual Materials Handling Demonstration Handling Demonstration

ProjectProject

Project Overview• We (ECNC) were awarded three NIOSH contracts to conduct

demonstration studies of manual materials handling (MMH) equipment in three different regions of the U.S. (eastern, northern and southern). – Eastern potentials: Raleigh, NC – Northern potentials: VA, OH– Southern potentials: SC

• Demonstration studies take interventions that are generally accepted as beneficial and addresses their extension or adaptation to specific populations or settings.

• Goal: To demonstrate the efficacy of MMH equipment in the whole-sale and retail trade sector that will reduce the bending, stooping, and overhead reaching associated with loading and storing materials in either warehouses or retail stores where workers are stocking shelves or loading dollies, carts, pallet jacks, etc.

Project Overview

• ECNC has also partnered with the Ergonomic Assist Systems and Equipment (EASE) Council and Southworth Products Corp. who have agreed to donate MH equipment to host-sites.

• The EASE Council is one of 18 industry groups within the Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA), the leading non-profit trade association representing the U.S. material handling and logistics industry.

Project StepsProject Activity Start

DateDue Date

Details/ Results

1. Host Site Recruitment and Finalization of Project Logistics

1/1/10 2/1/10Host site identified and basic time line for project implementation documented and approved by host site and NIOSH contact

2. Field Work: Pre-Intervention Data Collection

Understand problems specific to industry/application

Perform pre-intervention ergonomic assessments and time-study

Identify countermeasure achievement targets from assessments

Understand constraints in field

2/1/09 4/1/10

Document nature of the original job setting (pre-intervention) using: Videotaping Digital photos Time studies Basic risk factor assessments Advanced assessments:

o NIOSH Lifting Equationo Liberty Mutual Guidelineso Univ. of Michigan 3DSSPP

Document constraints and countermeasure achievement targets

3. Market / Product Review Identify available countermeasure

solutions on market 4/1/10 5/1/10 Document available countermeasure options

Project StepsProject Activity Start

DateDue Date

Details/ Results

4. Solution Development Direct involvement of host-site

stakeholders to determine the most feasible and cost-effective solution

Partner with materials handling vendor Trial materials handling solution Customization of solution to fit

application (if necessary)

5/1/10 6/1/10

Vendor identified Equipment ordered and received Provide details of manual materials

handling equipment to be used Provide basic information on method for

evaluating intervention Appropriate associates at host-site

trained on proper use of MMH equipment

Developed usability questionnaire

5. Field Testing: Post-Intervention Data Collection

Testing of final solution(s) in field (usability testing)

Perform post-intervention ergonomic assessments and time-study

6/1/10 8/1/10

Document nature of the job setting (post-intervention) using: Videotaping Digital photos Time Studies Basic risk factor assessments Advanced assessments (possibly):

o NIOSH Lifting Equationo Liberty Mutual Guidelineso Univ. of Michigan 3DSSPP

Document performance to countermeasure achievement targets

Project StepsProject Activity Start

DateDue Date

Details/ Results

6. Final Report Development and Delivery

Detailed methods and project steps Detailed pre- and post-intervention

results (Ergonomics risk reduction, time saving, return-on-investment quantification)

Intervention details and specifications provided

Description of how interventions can be generalized to other WRT and industry sectors

7/1/10 9/1/10

Share results with host-site stakeholders

Final report mailed to NIOSH contact (Vern P. Anderson)

7.Present Findings to NIOSH during CY2010 Meeting in Midwest

CY2010 (TBD)

CY2010 (TBD)

Present findings and participate in panel discussion with other practitioners and representatives from business and labor

Requirements for Establishing a Working

Partnership• Establish Trust and Respect Early

– This is critical since the researcher is basically asking the host-site to “share” company sensitive information

– Clarify that NIOSH is responsible for research and not enforcement/compliance (that’s OSHAs responsibility)

• Build a Win-Win Proposition– NIOSH (researching organization) gets valuable data to share with

WRT sector– Specific host-site and corporate host-company has identified areas

with MMH opportunities and potential countermeasures to reduce exposure

– Emphasize additional business metrics (besides injury risk reduction) are considered in project

Requirements for Establishing a Working

Partnership (cont.)• Clearly Define the Project Details

– Scope of the project– Timeframe for completion (understand the need to stay away

during certain holidays and/or busy times of the year)

• Keep Legal and Operations “Happy”…Let them know that the host-site can:– Remain anonymous in the published report – Review and request modifications to the final report prior to

publication– Interface with the researcher to identify the area(s) of evaluation,

dates for the on-site visit, with whom the researchers may interview, and assist in solution-development phase

Requirements for Establishing a Working

Partnership (cont.)• Keep Legal and Operations “Happy”…Let them know that

the following can be furnished:– Statement verifying researchers liability insurance coverage– Contract/agreement between the researcher (Center) and the host-

site detailing the issues listed in this segment

Discussion Point: What is the proper response to a potential host-site that is concerned with its obligation to implement any or all of the recommendations summarized in the report?

Status of the Center’s Attempts to Partner within

the WRT Sector• First the strategy – Partner with one host-site in each of three store “types”:– Large Retail Grocery Chain (Food Lion, Kroger, and Harris Teeter

types)– Large Volume Discount Chain (Wal-Mart, Target, and K-Mart types)– Large Home and Hardware Chain (Sears, Lowes, Home Depot types)

• Status per “type”:– Large Retail Grocery Chain - Partner confirmed– Large Volume Discount Chain - Close to confirming– Large Home and Hardware Chain - High level of interest with one

firm but several issues to be resolved

Vision of a Successful Project

• Intervention(s) reduces ergonomics risk from HIGH to Low for targeted tasks (all body parts)

• Intervention(s) improves or maintains productivity/takt time for targeted tasks

• Intervention(s) results in positive usability feedback (from host-site associates)

• Intervention(s) demonstrates quality improvement of goods to consumers (↓ waste products) over trial period

• Intervention ROI potential in less than 1 year

Potential Long-Term Benefits

• Reduced lost work-time illnesses and injuries

• Reduced medical costs from such injuries/incidents

• Reduced workers’ compensation costs

• Reduced turnover and absenteeism

• Increased levels of productivity, efficiency, and quality

• Improved comfort and usability; reduced human error; increased reliability

• Reduced equipment costs

• Increased employee morale

• Inspectors and insurers expect it

• Discussion: Additional metrics?

That’s Basically Us and That’s Basically Us and the Project in a the Project in a

Nutshell!Nutshell!

Any Questions?Any Questions? Comments?Comments?Contact the Ergonomics CenterContact the Ergonomics Center

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