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Success with Ergonomics
American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) and
Pulp and Paper Safety Association (PPSA)
 
Company: AF&PA member company; PPSA member site
   
Industry: Containerboard Packaging – NAICS Code 32221
   
Task: Moving Paper Rolls
   
Employees: 140 (number at the site)


Success Brief:

The company eliminated manual pushing and rolling of large paper rolls by purchasing battery-powered roll pushers.
 

The Problem

Employees used high force to manually push rolls of paper weighing approximately 3,000 lbs into place at the bulk roll handling area. Rolls are pushed over the uneven concrete floors, and over the roll stand tracks at the corrugator. These types of forceful exertion create a potential for injury to the wrists, shoulders, back and knees.

The Solution

Battery-powered roll pushers were purchased (approximate cost - $5,000 each) and stationed at each of the corrugator single facers. Care was taken to select the units appropriate for the roll weights. A standard operating procedure was developed, and employees were trained to use the roll pushers whenever rolls need to be moved or staged.
 
Figure 1: Before: manually moving roll
Figure 1: Before: manually moving roll		 Figure 2: After: using battery-powered roll pusher to move roll
Figure 2: After: using battery-powered roll pusher to move roll

The Impact

Using the battery-powered roll pushers significantly improved the posture for employees moving rolls, and has virtually eliminated exposure to pushing forces.

Source: AF&PA; PPSA (May 2008)