Ergonomic Interventions in the Building, Repair, and Dismantling of Ships

Easy Fixes: Automatic Welders

Hazard: Workers often have to kneel on steel plate in order to manually weld each stiffener onto the plate. This task may in time result in injury to the neck, back and knees of the worker.

Solution: In Japan, an alternative to having workers weld each stiffener to the plate manually is to set up a number of automatic welders at nearby locations (see photo). In this manner one worker can oversee the completion of four welds in about the time to perform one weld manually. This arrangement would also minimize the risk to the neck, back, and knees of the worker.

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