Workspace man populating a control panel

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Simon Knibbs Simon Knibbs Simon has been working at EPLAN UK for 3 years as an EPLAN Applications Engineer. He started his career in building, services, and moved on to designing and programming early robotics. He then became involved in mechatronic design and PCB layout. Since joining the CAD industry he has always been at the forefront assisting customers. He is a great advocate of value for money and hates to see customers’ investments underutilised through lack of knowledge, configuration skills or investment. He is a firm believer that a consultant’s role is to aid the customer in doing things better, easier and faster. So automation, standardisation and integration into other workflows are his interests.
26/05/20

Cherish employees with an ergonomic workplace

Author: Simon Knibbs Time to read: minute minutes

Organisations are devoting more and more attention to ergonomic working. After all, good employees are relatively expensive and scarce. Which makes it all the more important to retain valuable employees. When planning, it is also essential that you can rely on the staff and that they are motivated.

Make the work easier for employees

Fitters in the panel building industry regularly have to deal with heavy workloads. Think of the mechanical processing of switchgear and control cabinets and the placing of heavy components such as transformers. With effective tools you can make this work easier. 

The HSE, for example, have a lot of information about facilitating ergonomic working. If we look more specifically at panel construction, the following three points offer physical lighting.

1. Adjustable mounting table

When it comes to panel construction, mechanics make intensive use of mounting tables. These mounting tables are designed for ergonomic work. They can be adjusted in height as well as in angle, so that the mechanic adopts the best working posture. In addition, a so-called rollerbar can be added to the table, with which the complete mounting plate can easily be pushed into the cabinet.

2. Smart tools

With relatively simple tools such as transport and assembly handles, you can also make the job of the technician easier. These handles can be clicked on the side of a mounting plate or in the profile of a door. In this way, the mechanic can grasp the brackets instead of having to clench them with his hands.

3. Mechanical pre-processing

If the mounting plate has already been mechanically pre-processed using virtual prototyping (Digital Twin), many operations that are usually very stressful for the back, such as marking and drilling, are no longer necessary.

More motivation and shorter lead times

If you take good care of your employees in terms of ergonomics, you will work on sustainable employability and motivated people. But there are also other interesting benefits, such as lower absenteeism, lower failure costs, higher product quality and shorter turnaround times. In addition, less muscle power is required than before, allowing you to deploy a wider group of people flexibly.

Apart from creating pleasant working conditions, there are many more possibilities to reach the next level in panel building... and it all starts with a a good foundation. Discover step-by-step how to create a good foundation in our latest whitepaper: 

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