The research efforts of two industrial engineering undergraduate student are improving working conditions on the factory floor. As participants in a collaborative program between the U.S. Department of Energy and the Steel Founders' Society of America, IMSE seniors AJ Menefee and Trevor Hoffman spent six weeks last summer visiting 20 steel foundries across the nation. So, manual lifting of castings is a common practice in steel foundries as are repetitive movements from welding, hand grinding, and other production tasks.
Common injuries range from lower back stress to carpal tunnel and vibration-related syndromes.
During their industry visits, Menefee and Hoffman videotaped job movements, interviewed management and employees, researched options, made presentations, and recommended cost-effective ergonomic ideas to reduce worker accident and injury rates. The focus of their efforts was simple. Preliminary recommendations focused on revising placement of materials, improving body postures, redesigning workstations, and developing techniques to reduce repetitive movements. The pair's findings will be included in a report. Part of the effort involves scouring the market for cost-effective tools and demonstrating their use.