Ergonomics in the Textile and Apparel Industries

1. Ergonomics in the Textile and Apparel Industries

2. Introduction • Challenges Facing the Industry Today: • Competition From Overseas Companies With Access to Inexpensive Labor • Shortage of Available US Textile Workers • Annual Turnover Rates Ranging From 30% to Over 100%

3. Introduction • Challenges Facing the Industry Today • Learning Curves of Several Months to Attain Needed Skill Levels for Many Jobs • Difficulty in Applying Modern Automation Technologies to Fabrics Processing

4. Ergonomics • Improving Ergonomic Conditions Can Improve Productivity and Safety - Enhance Competitiveness • Reduce Worker Compensation Costs • Provide More Reliable Workforce • May Include Allocating High Risk Jobs to Machines Where Possible (They Will Be Going Overseas Anyway)

5. Injuries and Illnesses Among Textile and Apparel Workers • 70% of Sewing Machine Operators Using Foot Controls Report Back Pain • 35% Report Persistent Low Back Pain • 25% Have Suffered a Compensable Cumulative Trauma Disorder (CTD) • 81% of CTDs Were to the Wrist • 14% of CTDs to the Elbow • 5% of CTDs to the Shoulder

6. Injuries and Illnesses Among Textile and Apparel Workers • 49% of Workers Experience Pain in the Neck • Absenteeism Increases as Working Conditions Worsen • Loss of Workers Due to Injuries or Turnover is Associated With Working Conditions

7. Tasks Associated With Injuries and Illnesses • Hand Sewing and Trimming are Stressful to All Upper Limbs • Stitching Tasks are Associated With Pain in the Shoulders, Wrists, and Hands • Ironing by Hand is Associated With Elbow Pain • Garment Assembly Tasks are Associated With CTDs of the Hands and Wrists • Foot Operated Sewing is Associated With Pain in the Back

8. Static Postures and CTDs • Analysis Reveals That 40% of Operators at Sewing Machines Stoop Forward > 20o Throughout the Machine Cycle • 60% Tilt Their Heads Forward > 20o Throughout the Machine Cycle - Why? • Visual Demands of the Work • Geometry of the Work Station • Inadequate Seating

9. Postural Stress and Lighting • Precise Stitching Tasks are Visually Demanding • Thread and Fabric Often Offer Little or No Visual Contrast • 36% of Operators Feel Lighting is Inadequate • Surveys Found Light Levels at Less Than 60% of Recommended Levels • Operators Lean Forward to See Their Work

10. Seating • Straight Backed Wooden or Metal Chairs are Typical in the Industry • Chairs Often Lack Cushioning • Chairs Often Lack Adjustable Back Rests • Chairs Often Lack Height Adjustability • Improved Seating is Readily Available

11. PsychoSocial Considerations • Psychomotor Demands are High (Speed, Accuracy, Coordination) • Positive Attitudes Toward Work are Inversely Related to Increased Monotony and Fatigue • Positive Attitudes Toward Work are Directly Related to Job Satisfaction

12. Work Organization • As Many as 100% of Piecework Operators in High Manipulation Jobs Have Symptoms of CTDs • Workers in Piecework are 4 Times as Likely to Develop Severe Disabilities as Hourly Workers • Workers in Piecework are 9 Times as Likely to Develop Arthritic and Osteoarticular Disorders as Hourly Workers • As Duration of Employment in Piecework Increases, So Does Severe Disabilities

13. Duration of Exposure • Machine Operators Experience Cumulative Damage to the Neck and Shoulders Over Time • Risk for Persistent Neck and Shoulder Pain Increases With Years of Employment as a Machine Operator • Work for More Than Eight Years as Machine Operator Increases Risks For Neck and Shoulder Pain

14. Solutions - A Comprehensive Ergonomics Program • Training for Supervisors and Managers • Awareness Training for Employees • Job Analyses and Implementation of Controls • Worker Involvement and Participation • Medical Management • Recommended by National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

15. WorkStation Redesign - Sewing Machines • 30” Fixed TableTop Height • Point of Operation Between 4-7” Above TableTop • Sewing Machine Tilted 11o Toward Operator • For Jobs of Longer Duration Sewing - Bench Mounted Arm Rests • Adjustable Chair • Adjustable Foot Rest With Movable Machine Control

16. Work Enhancements • Foam Padded Edges to Sharp Table Edges • Provide Cloth Upholstered Adjustable Chairs • Angle Packing Boxes to Workers With Tilt Equipment • Provide Anti-Fatigue Matting for Standing Workers • Improved Lighting • Require Rest Periods • Job Rotations

17. Automated Materials Handling • Eliminates Heavy Lifting by Operators or “Bundle Boys” • Uses Pre-Programmed Hanging Conveyor • Moves Only One or a Few Work Pieces Per Hanger • Computer Controlled - Movement Tracked by Bar-Coded Hangers and Series of Scanners • Delivers Work to Queue Near Operator

18. Automated Materials Handling • Strong on Pre-Programmed Use But Weak on Flexibility (Short Term Changes, etc.) • Technology is Rapidly Improving • Future Models Will Direct More Work to the Queues of the Most Productive Workers and Less to Slower Workers or Beginners

19. Modular Manufacturing Concept • Conventional Textile/Apparel Industries Use the Progressive Bundle System - Each Operator is Assigned to a Single Operation • In Modular Mfg. a Complete Garment is Produced in a Modular Cell • Cells May Have 10 Operators and 20 Machines • Operators Are Not Assigned to a Single Operation But Move Between Workstations

20. Modular Manufacturing Concept • Teams of Operators are Responsible for Work Planning and Management, Product Quality, etc. • Employees are Empowered - Boosts Morale • A Variety of Motions are Used by Each Operator - Reduces Risk for CTDs and Relieves Static Postures • Can Be Reconfigured Rapidly, Providing Great Flexibility

21. Modular Manufacturing • Significantly Reduced Absenteeism • Necessitates Better Ergonomic Designs of Workstations to Accommodate Different Operators • Many Operations Converted to Standing Workstations Instead of Seated Workstations • Employees Paid on a Group Incentive System

22. Additional Resources • American Textile Manufacturers Institute (ATMI) Washington DC • ATMI Quest for Best in Safety and Health Program • Must Have Comprehensive Program to Join • Must be Willing to Interact With Other Members Companies • Nearly Half of ATMI Member Companies Participate

23. Additional Resources • National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) • 800-35-NIOSH • NIOSH Publication: Elements of Ergonomics Programs, January 1997

24. Questions and Answers

25. This program developed by David Mahone, CNA Insurance Companies, Chicago IL Corporate Underwriting Center