Industrial & Manufacturing Blog
If you manage a worksite where cranes, from a place like American Equipment Inc, are in operation, take special care to monitor your crane operators for repetitive stress injuries. Even though crane operation is usually done sitting down, the movements necessary to operate the crane can take their toll on the person in the operator's seat. Here are four things to take care of and monitor for if you want to give your crane operators the best chance possible of avoiding repetitive stress injuries.
Breaks
No matter how good the equipment is or how easy it is to use, you have to give your employees chances to rest throughout the day. Even small movements, like gripping a lever for several minutes, can result in muscle fatigue and tendon or ligament inflammation. Harvard notes computer users need to try to take 10-minute breaks every hour (Harvard also notes the breaks can be as basic as just relaxing your arms and letting them drop), and crane operators should aim for at least that, if not more. Listen to your workers if they complain in passing about pain, and ask them occasionally to report on how they're doing pain-wise. Adjust breaks as needed, adding more if people are complaining of pain or if you see them gripping their forearms or wrists, for example.
Stretching
Give your workers an opportunity to stretch daily. This should go beyond just stretching out arms. Have them stretch their wrists, arms, shoulders, neck, and back at the very least -- legs would be a good idea, too. Staying flexible can help prevent a lot of strain caused by trying to look around the crane and see where obstacles might be.
Equipment Operation Quality
The equipment that the workers use daily has to be in good condition. That means seats need to be ergonomically safe, the controls need to operate smoothly and not require a lot of straining to use, and visibility out of the crane cab needs to be very good so as not to make the operator experience neck strain. Have all equipment inspected frequently, and replace any troublesome equipment as soon as possible.
Vibration
Construction equipment vibrates -- there's no denying that. But you can reduce the vibration that the crane operators and other workers feel by adding vibration-damping pads and other accessories to the equipment. Excessive vibrations can lead to back and neck pain, and conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome. Spending the money now for padding saves you money later on in lost work and turnover.
If you want more information about preventing injuries like these among your crane operators, have your site evaluated by an ergonomics service and talk to your workers about problems they may be noticing or experiencing. Communication is one of the best ways to ensure your worksite addresses problems in a timely manner.
Share12 February 2016
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