Basic Occupational Safety and Health

Case Analysis 1

September 21, 2022

Submitted by:
Lomibao, Yvan Andrei
Ramos, Marc Shaddi
Valencia, Adrian Miguel

Submitted to:
Mrs. Laila Bautista
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I. Introduction

Over the last six months, the Canadian manufacturing company had reported several
cases of health issues within the company. The first issue reported was the workers had
developed lower back pain due to the repetitive bending of their back in assembly operation
which is the result of using manual operation instead of an automated assembly operation. The
second issue reported was the increase in respiratory illness in the spray booth where proper
maintenance of ventilation has not been carried which resulted in bad air quality around the air
booth. The last issue reported was several eye injuries in metal cutting operations where workers
refuse to wear eye protective glasses due to the uncomfortable feeling of the protective gear.
Nevertheless, This case study seeks to show and observe the health issues happening in
manufacturing while identifying all the unsafe acts and unsafe conditions within the plant. Also,
to solve the health issues problem within the plant while recognizing whether there has improper
management of the worker's health and safety

Workers must bend their backs throughout the day to attach parts to the large and heavy
vehicles component. Some workers have begun to develop lower back pain due to repetitive
bending. Some problems have become so severe that the medical doctors told them to stay off
work to heal their backs. The manufacturing engineers who designed the assembly operation had
wanted to use an automatic system but it is deemed to be not economical which resulted in using
manual operation but did not take into account the industrial ergonomics as they have no
expertise in that field

Increase in respiratory illnesses has been reported over the last month by workers
operating near the paint spray booths. Many of the substances used in booths (paints, solvents,
etc.) are known to be the cause of respiratory illness. Substances mentioned should not come into
contact with workers as there is ventilation active within the workplace and it is designed to
make all the substances exit the plant and not leak back into the plant. Since there had been no
 CASE STUDY 1 MANUFACTURING ERGONOMICS

test carried out on the ventilation system, or the air quality around the spray booths, so it is still
uncertain whether or not there have been any leaks into the plants from the spray paint booths.

Eye injury in the area where the metal cutting occurs workers must use protective
eyewear, there is still a reported minor eye injury. the area where it happened is where it is
common knowledge that workers do not routinely use protective eyewear and it can be seen
hanging on the nearby hooks or the neck of workers. workers complain that the protective
eyewear makes them uncomfortable and do not think that is important. The plant manager
overlooks it since enforcing the use of protective eyewear makes the worker unhappy, and less
productive. Which he feels makes the plant non-competitive.

The purpose of this case study is to show the health problems that is happening in the
Canadian manufacturing plant in the last six months. to observe the cause of the health problems
within the plant and to know the unsafe acts and unsafe conditions within the plant. To minimize
the health problems happening in the manufacturing plant.

II. Analysis
It is stated in the case that many of the workers are experiencing health problems due to
unsafe practices in their working environment. The workers started developing lower back pain
due to the repetitive bending in the assembly area, we think that the main reason why the
workers are experiencing lower back pain is that they are still using manual operation rather than
having it automated. Another reason is that the company has no expertise or proper training in
industrial ergonomics. Another health problem that the workers are dealing with is respiratory
illnesses due to the exposure of workers to paints and solvents by working near the paint booth.
It is stated that the high capacity ventilation which is supposed to filter out dangerous substances
is not working properly. Another reason is that there are no, tests conducted if there are any leaks
in the ventilation that causes respiratory problems for the workers. The last health issue that the
workers are dealing with is minor eye injuries, it is stated in the problems that the workers are
not casually wearing their protective eyewear when operating in the workplace. It is also stated
that the workers think that it is not necessary to wear protective eyewear and it is uncomfortable
 CASE STUDY 1 MANUFACTURING ERGONOMICS

while working. Another problem stated is that the plant manager seems to be aware of the
situation.
Based on what we have observed, the issues being experienced by the workers at the
workplace are majority caused by the engineer in charge. There are so many list of actions that
can be done to solve the health problems/injuries experienced by the workers. There are so many
things that the engineer in charge can implement in the workplace to further lessen the injuries
caused by unsafe practices in the workplace.

III. Proposed Solution

It was noted that there had been an increase in respiratory illnesses in the spray booth where
necessary ventilation maintenance had not been carried out, leading to poor air quality
nearby.The most fundamental type of respiratory protection is a filtering facepiece respirator,
sometimes referred to as a dust mask. Of all the respirators, it offers the least degree of
protection, yet it nevertheless shields users from airborne particles and bothersome dust. Eye
injuries at work can occur in a matter of seconds. Employees’ vision could be seriously harmed.
However, a yearly eye safety examination should be conducted by all companies. Make sure
personnel are aware of how to operate machinery safely and that safety features on equipment,
such as machine guards, are functioning properly.

Here are some approaches or solutions to these issues:

• You should be aware of the hazards, such as occupations with a higher risk of eye
damage.
• Wear safety glasses and other protective equipment. It has to have side protection.
Working with hazardous chemicals necessitates the use of chemical-resistant goggles.
• We should enforce workplace ventilation because it reduces the spread of airborne
microorganisms and other potentially hazardous agents. Through a local ventilation system,
infectious contaminants can be moved away and captured in a filter.
 CASE STUDY 1 MANUFACTURING ERGONOMICS

V. Recommendations

According to Maine Labor (n.d), implementing good safety standards in the workplace not only
benefits the workers but also the employers. According to their statement, implementing a strict
health standard in the workplace helps the workers lessen the chance of having injuries and
illnesses, it also helps the workers build their self- esteem and mental health in thinking that they
are not risking their own lives just to earn money.

Regarding the respiratory problems as stated above, the employers can implement a strict
schedule to be followed on checking and maintaining the air filter in the workplace, according to
the Aireserve (2021) the air filters in the workplace should always be cleaned every 2 months.

For the problems regarding the lower back pain issues, it is recommended that the company
study the benefits of investing in automation. Nowadays, according to Georgiou (2022), 67% of
the companies started using business process automation. Using automations makes the life of
the workers easily as they only need to control the automation process instead of manually
bending and reaching for certains spots of the material.

V. References
Maine Labor(n.d). Safety Pays for Everyone. Retrieved [Online] September 21, 2022 from
https://www.safetyworksmaine.gov/safe_workplace/safety_pays.html#:~:text=A%20safe%20and
%20healthy%20workplace%20not%20only%20protects%20workers%20from,safety%20is%20g
ood%20for%20business.

AiReserve (2021). Air Filter Maintenance Guide. Retrieved [Online] September 21, 2022 from
https://www.aireserv.ca/expert-tips/air-filters/air-filter-maintenance-guide/

M. Georgiou (2022). 30+ Statistics That Prove Why Companies Need To Embrace Business
Automation in 2022. Retrieved [Online] September 21, 2022 from
https://imaginovation.net/blog/business-automation-statistics/#:~:text=Additional%20statistics%
20tell%20us%3A,code%20process%20automation%20software%20shortly.