2015 Workplace Solutions I (Team Driven Workplace Solutions with Internal Competition) ERGO Cup® Winner

“User-Friendly Threadless Coupling Vessel Hanger”

Manchester Tank and Equipment Quincy, Illinois

Booth 111

2015 ERGO Cup ® Winner Workplace Solutions I

(Team-Driven Workplace Solutions with Internal Competition)

Who is Manchester Tank

• Manchester Tank is the leading manufacturer of low-pressure vessels for propane, air and industrial application in North America and Australia. Our mission is to retain our premier position by continuously improving our products and service level to meet and exceed the expectations of our customers. Customer satisfaction is central to our existence. Our employees will accomplish this by functioning as a team and becoming involved. We will continuously invest in operations and improve processes

Advantages of Ergonomics

• Increased savings

• Fewer employees experiencing pain

• Increased productivity

• Increased morale

• Reduced absenteeism

• Ergonomics leads to healthy and pain-free workers

who are more likely to be engaged and productive.

Advantages of Ergonomics

• Ergonomics leads to healthy and pain-free workers

who are more likely to be engaged and productive

• Ergonomic improvements can reduce the primary risk factors for MSDs, so workers are more efficient, productive, and have greater job satisfaction.

Overview-Safety

• Manchester Tank is committed to providing the

safest possible working conditions for all its employees. Despite every effort the Company makes, the basic responsibility for employee health and safety still rests with the individual. Don't forget - your safety is important to others - your family, friends, and the Company.

• Reduced Injuries and losses • An improved in-plant and off-site environment • Conservation of energy and other natural

resources • Reduced property damage and unplanned

business interruptions • Quality products and satisfied customers • Perpetuation of the business for future

generations

Benefits EHS

Why This Project?

• Manchester Tank and Equipment Quincy, Il team chose “Threaded Coupling Conformity” as our ergo cup project due to ergonomic strain and risk caused by repetitively tapping and gauging vessel couplings to insure conformance

• Manchester Tank and Equipment Quincy IL facility is exposing employees to ergonomic stressors for each vessel produced throughout each and every day.

Problem Statement

• Continuous hand and shoulder movement during installation and removal of the manually threaded couplings causes ergonomic strain on the employee. 1,240 tanks per week, 5 turns per coupling, install and removal = 12,400 turns at 135ft/lbs. per turn.

Innovation

• The team was tasked with creating a new vessel hanging device that would eliminate non valued operations and ergonomic stressors as a result of installing & uninstalling threaded eyelet hangers vessels

• The team designed and ran trials of several concepts before arriving at the current quick attach/detach vessel hanging device

Innovation Vessel Hanger Design Concepts

Initial Concept Secondary Design Final Design

Team Solution • The new hanger design allowed us to remove the

eyelet, and avoid threading anything into the coupling

• Eliminated the ergo stressors related to manually installing/removing the threaded eyelets

• Eliminated the secondary operation of D.A. sanding the paint off the top surface of the coupling

In total 4 operations have been eliminated

1. Eyelet prep

2. Install Eyelet

3. Remove Eyelet

4. D.A. Process

Description of Old Process • Manual Eyelet Prep

* This process has been eliminated

Description of Old Process • Manually installing eyelet into vessel using cheater bar

* This process has been eliminated

Description of Old Process • Manually removing the eyelet from vessel

* This process has been eliminated

Description of New Process

• Install new tank hanger

Description of New Process

• Remove new tank hanger

Simplicity

• The design of the new vessel hanging device and new ergonomic assisted equipment was simplistic, straightforward and required very minimal training to implement

Risk Analysis

• An ergonomic risk assessment was completed by Principal Ergonomics, Inc. in September 2014.

• Analysis was conducted by a Certified Professional Ergonomist

Risk Analysis of Old Process

Task ID: Thread Coupling Conformity

Business Unit: Manchester Tank Quincy

Department: Halon Assembly

Risk Analysis of New Process

Task ID: Thread Coupling Conformity

Business Unit: Manchester Tank Quincy

Department: Halon Assembly

Risk Reduction

• This process at Manchester Tank and Equipment has lowered the Ergonomic Risk Reduction from a 52 (high risk) to an 8 (low risk) which is an 81.25% reduction across all jobs described

Cost Savings • Cost per accident = $61,000

• Cost of project = $33,500

Cost Savings – Year 1

• $27,500 – Cost avoidance

• $51,611 – 956 man hours saved annually

• $79,111 - Total

• ROI = .33 years

• Cost of Accident is from OSHA’s Safety Pays Calculator

Questions?