The Hartford’s risk engineering team helped a manufacturer of wires and cables for the technology industry reduce severe ergonomic risks, which led to a 7:1 return on investment.
The Problem: Manufacturing Ergonomic Risks
At the plant’s strip-cutting line, employees had to manually lift and maneuver coil reels. These reels weighed as much as 150 pounds. Without the proper lifting technique, workers faced sprains, strains and other kinds of injuries. This is a severe ergonomic risk when you consider that the two-person process to lift and move coil reels took an average of five minutes per coil and was done an average of 10 times a day.
This one part of the job resulted in sprain and strain injury claims, which represented 55% of injuries at the manufacturer over three years. These kinds of claims cost the company an average of $33,560 per claim.
The Solution: An Investment in Technology
Our risk engineering consultants recommended the installation of a mechanical overhead crane. It led to several productivity efficiencies, including:
- Eliminating the lifting task and only requiring one employee to operate it
- Cutting the time it took to change a coil in half, saving the company four hours per employee per week
- Reducing costly strain claims and incidents
Return on Investment: Gains, Efficiencies and Loss Avoidance
Investing in the crane only cost the manufacturer $15,000 and it resulted in an additional six hours of productive time per week. From the manufacturer’s investment, the company saw:
- Operational gains/efficiencies of $5,864
- Direct loss cost avoidance of $33,560
- Indirect loss avoidance factor of $67,1201
- Total cost savings/avoidance of $107,544
- Return on investment of $92,464 (7:1)
1 The Hartford’s Risk Engineering Laboratory (ID 100124) is accredited by the AIHA Laboratory Accreditation Programs (AIHA-LAP), LLC for Industrial Hygiene and Unique Scopes as documented by the Scope of Accreditation Certificate and Associated Scope.
