Design and implementation of a novel tool addresses the greatest cause of wrist injuries at Bayer Healthcare

Sanitary clamp wingnut manipulation is the fifth most frequent cause of injuries in the production areas of the Bayer Healthcare site in Berkeley, California. Task analysis showed that manual manipulation of clamp wingnuts had concurrent multiple risk factors, including: awkward postures, high forces, contact stresses, and high frequency. Task elimination was not an option. Several tools on the market were researched and tried but it was found that no existing tools would alleviate the associated ergonomics risk factors. An interim tool found on the market was used as a short term solution until an optimal design could be manufactured. A tool was designed, fabricated, and tested in-house at the Bayer machine shop. The tool was originally designed to fit all variations of clamp wingnuts, but then was found to fit too loosely for some. By using a comparison between inventory and cost benefit analysis it was decided to standardize the wingnuts types leaving the two most common types. A final prototype of the tool fit these two types of wingnuts. The efficient methods by which clamps were replaced and how tools were implemented in cleanroom manufacturing areas are described in this paper. This ten month project potentially eliminated all of the ergonomics risk factors associated with clamping.