In thanks for their partnership in the contest, Crest also made a $250 donation to Wilton’s own Helping Hands charity (http://www.wilton.com/helping-hands/CMS-06.html). Wilton Helping Hands is an associate led and funded charitable organization that is dedicated to delivering financial and volunteer assistance to 501(c)(3) non- profit organizations that impact the communities where Wilton associates live and work. The fund provides grants to qualified charitable organizations that focus their efforts on providing basic needs and creative enrichment for families. Thank you to all of our 2017 participants, including 6 department from Crest Foods!
Stackers Meeting by Karen Yardley, Safety & Sanitation Manager
On November 29th, the WAVE Safety Team met with a group of stackers from both A and B Shift to dicuss ergo- nomics. Ergonomics can be defined simply as the study of work. More specifically, ergonomics is the science of design- ing the job to fit the worker, rather than physically forcing the worker’s body to fit the job. Adapting tasks, work stations, tools, and equipment to fit the worker can help reduce physi- cal stress on a worker’s body and eliminate many potentially serious, disabling work related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). MSDs are one of the most frequent workplace injuries or complaints. And we’re not just talking repetitive motion injuries (like carpal tunnel and trigger finger) but also
muscle/tendon strains, ruptured or herniated discs, etc. There are many factors that contribute to MSDs. There are the ergonomic risk factors such as repetitive motion, awk ward postures and excessive force as well as individual risk factors or poor work practices like improper body mechanics or lifting techniques and lack of work readiness. Because stacking is such a physical task and automation (letting a machine do the work!) isn’t always a possibility, we asked this group of stackers to help us work on some solutions. Some of the topics we discussed: - Recognizing when line equipment could be adjusted, i.e., the height of the skate track - Because most stackers don’t rotate, we discussed how beneficial stretching during the shift could be - Recognizing that when working on a line that requires manually rotating every case, it might be done mechani- cally by installing a “bump turn” - Awareness of weight and size of finished case – don’t lift four or five cases if they are heavy or large - Less chance of injury if you take a few extra steps instead of stretching across the pallet - Using an electric handlift to raise the pallet when stacking the first few layers to reduce bending or reaching below the knees. We’d also like to trial a “Big Joe” and possibly an “electric lift.” - Longer handles for the hand stretch wrapper - Length of the skate track and the tripods Other issues were discussed as well, including safety while working on the printing systems on line. Absorbents (mats, cardboard, paper towels) should always be used to contain these fluids on line. Thank you to all of these employees who participated and we welcome any comments, suggestions and questions from other employees about ergonomics or other safety related issues. Contact Karen Yardley at ext.219, Denton Yocum at ext. 333, Phyllis Ott at ext. 279 or Kevin O’Dell at ext. 340. Virginia Sanchez, Manny Quintana, Anthony Escatel, Justin Huels, Juan Fernandez, Louis Shinabarger, Jim Kettley & Carmen Lopez
January, February & March 2018 Crest Ink 19
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